What is Psychological Safety?
Psychological Safety is the Mental Health equivalent of the Physically Safe workplace.
Think of Psychological Safety as Health and Safety for the mind. To be truly safe, workplaces need to take a more holistic approach and look at both physical and psychological factors. Just like employees expect to go to work and be safe from physical harm, they also expect to be safe from psychological harm. Consider; in your workplace...
- Is it safe to hold and express an alternative opinion?
- Is it safe to ask for help and to challenge colleagues, even if they're more superior?
- Are work demands, skills and capacity in balance?
- Is it ok to admit mistakes and failures, or even for these admissions to be welcomed and viewed as opportunities to learn?
Why is Psychological Safety important?
In Psychologically Safe workplaces, individuals can thrive. It means that people can constructively raise challenges to the way of working without fear of retribution. They find that asking for help or guidance is met with a positive response. Challenging questionable practices is valued not demonised and that being different is respected, not undermined.
Ensuring the Psychological Safety of employees is a pre-requisite for the promotion of health and wellbeing at work.
What are the tangible benefits?
Businesses that view failures or mistakes as opportunities for change are more likely to innovate. In the aviation industry, failures are investigated to save future lives. All organisations can benefit from embracing failures; to innovate, be more productive and thrive through challenges such as changing markets.
When employees at all levels can admit mistakes, talk openly about challenges, and are invited to share views - progress can be made. Other benefits to name a few, include reduced absence levels, effective teamwork, and improvements in customer service - all of which can save money and drive revenue.
How can we help?
We're licensed to offer ‘Team Works’ - a diagnostic reporting tool that measures Psychological Safety and Wellbeing. It's a quick online survey completed by team members. You'll receive a comprehensive report based on clear cut data. It recommends easy to implement interventions to target specific areas for improvement. Team Works has been the subject of a five year research project validated by Newcastle University and utilised by many organisations across the UK.
