Creating and Measuring Psychological Safety

by Feb 23, 2023

One of the strongest proven predictors of team effectiveness is psychological safety. At Civility Partners, we understand the importance of psychological safety and its impact on employees, the organization, and the community.

According to research by Gallup, 3/10 employees strongly believe their opinions don’t matter at work. That number is just way too low!

A diverse workforce leads to a higher level of innovation and creativity. However, when individuals don’t feel comfortable speaking up or feel like their opinions don’t matter, it can have significant negative effects on the organization. 

Psychological safety is not about everyone being nice all the time, but rather embracing conflict, respectfully challenging ideas, and fostering trust within the team. This creates a strong and cohesive team where everyone feels confident in their abilities and has the support of their colleagues.

We believe that a workplace where employees feel psychologically safe not only benefits employees but also contributes to the overall well-being of society. After all, most of us spend the majority of our time at work, making it a vital part of our lives. When employees feel safe to express themselves and take risks, they bring that same energy into their homes and into the world around them.

But creating psychological safety is not just about having a few trust-building activities or recognizing employees for speaking up. It’s about incorporating it into all aspects of the organization, from recruiting and performance management to onboarding and beyond.

 

Creating and Measuring Psychological Safety

 

We know that creating psychological safety takes effort and commitment. But the benefits are well worth it. So, we’re offering a free webinar on “Creating and Measuring Psychological Safety” on March 15th, 10AM PST to show you some of the ways you can incorporate psychological safety into your organizational systems. Join us and learn how you can create a respectful and engaged workforce that benefits everyone.

Check out our registration page for the full description! Let’s take action towards a more positive and thriving workplace!

 

Written by: Jennifer Areola

Let’s create a plan to build a positive workplace! | Invite Catherine to speak | Check out our webinar library

 

Civility is the platform for organizational success—it is absolutely necessary for an organization to reach its goals. Download our Ebook on Seeking Civility to learn more on how to create a workplace free of bullying and abusive conduct.

 

Catherine

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the founder/CEO of Civility Partners, an organizational development firm focused on helping organizations create respectful workplace cultures and specializing in turning around toxic cultures. Civility Partners’ clients range from Fortune 500s to small businesses across many industries. Catherine is a TEDx speaker and an HR thought leader who has appeared in such venues as USA Today, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, and many other national news outlets as an expert. She’s an award-winning speaker, author, and blogger and has 60+ courses reaching global audiences on LinkedIn Learning.  Her fourth book, Navigating Toxic Work Environments For Dummies (Wiley), is available in all major bookstores and where audiobooks are sold.

Join our Workplace Intelligence Series + Office Hours

Every day, you are expected to solve increasingly complex workplace challenges. A bullying complaint lands on your desk. A high performer is damaging team morale. Burnout continues to climb despite your wellness initiatives. Managers struggle with difficult...

Do Your Managers Create an “Us vs. Them” Mentality? Here’s How to Know and What to Do About It.

Every organization has heard some version of it. "Don't shoot the messenger. This came from corporate." "I know it doesn't make sense, but that's what leadership wants." "I'm just telling you what they told me." Most managers think they're being empathetic when they...

4 Mistakes That Turn a Necessary Layoff Into a Culture Crisis

Most leaders think the layoff is the hard part. It isn't. The difficult conversations, severance packages, and notifications are emotionally draining, but they aren't where organizations win or lose their culture. The real challenge begins the next morning, when...

3 Ways Gatekeepers Sabotage Real Workplace Change

Recently an employer’s attorney contacted us looking for workplace training for her client. She described what she called "longstanding" workplace issues and stated she was looking for a training program to resolve them. As I explained that training likely isn’t the...

AI Can Now Detect Workplace Bullying and I’m Mad as Hell About It

The Latest Workplace Misconduct Technology Misses the Point Bloomberg reports a new generation of AI tools designed to detect misconduct, bullying, harassment, belittlement, and other problematic workplace behaviors. The promise sounds compelling: use artificial...

7 Corporate Lies & The Real Truths (my 5 min DisruptHR talk)

  Interested in talking more about this topic? Head over to the LinkedIn version and drop a comment or share it with your network. You’ve been at the receiving end of a steady diet of advice that sounds smart, looks great on conference slides, and earns plenty of...

Pride Month: Performative Vs. Actual Activities

Happy Pride Month! This month, you'll see rainbow logos, employee resource group events, and social media campaigns celebrating LGBTQ+ employees and communities. But Pride Month wasn't created as a marketing campaign or even as a celebration. It began as a protest....

5 Things Ryan Breslow (& Most Executives) Gets Wrong About HR

“Fire your entire HR department.” Wait… what?  That was essentially the message Ryan Breslow, CEO of Bolt, delivered recently when he announced he had eliminated the company’s entire HR team because they were allegedly “creating problems out of thin air.” According to...

“What to Say May”: Turn Good Intentions into Everyday Courage

May has always been a month of transition. Spring in full bloom, fresh energy, and just enough optimism to believe people might actually follow through on their good intentions. So this year, we’re channeling that energy into something practical. We’re calling it...

3 Reasons Gen Z Won’t Take B.S. From Their Employers

Gen Z is quickly becoming one of the most influential voices in the workplace and they’re not staying quiet.  In fact, research shows that Gen Z employees are highly values-driven. Nearly 9 in 10 say purpose is critical to their job satisfaction and they increasingly...