Psychological Safety

For many of us SME business owners and managers, it has been a tough few years; fires, floods, COVID, tough economic environment. One would be enough, but it has been a series of events.  

No wonder Psychological Safety remains a top priority. 2023 saw the introduction of laws and Code of Best Practice to “help” us navigate the tricky areas of Psychological Safety. But the reality is, 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.  

Our Top Tips 

1. Create a Sense of Belonging – Show appreciation and respect as your team share broad perspectives and encourage them to reveal the thinking behind them. It’s also important to acknowledge that in your role, things may be different, and you can have conflicting opinions without it causing tension.  
2. Celebrate Learning – Create an environment where you and your team feel safe to learn, grow, and make mistakes without fear of embarrassment or punishment. This allows your team to take risks, experiment, and ask questions, knowing they will be supported to innovate and create opportunities for your business.  
3. Cultivate Empowerment – A sense of autonomy and accountability for personal and team performance is achieved through empowerment. Impact HR operates with “Freedom Frameworks” which allow our team to understand boundaries and exploration areas. What would yours look like? We can help you define them. Developing them creates a team invested in your business success. 
4. Role Model Accepting Feedback Positively – One of the most challenging aspects of have a team is getting the feedback balance right. But even more challenging is opening yourself up to your team’s feedback. Remember that when our team share their thoughts on areas for us to improve takes a huge amount of courage. To chose to share this with you 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.  

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 email us on info@impacthr.com.au