5 Ways to Develop Psychological Safety at Work

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In the workplace, we all want to feel as though we can bring our full selves, either virtually or in person. We want to feel safe to share our thoughts, communicate openly, have the chance to learn from experience, and try new ways of doing things without fear of being judged.?

But to?feel this way, there must?be a certain level of psychological safety.?

Now, more than ever, psychological safety at work plays a crucial role in our well-being, our desire to work for an organisation, and our willingness to stay. With research showing that?84% of employees value psychological safety , now is the time for organisations to ensure that they are developing workplaces that embody this.?

With McKinsey&Company ?sharing that only 26% of leaders create psychological safety for their teams , in this article, we share why psychological safety at work is important and 5 ways to develop psychological safety at work.

Why Is Psychological Safety at Work Important??

Psychological safety at work is important for several reasons. Not only does it increase productivity, creativity, and organisational success, but it:?

• Fosters open communication and collaboration.?
• Encourages innovation and creativity by allowing individuals to share ideas freely.?
• Builds trust and strengthens relationships within the workplace.?
• Enhances employee well-being and job satisfaction.?
• Reduces employee turnover.?
• Attracts new talent.?
• Increases risk-taking and experimentation.?
• Facilitates constructive feedback and continuous learning.?
• Improves problem-solving and decision-making.?
• Boosts team performance and productivity.?
• Psychological safety reduces stress in the workplace.?

In addition to the above, research shows that?psychological safety is one of the top drivers of employee retention. In fact,?one in four organisations ?report this in the United States.?

5 Ways to Develop Psychological Safety at Work?

?With an understanding of why psychological safety at work is important and signs to look out for that indicate?whether it’s?something your organisation has or lacks, Director of Coaching and Learning Ian White ?shares 5 ways to develop psychological safety at work below.?

1. Treat trust like your success depends on it.?

Why should we treat trust like our success depends on it??Because it does.???

We have known for decades that high-trust environments are more productive, have more engagement, greater energy, increased motivation, and therefore have better outcomes.???

The opposite?-?low trust, and toxic environments at work - leads?to increased absence, attrition, hiding, blame, criticism, and avoidance.?But this knowledge has not prevented us?from?tolerating low trust, or tolerating trust that is not high enough to produce outstanding outcomes.???

We often settle for less, because it is demanding, messy, and difficult to move through the conflict and conversations necessary to build trust. But for psychological safety, we need to have high levels?of trust, and especially, trust that believes your intentions towards me are good.?

When it comes to trust, ask yourself the following questions:?

• What is the level of trust in your organisation??
• What conversations do you need to have to build greater levels of trust??
• What do people believe about each other’s intentions??

2. React well to mistakes?

When someone makes a mistake, what do we do??We can be sure that our reaction in this situation is observed?and tucked away in people’s minds for future reference.???

Either people will be open about their mistakes, or they will hide their mistakes after seeing our response.? Our reaction is linked to our beliefs about mistakes.?Are they to be avoided, do they bring shame, does a mistake mean weakness, poor attention to detail, or incompetence??

Or are mistakes an opportunity to learn. In fact,?are they our biggest opportunity to learn the biggest lessons that will bring about the biggest results????

Some organisations have ‘Messed it up Friday’,?where the biggest mistakes that week are taken, and every possible bit?of learning is squeezed from them.??

?For psychological safety people,?need to feel good about making mistakes.?If you’re?looking to develop psychological in the workplace, Ian recommends asking yourself how you would describe your response to mistakes and how you could celebrate mistakes and gain the most learning from them.?

3. Agree to disagree?

Who speaks up in your organisation? Who says what people don’t?want to hear? Who disagrees? How is this received????

Are we offended, do we take it personally, do we make life uncomfortable for them??Or do we embrace the opposite view, the distributor, those who raise red flags and see things differently??

Groupthink means we must agree for the survival and harmony of the group, but agreeing to agree comes with dangers and risks,?so?how can we agree to disagree????

To develop psychological safety, people need to be able to speak up, speak out, and be heard.?Here, ask yourself how you encourage difference and how you feel safe whilst disagreeing in your organisation.???

4. Lead by example?

When we lead in organisations we always lead by example, regardless of whether that example is good or bad, and we role model how we expect others to behave.???

As humans, we are excellent at scanning for threats, real or imagined, and weighing the risks of our actions. For example, we ask ourselves questions like:??

• How safe is it to speak out???

• How safe is it to make a mistake???
• How safe is it to question the dominant thinking???
• How safe is it to say how I feel????

If we look at our leader, we can answer all those questions by seeing how our leader acts.?Leading with psychological safety means they?speak out, are open about their mistakes, allow people to question them and question their ideas, and are open about their feelings.?

As a leader, Ian encourages you to ask yourself how safe you are to be around and what it’s?like to be led by you if you’re?hoping to develop psychological safety at work.?

5. Take advantage of executive coaching?

When we have one-to-one?executive coaching ?with an experienced, inspirational, and credible coach, we gain a psychologically?safe place for high challenge and reflection that has a transformational and sustained impact on our inner and outer worlds.???

So, when you think about how to develop psychological safety at work, first consider how you can invest in a place for you and your team to learn and grow by being coached.??

Contact Us Today?

If you’d?like to learn more about how executive coaching can support you in developing psychological safety in the workplace, contact us today .?

Our team of credible executive coaches ?have a wealth of experience spanning various industries. With a proven track record, we’re?certain that they can support you.?

Alternatively, read the full version of this blog here .