Want a workplace where you can be yourself without masking your true self? There's a name for that

Sometimes it's the bad days that show you how supportive your team really is. Camille Davey (née Wilson) knew she was in a good workplace when she broke down in tears in front of the Chief Operating Officer. He didn’t flinch, he didn’t usher her out of the way. Instead, he held space for her to express herself.

“I apologised, feeling embarrassed, and I remember him saying, ‘You never need to apologise for expressing how you feel. How we manage our emotions is different for everyone, and crying is your thing, and kicking a soccer ball is my thing.'”

Wilson’s experience encapsulates the idea of a psychologically safe workplace and she said it should be the case for all workers.

“Being able to express yourself without fear of judgement means that employees are able to share when things may not be 100%, so support can be provided right at the very beginning of the journey – whether that support is a listening ear, a coffee catch-up, or a more formalised wellbeing plan to help someone get back on track,” Wilson says.

She has been recognised in this year’s LinkedIn Top Voices in Mental Health: a list of 15 creators to follow in the sector. Fellow honouree and workplace mental health expert Anna Feringa says creating a psychologically safe workplace is a “long game” and in order to get there, managers need to understand that mental health management is “not a perk, not a nice to have – it is a duty of care”.

Linkmate founder David Titeu says a psychologically safe workplace is in reach for all, and it often starts at the top.

“Both leaders and employees share the responsibility,” he said.

“Leaders need to take the initiative and talk about mental health openly, even when employees are in great spirits and their team is doing well."

"Leaders who talk about mental health instill a culture of safety and support whilst nurturing a sense of belonging and connectedness, which has been shown to promote wellbeing in the workplace."

“As for employees, they ought to tell their employer when their mental health interferes with their capacity to carry out the requirements of their role, when their mental health affects their safety or that of their colleagues and/or when their mental health is affected by the nature of their work.”?

What are your thoughts on creating psychologically safe workplaces? Share your experiences and tips below.

Instead of who you know or where you went to school, hirers increasingly want to know,?what can candidates do?

Now is a more important time than ever for employees to be keeping skills up to date and learning new ones as the world of work evolves. After all,?45% of hirers on LinkedIn explicitly use skills data to fill their roles, up 13% year on year.

We compared the top skills Australian professionals had in 2015 and identified the new skills that rose to the top in 2021. We’ve mapped the skills to the specific LinkedIn Learning courses and unlocked them to learn for free until September 30, 2022.

Top soft skills professionals added to their profiles

1.??Customer Service -?Serving Customers in a Continuously Changing World?with David Brownlee

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3.???Communication -?Unlocking Authentic Communication in a Culturally-Diverse Workplace with Jonathan Wilson

Top hard skills professionals added to their profiles

1.???Business Development -?Business Development: Strategic Planning?with Meridith Powell

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Plus, see how skills have changed across specific industries in Australia in?LinkedIn’s Future of Skills Report.