The Importance of Psychological Safety at Work 

Research shows there is a key factor in creating high performing individuals, teams and organisations: psychological safety in the workplace.

Psychological safety at work is linked to:

• improved performance and productivity,
• enhanced teamwork,
• increased engagement and commitment to work,
• higher job satisfaction, and
• higher retention. 

It is also a key contributor to creating a mentally healthy workplace. 

What is Psychosocial Safety?

Psychological safety is the belief that one will not be punished, ridiculed, or humiliated for speaking up, sharing ideas, or asking questions at work.

Creating psychological safety is crucial because it fosters an environment where employees feel comfortable, confident, and safe to express their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without fear of negative repercussions. It encourages open communication, collaboration, and innovation. Psychological safety further assists employees to learn new processes and procedures (e.g., to speak up when they have questions). 

The Importance of Psychological Safety in Managing Psychosocial Hazards

Psychological safety at work is arguably an important prerequisite to identifying and managing psychosocial hazards in the workplace. Managing psychosocial hazards is a key component of creating a mentally healthy workplace AND helping meet obligations under the Proposed Victorian OHS (Psychological Health) Amendment Regulations. This is because psychosocial safety:

1. Encourages Open Communication: Psychological safety creates an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, concerns, and feedback without fear of negative consequences. This open communication can help identify and address psychosocial hazards early on, as employees are more likely to share their experiences and perceptions about the work environment, workload, interpersonal conflicts, and other factors that may affect their well-being.
2. Supports Employee Well-Being: Psychological safety promotes a culture of care and concern for employees' well-being. When employees feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to seek help when they are struggling with psychosocial hazards such as high job demands, harassment, or bullying. This can help organisations identify and address such hazards proactively through appropriate policies, procedures, and interventions and help employees access support early, before it impacts their mental health. 
3. Fosters Collaboration and Supportive Relationships: Psychological safety encourages collaboration, teamwork, and supportive relationships among employees. This can create a sense of camaraderie and mutual support, which can be protective against psychosocial hazards such as high job demands. When employees feel supported by their colleagues and leaders, they are better equipped to deal with challenges, cope with stress, and manage work-related demands that may otherwise adversely affect their mental health. 
4. Promotes Inclusivity and Diversity: Psychological safety encourages inclusivity and diversity in the workplace, where employees from diverse backgrounds and perspectives feel included, respected, and valued. This can reduce the risk of psychosocial hazards such as discrimination, bias, and exclusion, which can have a negative impact on employees' well-being and the likelihood they will leave the organisation. In fact, recent research shows that diversity - which is shown to lead to better performing teams - may only benefit workplaces in which there is high psychological safety. 
5. Facilitates Learning and Growth: Psychological safety promotes a growth mindset, where employees feel encouraged to learn, innovate, and take calculated risks without fear of failure or punishment. This can create a positive work environment that encourages continuous improvement, creativity, and adaptability. This, in turn, can help mitigate psychosocial hazards such as excessive workload, which can negatively impact employees' mental health.
6. Healthier Work Environment: Psychological safety promotes a positive work culture where employees feel respected, supported, and included. Research shows that higher psychological safety at work is related to less bullying, and people are more likely to receive support after incidences of occupational violence and aggression. Importantly, psychological safety is also related to less burnout.

How Do I know if My Workplace is Psychologically Safe? 

Organisations can use questionnaires to collect self-report data from employees about their perceptions of psychological safety at work. The Psychological Safety Scale was developed by organisational behavioural scientist Amy Edmonson from Harvard University, who first introduced the construct of psychological safety. It asks employees these 7 questions: 

Responses to these questions should be asked on a 5-point scale from 1 (Strongly disagree), to 5 (Strongly agree). To encourage honest responses from employees it is important to use an anonymous staff survey.  You can download a template of this questionnaire here. 

Other organisational data can also be used as proxies for psychological safety. For example, higher rates of turnover and absenteeism, as well as lower rates of employee engagement, may suggest a less psychologically safe work environment.  

How Do I Increase Psychological Safety at Work? 

It is natural for people to hold back ideas, be reluctant to ask questions, and shy away from disagreeing with the boss. Especially young employees. To increase psychological safety in your organisationa, try these 10 tips:

1. Lead by Example: As a leader, model positive behaviour by being open to feedback, admitting mistakes, and valuing diverse perspectives. Create an environment where mistakes are treated as learning opportunities rather than punishment.
2. Foster Open Communication: Create channels for feedback, such as regular team meetings, where employees can voice their ideas, opinions, and concerns without fear of judgment or retaliation. Ask your employees questions like, "What is working well?" "Where are we struggling?" "What are we learning?" and "What could we try next?"
3. Establish Clear Expectations: Provide clarity on roles, responsibilities, and expectations for each team member. This helps employees feel secure and confident in their roles, reducing anxiety. At the same time, it is important to promote a collective responsibility, to help promote courage to admit when something is wrong. 
4. Promote Collaboration and Teamwork: Create opportunities for employees to work together on projects, brainstorm ideas, and share knowledge. Foster a culture of inclusivity where everyone's contributions are valued and recognised. Strong social networks between team members is related to higher psychological safety. 
5. Provide Professional Development Opportunities: Offer training programs, workshops, and resources that help employees enhance their skills and knowledge. This demonstrates that you care about their growth and development. Research shows that access to formal mentoring increases staff's perception of psychological safety. Check out ARV's annual Emergent leadership program here. 
6.  Respect Diversity and inclusion: Embrace different perspectives, backgrounds, and ideas, and ensure that all employees feel respected and included, regardless of their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristics.
7. Create a No-blame Culture: When mistakes occur, focus on learning from them and finding solutions rather than assigning blame.
8. Recognise and Appreciate Employees: Recognise and appreciate employees' contributions openly and frequently. Celebrate achievements and milestones, and provide positive feedback to acknowledge their efforts. This boosts employee morale and reinforces a positive work environment.
9. Address Conflicts and Issues Proactively: Address conflicts, issues, and concerns in a timely and fair manner. Provide appropriate channels for conflict resolution, such as mediation, to prevent conflicts from escalating and negatively impacting psychological safety.
10. Regularly Assess and Improve: Solicit feedback from employees through surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one meetings, and take action on the feedback received to continuously enhance psychological safety.

Download the 10 Steps for Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety here. 

Creating psychological safety at work requires ongoing effort and commitment from leaders, managers, and employees alike. 

Conclusion

Creating psychological safety at work is crucial for promoting employee well-being, enhancing team dynamics, improving performance, fostering innovation, and creating a positive work culture. It allows employees to feel valued, heard, and empowered, leading to increased job satisfaction, engagement, and retention. It can help manage psychosocial hazards by fostering open communication, collaboration and supportive relationships, promoting inclusivity and diversity, and facilitating learning and growth. By creating a psychologically safe work environment, organisations can proactively identify and address psychosocial hazards, promoting employees' mental health and well-being.  
 

References

Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 350–383.

Read Next:

• What are the Proposed OHS (Psychological Health) Amendment Regulations?