A psychologically safe work environment is the cornerstone of a positive and inclusive workplace culture. It allows employees to express themselves freely and foster happier teams, increased productivity, and improved wellbeing.
In today’s competitive recruitment landscape, how people perceive your organisation is crucial. It can distinguish your workplace as either an attractive, healthy environment or one best avoided. While projecting a favourable image to jobseekers and current employees is linked to employer branding, true success lies in fostering psychological safety. We explore how you can create and maintain a culture that promotes psychological safety.
What is psychological safety?
Psychological safety refers to the ability to express yourself without fear of negative consequences related to self-image, status, or career. Rooted in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it forms the foundation for a thriving workplace culture.
In a recent survey, when asked about the presence of psychological safety in their workplace, 43% of workers* claimed to have it, while 40% mentioned having it to some extent or not at all. Surprisingly, only 28% of hiring managers** expressed that they have a psychologically safe working environment, where individuals feel safe and comfortable speaking up. Although a greater amount of hiring managers (35%) indicated having some degree of psychological safety, they admitted that there may still be hesitancy among employees to share their thoughts and speak up openly.
Interestingly, when considering demographic differences, men were slightly more likely than women to perceive their work environment as psychologically safe (with a 2 percentage point difference). Additionally, individuals from Gen Z (18-26 years old) reported a greater sense of psychological safety compared to Gen X (43-58 years old).
While diversity is key to unlocking the potential of people and organisations, without psychological safety, true inclusion is impossible. Without a sense of inclusion, diversity amounts to nothing more than just being a performative action or something that is enforced and lacks a genuine impact. Therefore, it’s crucial to consider how you can create a psychologically safe working environment to foster employee wellbeing and satisfaction, attract and retain talent, and drive positive outcomes for your business.
Five ways to create a culture of psychological safety
Here are five effective ways you can create and maintain a psychologically safe work environment that supports your business’s success and hiring strategy:
1. Listen and act upon employees’ concerns and feedback
Implement processes to actively listen to employees’ feedback and concerns, embrace their opinions, and make an action plan for change. A psychologically safe workplace makes employees feel safe to speak up and share their thoughts and concerns. Engagement in feedback initiatives shows that your staff not only feel comfortable expressing their thoughts but actively feel like when they do engage, their thoughts are heard and acted on. When employers provide a forum to discuss the feedback that they receive, this creates a sense of transparency and encourages more employees to get involved.
2. Create an open dialogue between employees and leaders
Open channels of communication lead to an empowered and engaged workforce and promotes inclusivity. So much so that when we asked employees what makes an employer inclusive, the most popular response was open communication among all employees (36%).
By fostering an environment where ideas and concerns are heard and valued, you’ll create a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, propelling your organisation to new heights of success.
When you bring management and senior leadership into the mix, the effects are even better. Create opportunities and initiatives, such as listening groups and forums for employees to get feedback directly from Senior Leadership Teams (SLT) – ideally face to face, if possible!
3. Emphasise learning and growth, not mistakes
Turn mistakes into opportunities for growth and innovation. By emphasising growth instead of punishment, you’ll create a psychologically safe space that nurtures employees’ potential and fuels productivity. This may also help your employees to push their limits, adopt a test-and-learn attitude, and try new things. When people feel like the space to try and have ownership, this prompts them to be more confident in their abilities and can have a positive impact on your organisation.
4. Provide empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution training
Workplace psychological safety goes beyond just ideas, feedback and concerns. It also extends to employees’ personal lives and creating an environment where people feel confident and secure to share matters that affect their lives.
Our research exposed that not all managers are receptive to and understanding of situations that affect employees outside of work. Almost a fifth (17%) of managers said they would consider it unprofessional if an employee took a day off due to personal reasons and a shocking 16% said it would impact the employee’s career progression. A psychologically safe work environment is simply unachievable when employees feel they will be reprimanded or negatively judged for sharing personal issues and communicating openly.
5. Promote trust and confidentiality
Trust is the foundation of a psychologically safe workplace. Learn how to foster trust and confidentiality to create an environment where employees feel secure in sharing their thoughts and ideas. Strengthen your team’s bonds and enhance their ability to work together effectively. By promoting a culture of trust, you’ll empower your team and nurture a positive work atmosphere.
*This online survey was conducted by Atomik Research and consisted of 2,004 adults in the UK. This survey took place between 13 – 16 June 2023. Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency that employs MRS-certified researchers and abides by the MRS code.
**This online survey was conducted by Atomik Research and consisted of 253 employees with hiring responsibilities in the UK. The research fieldwork took place between 13 – 16 June 2023.
