Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace - Open to Input

Brit Cabral, Human Resources Director, JYSK Canada

After a recent brainstorming session where it became apparent that there was a “template” of acceptable responses, I started thinking about best practices in terms of having employees express their ideas and concerns without fear of negative consequences – such as embarrassment, rejection, or punishment.

Does your workplace have a culture where employees feel “safe” brainstorming, sharing their thoughts openly, asking creative questions, and bringing forward challenging issues?

This is a central element of a Psychologically Safe Workplace. Because everyone brings a unique viewpoint, better business decisions are made, which often translates into business financial returns for the company. This freedom also allows a more engaged and motivated team to flourish, resulting in better job performance, less turnover, and increased job satisfaction.

As champions and role models, Human Resources Professionals play a key role in creating and supporting a culture where ideas thrive—a culture where questions and ideas are valued and managers are open-minded.

Facilitating Everyone Sharing

Focusing on garnering input from the team, the HR Management Team must lead by example. I.e., they must Focusing on garnering input from the team, the HR Management Team must lead by example. I.e., they must:

• Encourage open communication and to have “real” conversations with their team

• Be open to hearing ideas from their team – even when they challenge the status quo – and

• Accept all points of view (including constructive or critical comments) with respect and appreciation.

Despite the advantages of sharing, people often feel the safest option is to keep their ideas and opinions to themselves. In fact, generally 20% of colleagues will do 80% of the talking (aka the Pareto principle or 80/20 rule). Some may experience anxiety about speaking in front of others; others may fear their idea isn’t good enough. Therefore, the manager must actively work to create a safe space.

“Recognize when an employee’s idea is implemented, or an action is taken as a result of a suggestion”

One technique is the “Open Door” policy, which allows every employee to speak with their manager in a timely manner about job-related ideas. For example, I encourage my team to send me a note via the Teams App if they need a minute of my time to share a concern, ask for help, or seek answers.

Meetings are another excellent place to encourage open dialogue. For example, a manager could pose a challenging, open-ended question and then encourage every employee to respond by:

• Embracing 5 to 7 seconds of silence before speaking again.

• Allowing 1 minute of individual reflection where each team member can write down their thoughts before sharing with the group.

• Using the “Round Robin” method, where each team member takes a turn to share their thoughts or ideas on a specific question.

• Employing technology to encourage people to add questions (For example, in the Chat Box for a virtual meeting) or allow employees to text a question or share an idea privately.

For more complex content, I generally share the question(s) in advance of the meeting to give people the necessary lead time to collect their thoughts, do their research, and formulate their responses. I also like to include a link to any supporting documentation they might need to make an informed decision.

But…

It is important to remember a few caveats:

• In situations where decisions need to be made without consulting the team, clearly state the expectation.

• Value all ideas, but also ensure that the team understands that all ideas will be carefully reviewed and evaluated. Being transparent about how ideas are filtered—for example, alignment with strategic objectives or potential financial impact on the business—will help everyone understand why some ideas aren’t moving forward.

• Recognize when an employee’s idea is implemented, or an action is taken as a result of a suggestion. Listening to and valuing the opinions of your team will help to create a space where employees feel safe; innovative ideas are shared; creative solutions are found; and teams succeed.

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