Imagine that an employee has a creative idea that could change the way their team works. But the last time they shared an idea, their manager quickly shut it down. So they sit quietly to avoid the risk of rejection, and do what they’re told. If your organization promoted psychological safety, this idea—and many others—could be shared, sparking breakthroughs that could transform your business.

The truth remains that the present-day professionals are not interested in working in organizations that drain them heavily. They want to be part of a team that makes them feel safe!

Psychological safety at work is the foundation of high-performing teams. Without it, employees are less likely to speak up, ask questions, or propose innovative solutions. Yet only about one-quarter of employees in a Workhuman survey reported feeling psychologically safe at work. In this blog post, we will highlight how you can create psychological safety in your workplace.

What is Psychological Safety?

Psychological safety is the confidence to share thoughts, take risks, and make mistakes without fearing repercussions. Amy Edmondson, the Harvard professor who coined the term, defines psychological safety as “a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.”

Employees who feel psychologically safe know that they can contribute ideas and express opinions without being ridiculed, judged, or embarrassed. They don’t fear that they’ll be penalized for failures or lose status in the group. In other words, they feel free to be themselves at work.

Signs That Your Organization is Psychologically Safe

• There is mutual respect and trust between team members and management
• Employees ask questions, share opinions, challenge ideas, and ask for help
• Mistakes and failures are treated as learning opportunities
• Team members and management give and receive feedback routinely
• All team members contribute to discussions regardless of rank or job title
• Workers feel their skills are valued and utilized
• People communicate with clear and direct language

Best Ways To Create Psychological Safety In Your Workplace

• Build a culture of trust:  If you are committed to creating psychological safety in your team, you must proactively work to earn and extend trust. You need to build trust, keep trust, and be an example for your colleagues. An effective way to build trust is to refrain from rushing to fix things but instead, allow people to think through challenges themselves and come up with their own solutions. This might seem counterintuitive at first, but being intentionally silent instead of solving all the issues can be more effective in building trust because it allows others to feel valued. Great leaders refrain from rushing to fix things instead they invite their team members to find solutions.

• Promote healthy conflict: Asking questions in a certain way allows others to feel that you respect them and are debating their ideas rather than judging them because of their ideas. When you ask questions with the intention to discuss the idea rather than the person, the other person will not hesitate to share all their ideas with you, knowing they will not be judged themselves.

• Allow mistakes: To create psychological safety in your workplace, it is fundamental to build a culture where mistakes are allowed. It is key to explain to your team that not only are mistakes, okay, but they are essential and they lead to greater growth. To do so, tell your team when you make mistakes. Tell your colleagues that we all make mistakes because we are all human.

• Measure feedback: Ask questions like  “How confident are you that you won’t receive retaliation or criticism if you admit an error or make a mistake?”. Asking for feedback also needs to be done well. Take the time to teach your team good feedback techniques. Use phrases like:

• What went well?
• Could I have done better?
• What should we or I do better next time?

Giving and receiving feedback well are skills that should be learned and practiced in order to create psychological safety.

When there is a lack of mental safety in the workplace, employees are less likely to offer ideas, challenge incorrect information, or take the kinds of strategic risks that drive companies forward. Use these strategies to achieve a psychologically safe workplace for your team members.