The psychological safety of employees is crucial for a healthy culture. It is also essential to good decision-making, teamwork, and innovation.
When it comes to a work environment that is hybrid, there are many factors to take into consideration to create a safe and secure workforce.
What is psychological security?
Amy C. Edmondson & Mark Mortensen define this as: ” the belief that one is free to speak out without fear of punishment or humiliation.”.
It is difficult to achieve and maintain psychological safety in the workplace, even though its meaning has become widely accepted.
Safety in the hybrid workplace: Psychological aspects
In a hybrid workplace, creating a culture that promotes psychological safety is more difficult. In a hybrid environment, there are additional challenges to creating a culture of psychological safety. Leaders must reflect on their impact in this area of the organisation, especially as we move into a hybrid world.
Leaders can create a sense of psychological safety within a hybrid organization by:
1. In emails and meetings, adopt a friendly and warm communication style
In a virtual environment, it can be hard to judge the emotions and reactions others are having. This can lead to misunderstandings. The tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language are all cues which can be overlooked, making communication difficult.
Written communication is more likely to be perceived as impersonal or blunt. If you are in a senior position, you should work to ensure that people don’t feel intimidated when speaking to you.
2. Encourage open communication by providing opportunities for feedback, questions and informal discussions.
Virtual meetings can feel formal, making it hard to create an atmosphere conducive to open discussion. Employees may feel less comfortable bringing up a topic or asking a question if there is no small talk at the start or end of teleconferences. You may find that employees are reluctant to send an email or schedule a virtual meeting to discuss a minor matter unless they feel it is important. So, you need to think about how to create more opportunities for such a conversation.
This can be achieved by establishing regular online drop-in sessions, or by setting aside time during team meetings to have more relaxed discussions. All team members should be treated with respect and different viewpoints encouraged. Be careful not to let rudeness or unhelpful criticism creep into your conversations, as this can discourage others from speaking.
In the end, creating a culture of healthy feedback can improve team performance and well-being.
3. Relationships are important
Employees who aren’t physically present at the office may not feel as if they are part the team, or know their manager or colleagues very well. This lack of connection can lead to a reduced sense of collaboration and cooperation as well as an overall feeling of isolation.
Consider what activities could be introduced to increase trust and rapport. Even though you may sigh and roll your eyes, team-building activities that don’t have anything to do with the workplace can still be useful. These activities can often make things run more smoothly because they result in greater trust, rapport, and shared experiences.
4. Clarify hybrid working rules and expectations
But don’t be rigid. Consider a ‘needs-based approach’ to hybrid work that allows flexibility. Try not to be rigid. Instead, adopt a flexible ‘needs based’ approach for hybrid work.
Uncertainty about the rules can cause digital presenteeism, where employees are pushed to work overtime to prove they are productive while working at home.
The perceived lack of trust by leaders can create an environment in which employees are afraid to leave their computers or go on breaks. This further undermines psychological safety. This feeling of distrust is exacerbated by employee monitoring. This is illustrated by the recent Wells Fargo example – employees were fired for purchasing’mouse shakers’. This situation was caused by mistrust between both parties.
5. Openness and vulnerability in role models
Share your mistakes and challenges to build a culture that encourages learning and growth. You should be open to the fact that you may not know the answer and you should feel comfortable knowing you’re not an expert. You may find it useful to get feedback on your style of leadership. You will be able to better understand your leadership style and how others perceive you.
Model the way that you would like others to receive and respond to feedback.
6. Psychological safety barriers: how to address them
Take into account the culture of your organization. Consider giving feedback to leaders who are perceived as intimidating or hard to reach. What processes or procedures are preventing psychological safety?
Takeaway:
Hybrid working is flexible and convenient, but it can also be challenging to maintain psychological safety in teams. These strategies can help leaders create an environment in which employees feel empowered to share their ideas, speak up and collaborate.
