Psychological Safety - what is it, and why is it important?
We know instinctively that physical safety at work is of the utmost importance for Staff, but what many employers don’t realise, is the importance of psychological safety also. So what is it, and how can it be achieved?
Recent research from the Netwatch group found that 64% of the 255 Irish businesses surveyed in Ireland were victims of crime in the last year, and 24% cited staff intimidation or abuse as the most common form of criminal activity that they had encountered.
Netwatch are long established market and thought leaders in the security space, and they regularly carry out research of this kind. Of real note this year, was the fact that for the first time this mention of staff intimidation and abuse has been raised. And their year-on-year trends show that those businesses affected by crime are experiencing it more frequently.
Clearly, physical safety is the top priority for organisations looking to protect their Staff, but thereafter, organisations must get familiar with the what and the how of Psychological Safety.
Psychological safety in the workplace is akin to trust. If I as an employee believe that you as my employer “have my back”, then I am more likely to feel psychologically safe. If I don’t feel that we have trust, if I don’t feel safe on an emotional and psychological level, then I am less likely to feel at ease, to contribute at work, even to show up.
When workers are the victims of crime at work, taking active steps to ensure both their physical and psychological safety are critical. But even where physical safety is guaranteed, is secured, psychological safety is still incredibly important.
While many organisations continue to just pay lip service to mental health and wellbeing inititiatives day to day, it is the savvy organisations who go further. With near full employment in Ireland, employees are voting with their feet as to where to go, and where to leave. What we expect from work is changing, and how we are treated, respected and managed is becoming more and more important for staff. Ethically anyway I would argue, employers have a duty of care to their Staff. Increasingly however, those that pay mere lip service to their team’s welfare will be left with huge difficulties in attracting, engaging and retaining talent. From here it will become impossible to service our customers/clients, and bottom line metrics will nose dive. Reputational damage is done.
Psychological safety is not hard to engender. It involves deliberately setting a culture and modus operandi, that celebrates and recognises security and openness. It does not happen by accident, but it can be relatively easily established and maintained, especially in organisations that promote relationships and communication. Having a culture that promotes psychological safety will not only be important for the attraction and retention of staff, but numerous studies also link psychological safety to creativity, perseverance and organisational citizenship behaviour - how likely you are to go the extra mile for your employer.
A huge topic, and one worthy of much discussion and investment. I was delighted to chat with
- Newstalk - my interview at 16.58
- Galway FM my interview in the 9-10am at 24 minutes
If you would like to know more about the research or about how you can engender psychological safety in your organisation, please do get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.