Psychological Protection

When staff and faculty are psychologically protected, they demonstrate greater job satisfaction, enhanced team learning behaviour and improved performance. Team members are more likely to speak up and become involved. They show increased morale and engagement and are less likely to experience stress-related illnesses. Psychologically protected workplaces also experience fewer grievances, conflicts and liability risks.

When staff and faculty are not psychologically safe, they experience demoralization, a sense of threat, disengagement and strain. They perceive workplace conditions as ambiguous and unpredictable. The organization is at a much greater threat from costly, and potentially crippling, legal and regulatory risk. This can, in turn, undermine shareholder, consumer, and public confidence in the organization.

• the organization is committed to minimizing unnecessary stress at work;
• immediate managers care about staff and faculty's emotional well-being;
• the organization makes efforts to prevent harm to staff and faculty from harassment, bullying, discrimination, violence, or stigma;
• staff and faculty would describe the workplace as being psychologically healthy;
• the organization deals effectively with situations that can threaten or harm staff and faculty (e.g., harassment, bullying, discrimination, violence, stigma, etc).

Ultimately, psychological safety is about making a team come together as one – and fostering an environment that sets up everyone for success. So, how can an organization foster a culture where psychological safety is valued, encouraged and promoted? Here are a few ideas:

• Give staff and faculty a voice. This is not only about encouraging communication but giving everyone the opportunity to provide feedback and be part of the process.
• Mistakes are part of the process. Ensure staff and faculty understand that making mistakes is part of the process, and that learning from mistakes helps them to grow. Ensure that managers do not overreact or reprimand staff and faculty for making mistakes.
• Earn and extend trust. All members in an organization – and particularly leaders – have a responsibility to model and demonstrate psychologically safe interactions.
• Treat people the way they want to be treated (as opposed to the way you want to be treated). Take the time to ask team members what they’d prefer regarding things like frequency of check-ins, style of communication, or type of feedback. This allows them to feel more in control.
• Welcome curiosity. Encourage questions and welcome curiosity in a way that encourages creativity.
• Promote healthy conflict. Create an environment where asking questions from a place of curiosity and wanting to understand is encouraged, rather than judged. Promote an environment where it is okay to disagree and oppose one another, with the ultimate goal of finding the most innovative and creative solutions together. 
• Ask for feedback. Asking for feedback ensures others feel as though they are part of the process, and reminds staff and faculty that leaders are humans who are always learning the same as they are. Asking for feedback genuinely also helps to build trust and a relationship with effective communication.