With the levels of burnout for workers continuing to pose a significant challenge for most workplaces, new research suggests that fostering psychological safety – the belief that talking openly and honestly is valued at work – can help address this workplace risk.
At work, psychological safety is a shared expectation that colleagues and managers will not embarrass, reject or punish them for sharing ideas, taking risks or seeking feedback. It is an essential part of a healthy workplace, and it is critical for team problem solving, creativity and innovation.
Psychological safety can support an environment that challenges ‘group think’, finds ‘blind spots’, promotes teamwork, team learning, and supports better planning and decision making.
Workers who believe it is safe to speak up are more likely to help leaders and workplaces quickly identify the psychosocial – emotional and social – hazards that put them at risk of burnout. The presence of psychological safety does not magically resolve the hazards – for that, effective workplace controls need to be put in place and monitored – but feeling safe to talk about problems and challenges does seem to help minimise the risks.
Psychological safety can help to buffer workers from psychosocial hazards – social and emotional hazards – at work by making it easier to be open with each other and talk about the risks we are encountering and how they can be navigated.
Studies have found that when workers treat each other with respect and care, it calms their brain’s threat system and lights up their reward system. This releases more of the calming hormone oxytocin, which makes people more empathetic, trusting, cooperative and forgiving, and reduces their levels of anxiety and stress.
A psychological safety check-in can:
- identify and address psychosocial (emotional and social) hazards in the workplace
- uncover team’s strengths and resources
- ensure supervision is more strengths-based and supportive
- assist teams in getting to know one another and enhance relationships
- promote collective care.
The way leaders’ approach and hold space in these conversations will significantly impact the results and the relationships formed.
Researcher Dr Margaret Wheatley says ‘… great change starts from … small conversations held among people who care.’ This seemingly simple conversation can significantly improve the team’s levels of psychological safety, help the team to find ways to minimise psychosocial risks, and leave the team feeling more connected, cared about and cared for.
5 key questions
The psychological safety check-in asks 5 key questions:
What’s working well?
This builds an understanding, confidence and appreciation for the ways the team are working well together. It also surfaces approaches and resources that can be built upon. And even if it feels like almost nothing is working well yet, having the conversation together is a step in the right direction.
Where are we struggling?
There is no shame in struggling, which is why this is the perfect follow-up question. Struggle is simply a signal of learning, like most people. By discussing struggles, teams make it safe to speak up and candidly discuss challenges. Professionals often find it hard to seek help from colleagues, so structuring and normalising the discussion of struggles is important.
What are we learning?
By making learning together part of the shared goals and not just the achievement of outcomes, this question makes it safer for the team to be more candid and vulnerable with each other. Because the team’s context and needs keep changing, they are never ‘won and done’ when it comes to building a culture of safety and care.
This means that while the team’s day-to-day outcomes count, in the end it is your ability to mindfully and proactively support the team’s mental health and wellbeing that will make their success sustainable.
What do we want to try next?
This invites the team to co-create the safety and care solutions together. This helps the team to be realistic about the context, available resources, and levels of commitment for implementing changes. It also helps clarify the next steps, who will be responsible for what actions, and how the team will continue communicating about the changes.
How did we go with what we agreed to try at our last psychological safety check-in?
When the team have the next psychological safety check-in ask them how they thought it went.
A team climate characterised by a blend of trust, respect, and care enables workers to speak candidly with each other, without the fear of being rejected or judged.
Exercise
This exercise can be done with an individual worker or as a team. It could be used as part of a team meeting, formal supervision, or during another meeting.
It is recommended that the psychological safety check-in become a regular feature of the team’s shared collective care routine.
The exercise will take a minimum of 30 minutes.
Ensure everyone can view the psychological safety check-in questions.
Instructions
Meet with the team (preferably in person) and explain that the question: ‘How are we doing with regards psychological safety and wellbeing?’ will be explored.
Explain the purpose of the exercise using the above text.
Provide the psychological safety check-in information and enable people to familiarise themselves with it.
Explain that although these questions can be used to reflect on any topic, today’s focus is our psychological safety and wellbeing as a team.
Explain that these questions are designed to:
- help us learn and create more safety with one another
- savour any team psychological safety and wellbeing improvements
- acknowledge any struggles the team may be facing, collectively or individually
- share learnings and next steps with one another.
Work through the questions together, in the following order, making sure everyone has a chance to be heard. The first 3 questions are about looking back at how things have been going. The last question is about looking forward.
- What’s working well?
- Where are we struggling?
- What are we learning?
- What do we want to try next?
Debrief after the experience and ask how the team would feel about working these questions into the team’s existing routines or rituals (for example, team meetings, supervision, evaluations, client cases, etc.).
If (and only if) team members are curious or willing, try incorporating psychological safety check-ins into daily, weekly, or monthly discussions with your team members, either together or individually.
Include the question:
- How did we go with what we agreed to try at our last psychological safety check-in?
Resources
Download the safety check-in worksheet:
Updated