Psychological Safety and Harassment Prevention
January 3, 2023
“Psychological safety” means having confidence that expressing your concerns, sharing your ideas, and thinking out of the box at work won’t result in negative consequences. It has become the gold standard for a healthy workplace culture.
Employees working in a psychologically safe environment have the ability to speak freely about work-related issues, safe from ridicule or reprisals, even when they don’t know if their suggestions will be adopted or their opinions shared. Psychological safety is an important tool in the prevention of sexual and other forms of harassment.
Now that we know what psychological safety is, it’s important to also note what it isn’t. A civil and supportive environment is not one where we simply tell employees what they want to hear, agree with or praise every new idea regardless of merit, fail to hold people accountable, or tolerate inappropriate behavior. It is simply one with less fear and defensiveness, one where employees feel safe.
When employees feel safe to admit their mistakes, those mistakes can be corrected sooner. And people can learn from them faster. There is less of a tendency to feel defensive and fearful and to undermine, lash out at, or otherwise abuse others. Organizations that create a psychologically safe workplace have happier, more productive employees and lower absenteeism. They have excellent reputations as well.
Harassment-free workplaces are built on a foundation of respect, inclusion, and psychological safety.