Wellbeing Wednesday - The importance of a Speak Up Culture at Work

If we reward people for speaking their truth, we can create better and more productive workplaces.

The process of?deciding whether to speak up?is called “voice calculus,” during which you consciously or unconsciously weigh the expected success and benefits of speaking up against the risks.

• Is it safe??Do I feel there is enough psychological safety present for me to take the risk to my job, relationships, and reputation to speak up?
• Is it worth it??Do I perceive that speaking up will have a useful, positive impact?

For organisations it is key to encourage a speak-up culture, where employees can voice their ideas, concerns, disagreements, and mistakes. The bottom line, for everyone, is that organizations with speak-up cultures are safer, more innovative, more engaged, and better-performing than their peers.

When we join a team, we very quickly learn the culture and norms - what’s accepted and what’s not. We may hear about someone else’s attempt to share an idea, feedback, concern, disagreement, or mistake. Perhaps it went well; perhaps it didn’t. We may even be so bold as to contribute to a conversation. What happens next typically dictates how we, and others, will behave going forward.

Creating a Speak Up culture is the responsibility of leaders at every level. A great leader values the voice and input of team members, by making it both psychologically safe and worth it to speak up, especially when they bring up hard things to hear. ?However, it is not a license to share whatever we want, with whomever we want, and whenever we want. Emotional intelligence, situational awareness and respect are the three pillars supporting a Speak Up Culture and need to be nurtured and expected.

As a little guide to when to speak up, ask yourself: “Does it need to be said? By me? Now?” If yes, then say it.

This short summary was inspired by an insightful and detailed article published by The Greater Good Science Center