5 Top Tips for Psychological Safety 

With everything that is going on in the world, Business owners and employees have a right to feel a little unsettled. I’m sure the general world view, post covid, is also a contributing factor to the whooping increase of 36.9% between 2018 and 2025 in the number of mental health claims made against employers.  

In 2023 the Government introduced laws relating to Psychological Safety and a Code of Best Practice to ensure businesses navigate this tricky area and create safer work environments. While being made responsible for the mental health of your team is a significant demand, some of the best ways to support yourself and your team can be simple and straight forward.  

Put simply, Psychological Safety in the workplace is about helping employees feel secure to speak up, share ideas, and challenge the status quo without fearing negative consequences. But it can also work for you as an employer, by creating open conversations about rights and responsibilities both ways.  

Our Top 5 Tips: 

1.) Create a sense of Belonging 

Get to know your team as more than the person “in accounts” or “deals with our bookings”. Knowling a little about them and their personal situation can create a better respect, higher engagement and less surprises.

Build in times that the team can connect with each other. It might be the first 5 minutes of a meeting or to celebrate a team birthday/anniversary. As the team learn more about each other, their support for each other will also increase. 

2.) Celebrate Learning 

The world is changing so quickly. The is new AI everywhere and regardless of the industry, legislation is rapidly evolving. Creating an environment where your team feel safe to learn and experiment without fear of embarrassment or punishment is essential. This allows your team to take reasonable risks and ask questions. When they know they will be supported to innovate and create opportunities for your business, the pace and success rate of change will take off.  

Show appreciation and respect as your team share broad perspectives and encourage them to reveal the thinking behind them. Everyone benefits from this open dialogue.  

3.) Cultivate Empowerment 

I have stated this many times: “A sense of autonomy and accountability for personal and team performance is achieved through empowerment”. Impact HR operates with “Freedom Frameworks” approach which allows our team to understand boundaries and exploration areas. What would your Freedom Framework look like? We can help you define the go- and no-go areas. Developing them creates a team invested in your client satisfaction and your business success. 

It’s also important to acknowledge that in your role as a leader, you may see things differently.  You can have conflicting opinions about what is a boundary and what is not acceptable, without it causing tension, if there is a shared value of client value and company outcomes. 

4.) Accepting Feedback Positively 

While we talk regularly about providing feedback, it remains one of the most challenging aspects of having a team. Providing feedback, in a coaching, style regularly to your team is essential to achieve growth and change.  

But for your team to take on board your feedback, you need to be ready to take on their feedback. It takes a huge amount of courage for our team members to share their thoughts with us, and it demonstrates their passion for your business and their trust in you. Accept the feedback with the knowledge that “feedback is a gift”.  

Know that by role modelling this behaviour, you can also share valuable feedback with them.  

5.) Provide the mandatory training 

As a result of the Positive Duty of Care introduced into legislation, all employers are required to provide appropriate training on how to behave in a way that demonstrates “Respect at Work”. Providing this training ensures that your team know and understand their role in creating a safe work environment and what to do if they are concerned.  

A well-being culture with a focus on Psychological Safety will deliver a huge return on investment for your business. But even better, it will make running your business and having a team more enjoyable.  For help implementing any of our top tips call us on 1300 474 672 or book a meeting to learn more. To access affordable Respect at Work training, click the button below.