When it comes to worker performance, most employers focus on providing physical support, including training and supplies. However, emotional and psychological support is just as crucial in creating a welcoming and productive workplace.

According to Amy Edmonson from Harvard Business School, psychological safety is when employees feel comfortable taking acceptable risks within the workplace. For example, speaking out about problems, setbacks, or mistakes that may occur without fear of retribution or retaliation.

As leaders, knowing how to create psychological safety in the workplace for increasing worker performance should be a priority. Just as with training and guidance, fostering psychological safety can help individuals and the team work better as a unit. So, let’s break down how to do this, including measuring success, building a stronger workforce, and sustaining psychological safety over the long term.

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What Psychological Safety Really Means

The clear definition of psychological safety is the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team environment is a safe space for interpersonal risk-taking.

But what does that mean exactly? Workplace psychological safety is not simply creating a comfortable environment where employees can say whatever they want without accountability.

Instead, psychological safety is when workers feel empowered to speak up to both co-workers and managers without fear of pushback or punishment. Overall, fostering psychological safety improves worker performance, whereas a lack of it can lead to negative outcomes, such as silence, disengagement, high turnover rates, or increased errors.

What the Research Shows

Amy Edmonson from Harvard Business School is the foremost authority on psychological safety. According to her research, when leaders build psychological safety in the workplace, it leads to a more innovative and successful team.

Basically, when workers aren’t afraid to speak up, they’re far more willing to participate, ask questions, share concerns, and learn from mistakes. But how can you know whether you’re creating psychological safety?

The simplest method is to use the team psychological safety scale. This scale includes seven questions that workers answer regarding how they feel about speaking up on the job. Each question (phrased as a statement) has seven responses, ranging from very inaccurate to very accurate.

Studying and measuring these results allows leaders to determine whether they have a psychologically safe environment or if they need to work on building a safer workplace.

How to Measure Psychological Safety

Although the team psychological safety scale is one of the best ways to measure psychological safety in the workplace, it shouldn’t be the only method you use. It can serve as a strong baseline, but it’s also imperative to focus on other, more tangible indicators that you’re creating psychological safety among your team.

For example, do employees often speak up with concerns or questions about tasks or goals? If so, do they speak out in a group setting or prefer to talk with management one-on-one?

Similarly, you can measure workplace psychological safety by looking at dissent, such as complaints, negative attitudes, or disengagement. While these trends are harder to quantify, they can still provide a baseline from which to grow and adapt.

How Leaders Build Psychological Safety

Creating a psychologically safe workplace starts with leadership. When employees see supervisors managing workplace conflict and interpersonal risk-taking, they’re more likely to participate and follow through.

Here are some common tactics leaders can use to build psychological safety at work:

Modeling Humility – A successful workplace requires competence and collaboration, not showmanship or arrogance. Humility reinforces the idea of teamwork.
Admitting Mistakes – When leaders can admit mistakes to employees, they’re far more likely to do the same. Learning from mistakes creates a stronger foundation for growth.
Soliciting Input From Quiet Employees – Some workers may not feel comfortable speaking out in a group setting. Asking questions or soliciting feedback can help them feel more engaged and proactive.
Responding With Intention – Strong or harsh reactions from leadership often create negative consequences. It’s best to pause and think of a response first.
Encouraging Productive Conflict – Not all conflict has to be destructive. Often, collaboration works better when everyone feels comfortable voicing opposing opinions, leading to a stronger outcome. Teaching workplace conflict management for employees can help greatly.
Reinforcing Respectful Dialogue – Part of creating a psychologically safe work environment is ensuring everyone treats each other with respect, even during disagreements or conflicts.

Team Practices that Increase Psychological Safety

At first, creating psychological safety can seem abstract, but here are some actionable methods leaders can use in the workplace:

Structured Feedback Sessions – Asking open-ended questions like “any concerns or feedback?” may not yield results. Structured sessions ensure everyone can focus on specific elements and feel more comfortable speaking up.
Rotating Facilitation – Team psychological safety improves when everyone feels valued. By rotating tasks and initiatives, everyone feels like they’re equally important.
Brainstorming Sessions – Create a space for workers to voice opinions or suggestions about a particular problem or objective.
Highlighting Small Wins – Celebrating small achievements encourages workers to focus on the details.
Creating Open Communication Channels – To build psychological safety, workers must feel like they can speak up at any time. Clear channels between employees and management can foster a more psychologically safe workplace.

Common Pitfalls

Establishing psychological safety in the workplace is not without its challenges. Some common areas where leadership can falter include:

Confusing psychological safety with lowering standards of communication.
Trying to utilize a one-size-fits-all approach to company culture.
Not measuring and tracking psychological safety over time.
Focusing on routine and low-judgement tasks, not high-level strategies or processes.

Remember, a psychologically safe workplace is where team members feel like they can take risks and voice opinions openly.

Sustain and Scale

To ensure high psychological safety at work, utilize these best practices:

Create a Pilot Program in Two Teams – Because there is some nuance involved in psychological safety, it’s best to compare results between two pilot teams, not just one.
Track Metrics Monthly – Use team psychological safety scales regularly to see how well team members improve.
Review Results Quarterly – Leaders should review metrics every quarter and adjust their strategy accordingly.
Leverage Engagement and Performance Reviews – Measure your psychological safety climate in employee engagement and bring up scale questions during performance reviews for added feedback.

The Bottom Line about Psychological Safety in the Workplace

Psychological safety leads to high-performing teams and a stronger, more stable work environment. But first, you need to know how psychologically safe your team members feel, so start measuring scale results to see where you’re at. Then, develop a strategy for creating a psychologically safe workplace.

Fortunately, you don’t have to do this on your own. With online conflict management and training from Pollack Peacebuilding Systems, you can foster greater psychological safety and learn how to measure results more effectively.