What is Psychological Safety in the Workplace?
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This document discusses how cultivating psychological safety and civility in the workplace can positively impact an organization's bottom line. It defines psychological safety as employees feeling comfortable speaking up without fear of negative consequences. The document outlines signs that psychological safety may be lacking, such as absenteeism and isolation. It also provides examples of leadership behaviors and organizational practices that can undermine psychological safety. Finally, it proposes conducting a psychological safety assessment through surveys and interviews in order to develop an action plan to improve workplace culture.
What is Psychological Safety in the Workplace?
- 1. How Civility Impacts Your Organization’s Bottom Line What is Psychological Safety in the Workplace? Catherine Mattice MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Civility Partners, Inc
- 2. INDUSTRIES SERVED • Aerospace • Construction • Banking & finance • Healthcare • Higher education • IT • K-12 schools • Legal • Manufacturing • Technology • U.S. Military • Water authorities • City, county & federal government • Family owned • Nonprofits, both large and small • Privately held • Union environments Catherine Mattice MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP [email protected] www.CivilityPartners.com
- 3. Objectives • Describe a variety of negative workplace behaviors as intertwined and existing on a spectrum • Define civility and psychological safety, and the benefits of focusing on them • Identify areas where an organization could be undermining psychological safety • Identify ways to measure, track and analyze psychological safety data to prevent future incidents
- 6. The Negative Behavior Spectrum I n c i v i l i t y U n p r o f e s s i o n a l i s m M i c r o a g r e s s i o n s B u l l y i n g ( a b u s i v e c o n d u c t ) V i o l e n c e P r o t e c t e d c l a s s b u l l y i n g ( d i s c r i m i n a t i o n & h a r a s s m e n t ) G r o u p b u l l y i n g ( e . g . h a z i n g )
- 7. Incivility Disrespect or rudeness. Small indicators that you are not valued by the uncivil person.
- 8. Psychological Safety The belief that one will not receive negative consequences for speaking up and/or showing their true self.
- 9. "A psychologically safe workplace begins with a feeling of belonging. Like Maslow's hierarchy of needs—which shows that all humans require their basic needs to be met before they can reach their full potential—employees must feel accepted before they're able to improve their organizations." -Center for Creative Leadership
- 10. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Self-actualization Self esteem Love and belonging Safety Physiological
- 11. 4 Stages of Psychological Safety The Four Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation; Dr. Timothy Clark
- 12. W h e n w e f e e l s a f e . . . w e b r o a d e n a n d b u i l d Positive Emotions Broaden Inventory of Possibilities & Actions Build Repertoire of Resources Transform & Grow, Creating More Positive Emotions
- 13. W h e n w e f e e l u n s a f e . . . w e f i g h t o r f l e e Threat Anxiety Defense Working Through Flight Fight
- 14. S i g n s P s y c h o l o g i c a l S a f e t y M a y B e L a c k i n g • Isolation; Emotional and/or physical distress • Absenteeism; Voluntary resignations • Low productivity • Employees say that they aren’t comfortable going to HR or their manager • More anonymous submissions to your hotline than employees raising complaints directly with managers or HR • Exit interview data hasn’t been analyzed and shared with leaders
- 15. A n a l y z e O r g a n i z a t i o n a l R i s k F a c t o r s Organizational risk factors result from policies, procedures, practices and culture. It’s something the organization is doing or not doing that creates opportunity for bad things to happen – financial, legal liability, safety, etc.
- 16. Risk 8. Highly intelligent staff 9. Bureaucracy 10. Internal competition 11. Managers not coaching employee behavior 12. Top leaders not taking a stand Factors 1. Young workforces 2. Lack of diversity 3. "High value" employees 4. Isolated workspaces 5. Monotonous work 6. Many tenured employees together 7. High stress
- 17. E x a m p l e Rev Up, Inc. manufactures parts for race car engines all over the country. They’ve been in business for over 50 years, and attract a lot of male talent, many of whom are interested in learning more about cars and are straight out of high school. Rev Up, Inc. prides themselves on mentoring these individuals.
