How Employers Can Improve Psychological Health and Safety in The Workplace

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A 2023 survey found that 19 percent of workers describe their workplace as very or somewhat toxic, reflecting ongoing challenges in workplace psychological safety.

Harvard Business Review explains that psychological safety is a shared belief among team members that it is okay to express oneself, ask questions, and admit mistakes. If employees don’t feel that they can be candid with their colleagues and higher-ups, they’ll struggle to feel genuinely safe on the job.

In this blog, we discuss the importance of psychological health and safety in the workplace, as well as the steps employers and leaders can take to improve them.

Importance of Psychological Health and Safety at Work

When employees feel psychologically safe and healthy, everyone at the company benefits. The following are some signs that indicate a workplace prioritises employees’ psychological well-being:

• Employees are adaptable, agile, and able to complete projects on time consistently
• Employees feel comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas, and providing feedback
• There is little-to-no gossip and rumour-mongering among team members
• Employees have low rates of absenteeism and are generally present and engaged in their work
• Employees don’t feel pressured to come to work if they are sick or have an emergency — they know that they can take time away without their jobs being in jeopardy
• Employees stick with the company long-term, and the company has a low turnover rate

If a company can check all of these boxes, employees are likely engaged and productive — two factors that contribute to meeting or exceeding objectives and increased profitability.

The Challenges of Maintaining Psychological Health and Safety

Most employers would agree that they want to achieve the many benefits that stem from employees feeling psychologically healthy and safe. However, they may struggle to turn their vision into a reality if they’re experiencing the following challenges:

• Poor communication: If employees don’t feel comfortable communicating with higher-ups, or if clear systems don’t exist that allow them to communicate, psychological health and safety will suffer.
• Lack of transparent systems and processes: When employees don’t know how their company works or what the proper protocols are, they may frequently feel on edge and struggle with their confidence and sense of psychological safety.
• Lack of employee support: Employees need access to support systems and tools; if they don’t have these things, or if they don’t feel comfortable utilising them, they and their work quality will suffer.

Insufficient training for managers and other leaders can also present a challenge. Higher-ups must know how to provide a psychologically safe and healthy environment if they want to support their employees and set them up for success.

How to Improve Psychological Health and Safety

For employers who want to overcome the challenges associated with creating a psychologically safe and healthy work environment, the following strategies all serve as excellent jumping-off points:

1. Establish Clear Norms and Expectations

Employees shouldn’t have to guess and hope for the best when it comes to understanding workplace norms and expectations.

Leaders should clarify from day one what’s expected from employees and the specific standards they should strive to meet. They should provide regular reminders, too, to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

When establishing norms and sharing expectations, leaders must be realistic. They should avoid setting goals and standards that are too difficult for employees to reach. Team members may become disengaged if they think it’s impossible to meet a manager’s ridiculously high standards.

2. Create a Supportive Culture

A supportive company culture is critical to a psychologically safe and healthy workplace. Several factors contribute to a supportive culture, including these:

• Vulnerability

For employees to receive support, they must first be able to share their experiences and express their needs.

They must feel that they can be vulnerable, and one of the best ways to help them feel that way is for leaders to model vulnerability first. When they share how they’re feeling and what they need, they permit others to do the same.

• Respect for Unique Viewpoints

Employees must also feel confident that their point of view, even if it differs from that of their colleagues, will be heard and respected. Employers should always thank employees for sharing their feelings and perspectives and avoid being defensive when met with criticism or feedback.

Consistent and Clear Communication Ongoing communication, with an emphasis on honesty and openness, will help employees feel respected and safe in the workplace.

One way to accomplish this is by establishing specific channels for communicating with leaders and other team members. Regular team meetings and one-on-one meetings can also keep everyone in the loop and help employers address problems promptly.

• Appreciation

Finally, employees should feel appreciated and recognised for their hard work. Employers and team leaders should make a habit of regularly shouting out employees and letting them know that they’re seen and valued.

3. Prevent Workplace Bullying and Harassment

Just because a workplace is full of adults doesn’t mean bullying and harassment can’t take place. In fact, nearly 50 million Americans report being bullied at work.

It’s impossible for employees to feel safe if they consistently worry that they will be bullied or harassed by colleagues or higher-ups. To prevent these issues, all employers should implement a strict and transparent anti-bullying policy.

This policy should provide examples of what constitutes bullying and explain the consequences if an employee is reported for bullying or harassment. It should also offer specific steps employees who are victims should take to report their situations.

Workplace violence can range from emotional abuse and threats to physical assaults and even homicide, which are among the most extreme forms of workplace violence and have devastating impacts on worker safety and well-being.

4. Re-Evaluate Employee Workload and Job Design

If an employee’s job, by design, asks too much of them and requires them to wear too many different hats, they will be more prone to feeling overwhelmed and may struggle with their psychological well-being.

Employers should regularly address and, when necessary, make adjustments to their employees’ workload and ensure they’re not being tasked with too much. Furthermore, they should pay special attention to lone-working employees, who may be more prone to stress, anxiety, and feeling unsafe at work.

Create a Safer and More Supportive Work Environment

When employers take employees’ psychological health and safety seriously, everyone benefits.

By implementing the strategies discussed above, business owners, managers, and others in leadership roles can revolutionise their workplaces, combat absenteeism and high employee turnover rates, and create a better environment for all.

Author Bio

Yasmine Mustafa is the CEO & Co-Founder of ROAR, a mission-driven safety technology company dedicated to protecting at-risk workers and empowering organisations to enhance staff security. Recognised for her vision to help create safer workplaces, Yasmine leads ROAR with a commitment to addressing the unique safety challenges faced by employees across various industries, including behavioral health and hospitality.