July 22, 2021

psychological safety training

Psychological safety is an important part of building a culture of trust, transparency and inclusion in today’s evolving workplace. In an article in Training Industry, Andrew Rawson, Traliant’s Chief Learning Officer, explores the principles of psychological safety and how learning leaders and managers can instill it in their teams and organizations. 

Here’s an excerpt:

Creating Psychological Safety in a Virtual Environment

While not a new concept, psychological safety has become part of the current conversation about what organizations and employees can do to adapt and thrive in a post-pandemic world. With more organizations keeping remote and hybrid work options in place, ensuring a psychologically safe environment is considered one of the key ways to help employees balance work-life challenges, improve team dynamics and performance and strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

People experience psychological safety when they feel comfortable speaking up and being their authentic selves. Dr. Amy C. Edmondson, a Harvard professor of leadership, who is known for her groundbreaking research on psychological safety, describes it as a shared belief that the work environment is conducive to interpersonal risks, such as asking for help, speaking up with ideas, raising concerns and questions and admitting mistakes. Psychological safety is not about being nice or giving permission to whine or slack off, Edmonson says. It’s about candor and proactively inviting people to speak openly and have their voices heard.

The benefits of a psychologically safe workplace span many facets of the employee experience — increasing engagement, job satisfaction, retention, and health and well-being. And empowering employees to voice their views and perspectives can unleash creativity that drives innovation and productivity.

There is also a correlation between psychological safety and preventing job burnout — a key factor in rising turnover rates, known as “The Great Resignation.” A Korn Ferry survey of 7,000 U.S. professionals found that 73% of workers were feeling burned out from having no separation between work and home life, unmanageable workloads and stress over job security.

Managers’ Role in Reducing Uncertainty and Building Trust
In a remote or hybrid workplace, managers should be especially conscious of being clear and transparent about what it means to build psychological safety. By owning up to their own mistakes and sharing their challenges in adjusting to a changing work environment, managers show team members that it’s safe to talk about uncertainties, shortcomings and limitations.

Consider the following practical ways to promote psychological safety and inclusion:

  • Invite people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, identities and perspectives to lead discussions.
  • Seek out different ways to connect, check-in and share ideas, especially among remote teams. Video call fatigue is real and not everyone is comfortable speaking up in virtual meetings.
  • Promote cultural competency and cultural humility — the ability to interact effectively with people from other cultures and reflect on how one’s own biases can discount the views of others.
  • Listen with the intention to understand, not judge. Active listening is focusing on what team members say and what they don’t. Be aware of nonverbal cues that signal stress and uncertainty.
  • Ask (more than once) for feedback and ideas. It’s easier for many employees to remain silent, especially with the ubiquitous mute button. Being proactive and persistent in asking team members to voice their concerns and suggestions sends a positive message that their opinions count.
  • Encourage respectful, civil debate, where team members can disagree without veering into personal attacks and arguments. Fostering psychological safety is the antidote to a toxic work culture in which individuals avoid challenging the status quo or trying new things because they fear criticism and retaliation.
  • Measure psychological safety. Whether it’s surveys or asking team members directly, inquiring about how safe people feel about being their authentic selves and what can be done to increase their psychological safety can further build trust and communicate that the organization cares about what’s on employees’ minds.

Training to Educate, Encourage and Empower
Changing a work culture doesn’t happen quickly and achieving psychological safety is no exception. As part of a holistic approach to fostering respect, inclusion and belonging, behavior-based training on psychological safety can engage employees in fresh ways that deepen their understanding of how to remove barriers to honest communication and collaboration. Along with other DEI-related topics such as microaggressions, unconscious bias and cultural competency, psychological safety training is another building block to encourage and empower employees to contribute ideas, raise concerns and speak up when they see, hear or experience unacceptable behavior.

Sign up for a free trial of our Psychological Safety at Work training:

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nicholas.casciani