What Is Psychological Safety In The Workplace

What is psychological safety in the workplace? It is easier to recognise than to define, because it shows up in what people do rather than in what they say about the culture. Four observable signals tell you more than any survey.

• Do people admit mistakes early? If errors only surface once they are undeniable, the team has learnt that owning up costs more than concealing.
• Does anyone say they do not know? In an unsafe team, everyone performs certainty and decisions get made on guesses nobody wants to name.
• Does the most junior person ever contradict the most senior? Silence from that direction is a signal, not an absence of views.
• Does bad news travel up as fast as good news? If it slows down at each level, the version reaching the top is not the truth.

Watch a meeting for these rather than asking people whether they feel safe. The question itself is hard to answer honestly in a team where the answer is no.

Safe Work Australia covers the related duty to manage psychosocial hazards. This is general information rather than legal advice.

See Sentrient’s psychological safety training course and workplace compliance system.