- 18. L e a d e r s h i p b e h a v i o r s t h a t u n d e r m i n e s a f e t y • Being quick to say “no” to a suggestion • Not practicing active listening techniques (e.g., looking at your phone or computer when conversing with others) • Postponing or continuously rescheduling a meeting with a team member • What else?
- 19. O r g a n i z a t i o n a l b e h a v i o r s t h a t u n d e r m i n e s a f e t y • Encouraging employees to submit complaints or feedback, but not acting on it • Failure to embrace change • Not driving a feedback-oriented culture • What else?
- 21. Survey Question Examples • I am currently getting all the information I need to do my job well. • Leadership has done a good job of informing us about the status of the organization. • I trust leadership has my best interests at heart. • The amount of social connection I have with my team is adequate.
- 22. Survey Question Examples • I feel comfortable to be my true self when I’m at work. • If a person said or did something that hurt me, I would feel comfortable to talk to them about it. • My manager is good at managing/resolving exclusive behavior, conflict, incivility, etc.
- 24. Something to consider... • How will we uncover and unravel the systemic barriers to inclusivity and equity within our organization? • How is whiteness a norm in our organization and how can we expand “social norms” to include POC? • What would POC employees say about their experiences working for us?
- 25. Also consider... Managers' ability to influence culture is grossly underestimated Managers should be taught to combat any negative behavior, and also engage in activities that create a positive workplace culture. Investigations focus on the facts, the perpetrator, and the target— and overlook the fact that behavior is a social phenomenon
- 26. Everyone • Setting expectations • Managing incivility- >bullying • Coaching behavior and performance • Creating a positive workplace in their work team Managers • Conflict management • Communication skills • Stress management • Internal customer service • Self-care
- 29. Create a Strategic Plan Objective 1: Build trust in the process of change Goal: Give employees opportunities to heal Goal: Increase transparency and communication Objective 3: Create equity in people processes Goal: Adjust performance management systems to be equitable and fair Goal: Ensure diversity in hiring, promotional opportunities, and training opportunities Objective 2: Build empathy and respect into everyday behavior Goal: Increase awareness and empathy Goal: Hold Directors accountable to team culture
- 30. O b j e c t i v e 3 : C r e a t e E q u i t y i n p e o p l e p r o c e s s e • Core competency matrix tied to core values, empathy, and respect • Crowdsourced list of 40+ jobs to gain a more diverse population of candidates • Crowdsourced list of interview questions that explore candidate's experience and skill in creating inclusive teams.
- 31. 5 5 % o f r e s p o n d e n t s a g r e e d o r s t r o n g l y a g r e e d t h a t t h e y ' d s e e n i m p r o v e m e n t w i t h i n t h e f i r s t y e a r
- 34. As an individual, you can: Show employees they are valued with eye contact, asking questions, taking their suggestions. Be transparent and communicative by explaining the reasoning behind your decisions, seeking feedback, and sharing as much information as you can.
- 35. B e a n a l l y i n m e e t i n g s A m p l i f y i d e a s a n d g i v e c r e d i t t o p e o p l e R e s p o n d t o s h o w b o a t i n g b y p o i n t i n g o u t e x p e r t i s e a n d e x p e r i e n c e o f o t h e r s R o t a t e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e d u t i e s K i c k q u e s t i o n s b a c k t o t h e r i g h t p e r s o n
- 36. C r e a t e R o o m f o r E m o t i o n s & Tr a u m a • Be intentional about reconnecting employees • Share your own emotions • Help employees remain cognizant and aware of their emotional states • Appoint wellness ambassadors • Use your core values to inspire ideas
- 37. Commit to Building a Culture of Respect [email protected]
- 38. A BETTER WORKPLACE AWAITS (619) 268-5055 [email protected] www.CivilityPartners.com
- 39. T h a n k Y o u f o r P a r t i c i p a t i n g Find more free webinars: www.i-sight.com/resources/webinars @ i s i g h t s o f t w a r e C o n t a c t C a t h e r i n e M a t t i c e C o n t a c t i - S i g h t We b i n a r s @ i - s i g h t . c o m I n f o @ c i v i l i t y p a r t n e r s . c o m https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinemattice/ @ c a t m a t t i c e