Amy E>mondson, a Harvard professor, has popularized psychological safety as an essential component of the success of teams and organizations. According to the statistics, the approximate injury rate of workers feeling unsafe is 36.5%, while workers feeling safe is 20.2%.
This displays the importance of psychological safety in the organization. In this article, we’ve provided ten research-backed tips to overcome challenges.
10 Tips To Overcome Psychological Safety Challenges
1. Recognize the Essence of Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is the belief that you can express your authentic self without fear of negative consequences. It stems from both individual mindsets and organizational influences.
By incorporating psychological safety factors, an individual can grow professionally and personally.
Understanding the core of psychological safety is the first step to cultivating it. Leaders should educate themselves on the meaning and importance of psychological safety through reputable research and training. By providing extensive psychological safety training, the person could attain a set of knowledge.
2. Prioritize Wellness and Wellbeing
Holistic wellness programs impact psychological safety by promoting, supporting, and mentoring individuals. Coping with life and work has transitioned hard to differentiate. Companies that invest in quality initiatives for employees will see powerful results:
- Statistics say a 27% reduction in turnover, resulting in increased revenue.
- Statistics display 76% more engagement, resulting in on-time, high-quality deliverables.
- Statistics highlight a 67% higher chance employees will apply new skills, resulting in revenue growth.
To prioritize wellness, consider offering resources like counseling, fitness benefits, free vouchers for medical checkups, and mental health seminars to emphasize wellness’s importance. Tailor offerings to your workforce’s needs through regular surveys. This initial approach can boost employee satisfaction, enhancing productivity and on-time deliverables.
3. Actively Pursue Employee Feedback
Employees’ trust in leaders significantly increases when they are psychologically safe. Statistics showcase 72% of workers say leader behaviors promote psychological safety and encourage positive team collaboration. With consistent feedback, leaders will proactively tackle issues and strive to build a secure workplace.
| Feedback Method | Frequency Recommendation |
| One-on-One Meetings | Every two weeks in a month |
| Team Huddles | Once in a Week |
| Anonymous Surveys | Quarterly |
| Management Meet | Quarterly or Yearly |
Leaders should use effective questioning strategies and actively listen without judgment. This builds trust and demonstrates respect for all perspectives. Encouraging open communication and sharing ideas among teammates significantly increases the collaborative work culture.
Here are some feedback methods and their pros and cons.
| Feedback Method | Pros | Cons |
| Focus Groups | Allow open discussion and gain in-depth insights | Risk groupthink and time intensive |
| Suggestion Boxes | Provide anonymity and easy to implement | Low participation and limited follow-ups |
| Exit Interviews | Understand reasons for turnover and details from departing staff | Information gathered too late and biased perspectives |
4. Implementing Robust Risk Management Policies
Workplace toxicity sabotages psychological safety. According to statistics, only 26% of employees felt psychologically safe during the pandemic, fueling burnout. As leaders, it’s crucial to challenge and promote a trustworthy, respectful, supportive, and productive work environment.
Organizations must implement, govern and enforce strong policies against
- Microaggressions: Indirect acts of discrimination
- Bullying/harassment – Harmful behavior toward the employees
- Non-trustable behaviors – Eroding the trust of belief
- Naming and shaming in open meetings – Publicly criticizing the people.
Conduct anti-bias and sensitivity training promptly. Promote channels for safely reporting issues. You can conduct anonymous surveys to get feedback. Investigate thoroughly and avoid victim blaming. Victim blaming reflects the lack of accountability and ownership.
5. Evaluate and Develop the Leader’s Emotional Intelligence
Leadership capabilities directly impact team psychological safety. Unfortunately, only 26% of leaders foster the level of trust and authenticity that underlies psychological safety. Thereby training leaders to implement psychological safety is crucial.
Providing self-assessments, coaching, and development programs focused on emotional intelligence (EQ) can help leaders gain crucial competencies like
- Self-awareness and manage emotions
- Empathy controlled emotions
- Decision-making without bias and active listening
- Relationship management and communication
- Conflict resolution and effective leadership
6. Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Psychological safety diminishes when employees feel excluded due to gender, race, sexual orientation, or other diversity factors. Therefore “Unity is strength.”
Promoting an environment where diverse employees feel valued requires dedicated work across areas, including:
- Equitable policies, practices, and learnings
- Training people on active listening and explicit communication skills.
- Education/training on mitigating bias and building a fair society.
- Mentorship programs for underrepresented groups
- Accountability at all managers and leadership levels
- Conduction of repeated training programs and awareness sessions
7. Address Social Issues Promptly
Employees experience excellent psychological safety when organizations respond to social issues transparently, equitably, and consistently. A transparent way of addressing the issue will sort out most upcoming social issues for the employees.
However, one-third of workers believe their company should do more to address issues like Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ rights, and diversity. Inconsistent, opaque responses amplify fear and distrust. When leaders don’t address the issue promptly, this will be projected as ignorance of individuals. In such cases, the organization’s choice of the individual in a leadership position is judged.
Leaders must seek input from affected groups when addressing each social issue and communicate plans. Open communication and leadership talk is found to be effective.
8. Incorporate Iterative Thinking
Design thinking centers the employee experience, helping organizations view challenges through a new lens. Out-of-the-box thinking encourages the team and solves the problem immediately.
The five stages cultivate psychological safety by promoting the following:
- Empathy – Understanding user requirements
- Ideation – Deferring judgment
- Prototyping – Co-creation and collaboration
- User testing – Feedback without consequences
- Iteration – Willingness to rework based on input and accepting mistakes
Introduce training programs and workshops for such behavioral training to boost design thinking and prevent social issues.
9. Improved Communication Skills
Unclear or inconsistent communication corrodes psychological safety by spreading ambiguity and misinformation. This makes the organization toxic. To prevent this situation, ensure leaders at all levels receive training on
- Proactive listening
- Having empathetic communication
- Communication is on point and transparent
- Offering context and rationale behind decisions
- Influencing communication techniques
- Conflict resolution instantly
- Change management
The below table represents the evident difference between challenges and benefits in the communication channel,
| Communication Channel | Benefits | Challenges |
| Asynchronous communication and written record | Impersonal and tone can be misinterpreted | |
| Video Calls | Visual engagement and body language cues | Technological issues and hard-to-read room |
| Instant Messaging | Quick communication and Informal tone | Interruptions and message overload |
| In-Person Meetings | Personal connection and reading reactions | Scheduling difficulties and distractions |
10. Advocate for Mentorship and Training
Learning and skill development are hampered when employees fear looking incompetent for asking questions or making mistakes. In such an environment, innovative hypotheses are lacking, and revenue growth reflects it.
A formal mentorship program by pairing newer employees with experienced mentors
can drastically improve the intensity of interaction. And also guide without judgment. The nervous newbies can seek help without the fear of judgment. By incorporating mentorship, newbies can seek help for their concerns without fear of judgment.
Investing in continuous learning demonstrates a commitment to employees’ growth and empowerment. Resulting in the organization’s revenue growth.
Wrapping Up
Psychological safety training plays an essential role in overcoming psychological safety challenges. Promoting an environment where employees feel safe, respected, and able to perform as their true selves requires ongoing focus. Evaluate your organization’s current state and identify opportunities to incorporate and enhance policies, leadership capabilities, inclusion, communication, and learning. Incorporate the ten tips to overcome psychological safety challenges.
