Why Psychological Safety is Critical in the COVID Era
(August 13, 2021)
I believe that, as leaders, the importance of fostering an environment of psychological safety in the workplace, has never been more urgent.
Psychological safety — the belief that one can speak up without risk of punishment or humiliation
Most of us are aware that the COVID era has brought on a wave of escalated mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. The impact of the past 18 months is far reaching, affecting all aspects of our people’s lives.
As our country and our businesses reopen, it’s not enough to do what we used to do.
All of us are now faced with new and amplified threats to our psychological safety (Fig. 1). The presence of these threats, whether real or imagined, will impact how your people interact with each other.
Figure 1: COVID Era Psychological Safety Threats
As effective leaders, a key part of our job is to create a safe workspace. It is essential that we adapt to our new reality.
Every person in your organization is likely affected by a few of the items on this list. They may be feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable, making it difficult to show up fully or authentically.
Research tells us that without psychological safety there is less engagement, less effectiveness, less collaboration, less innovation, and lower morale in the workplace.
So what can we do?
As with almost all leadership challenges, we need to start with ourselves. Start by asking yourself: Where do I feel unsafe being myself or speaking freely? What can I do or shift to feel the psychological safety that I want for myself? Spend some time reflecting on these questions (several days).
For example, are you comfortable talking about social issues with your co-workers in the same way you did pre-COVID? Or, as a leader, do you have apprehension about making a diversity and inclusion faux pas? If so, how is it affecting your decision making and interactions with your people?
By starting this process and really looking at ourselves, we can be informed on how we can impact the psychological safety of others?
Here are 5 few leadership tips to improve psychological safety:
Set the tone - how you show up has the strongest influence on a team’s psychological safety.
Set guide rails - Use a combination of agreements and rules to establish what is and is not acceptable in your organization. Whenever possible, facilitate discussion with your team to create these agreements and rules. Do your best to get full buy-in. Ask them for ideas on how you will establish accountability.
Be consistent - Trust is built when people believe you will do what you say you are going to do, without bias or judgment. Observe yourself and be open to feedback. Notice when you pick favorites, break agreements, and other inconsistencies. Remember, what you model will set the tone for your organization.
Admit when you make a mistake. You don’t have all of the answers. Model vulnerable behavior through transparency and acknowledging when you get something wrong. Set the tone so others feel safe to take risks and make errors, without dire consequences.
Listen. I mean really listen. Many people stay silent because they don’t believe they will truly be heard. Ask empathetic questions and just listen - without interruption, judgment, offering suggestions, or problem solving. Again, don’t pick favorites. Listen fully to everyone, especially those who don’t naturally resonate with you.
As leaders, we all want our people to show up fully engaged, and with new innovative ideas. However, when people don’t feel safe, it is impossible for them to do so authentically. I believe that psychological safety is a critical and urgent concern for all leaders. With the workforce shortages we are seeing, there will likely be long term implications for organizations that do not prioritize this issue.