Ensuring Psychological Safety of Employees

Our psychological state affects work

Good leaders and managers learn to operate outside their views and work with the point of view of their team. They put their team’s needs ahead of their own personal needs.

Employees come to work with various states of mind based on their interactions and experiences not only inside but also outside the workplace.

Some may have the ability to unpack whatever negative mindsets they may have developed due to these interactions.

Others may not, which would then change their attitude towards coworkers and how they perform their tasks.

Part of my daily office routine as a manager is to end my team briefings on a light note so as to induce laughter. I like to tell a joke or engage them in a riddle before sending them off to their various workspaces.

I do this to lighten their mood and have them start their tasks in an upbeat mood to change a gloomy countenance and counteract whatever negative emotions they may be harboring within themselves that could jeopardize the objectives of the day. From my experience, an employee will never speak up at meetings if they feel everyone else in the room is perfect.

By admitting to my mistakes, I am creating space for others to do the same.

Balance in psychological state

Even though you leave the door open for your employees to approach you and speak to you about their challenges, there are specific issues they may not be so forward about that could seriously affect their work dynamic. Such matters are mostly personal. Therefore, as part of promoting a safe psychological culture, you must think outside the box regarding balancing their psychological state.