Psychological Safety plays an indispensable role in a company in all the aspects starting from motivating , inspiring , empowering employees to perform better to creating a sense of stability and security which is tangibly enforced through not just the monetary benefits but also non-monetary , intrinsic rewards and attempts to helping the individuals find their feet and continue being comfortable and relaxed to work effectively and efficiently producing productive results which will only create a positive workforce and generate trust and loyalty, the strong solid founding principles on which relationship of any kind is based and sustained. Lack of psychological safety will only descend an individual in the state of fear, anxiety , bouts of depression and terrible feeling of loneliness which will impede the display of skills, talent , knowledge , capability and ability of an individual to do better. Lack of psychological safety can lead to a state of paranoia and impinge an individual emotionally , psychologically , physically , spiritually lowering the quality performance. This research is Descriptive and Secondary Data collection methods have been used to talk about the importance of psychological safety , its impact , consequences in the absence of the same and some effective ways to retain employees.
ABSTRACT
Psychological Safety plays an indispensable role in a company in all the aspects starting from motivating , inspiring , empowering employees to perform better to creating a sense of stability and security which is tangibly enforced through not just the monetary benefits but also nonmonetary , intrinsic rewards and attempts to helping the individuals find their feet and continue being comfortable and relaxed to work effectively and efficiently producing productive results which will only create a positive workforce and generate trust and loyalty, the strong solid founding principles on which relationship of any kind is based and sustained. Lack of psychological safety will only descend an individual in the state of fear, anxiety , bouts of depression and terrible feeling of loneliness which will impede the display of skills, talent , knowledge , capability and ability of an individual to do better. Lack of psychological safety can lead to a state of paranoia and impinge an individual emotionally , psychologically , physically , spiritually lowering the quality performance. This research isDescriptiveandSecondary Datacollection methods have been used to talk about the importance of psychological safety , its impact , consequences in the absence of the same and some effective ways to retain employees.
Keywords: Psychological safety, Positive Workforce, Retention, Paranoia, Quality Performance, Fear, Anxiety, Depression.
INTRODUCTION
Psychological safety is a very crucial and indispensable ingredient for individual and organisational success. Only when an individual in mentally , physically , emotionally and psychologically protected , will he/she be able to focus, concentrate without getting distracted by negative , scary , thoughts of gruesome consequences owing to repulsive , lascivious conduct , lewd comments , remarks from the environment around. Fewer distractions will pump up confidence , self-esteem, boost creativity, enhance retention capacity of instructions and facilitate visual as well as verbal learning (through multiple ways) which will also develop the skills of adaptability and flexibility in terms of quick thinking , decision-making , problemsolving post analysis and interpretation on given grounds in an ever evolving , fast paced, constantly changing business environment. An individual must feel respected at the place of work as the feelings of respect , integrity , dignity , trust , loyalty , care, concern etc will only facilitate the initial steps of breaking of ice and walls between the seniors and juniors which is also one of the reasons for an individual to continue holding himself/herself down in pincers and shells and not blast out to express his concerns, complaints pertaining to several factors which are primary contributing factors to low quality performance and results. Breaking of walls and shaping of the broken into bridges will pave way for free flow of ideas, communication , command and personal bonding between the various administrative level employees only to cater to the most important of all needs which is emotional to generate stability and security of all kinds at the workplace and for the same to act as a driving force for the individuals to look forward to , to come to the workplace and carry their duties and manage responsibilities with sheer grit and sincerity.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
It’s a Descriptive Research as it explains the Importance of Psychological Safety and various ways to retain with the researcher having no control over the variables and simply elaborating the concepts and facts as they exist.
DEFINITION
As per Amy C Edmondson , a Researcher and Faculty at Harvard University, “Team psychological safety is a shared belief held by members of a team that it’s OK to take risks, to express their ideas and concerns, to speak up with questions, and to admit mistakes — all without fear of negative consequences”.
LITERATURE REVIEW
A Literature review for ‘Importance of Psychological Safety’ consists of the Introduction on the same, Positive and Negative Impact , Ways to retain the employees, contribution by a Researcher - Amy Edmondson at Harvard. Here is an overview of the same:
According to Amy. Edmondson“The relationship between psychological safety and Work Performance is much more effective when there is no work prescribed and an individual is given the opportunity to do something creative , truly innovative and collaborative, in hybrid environments , a Manager has to expand his/her horizons on the definition and ways of psychological safety.
POSITIVE IMPACT
1) Sense of belongingness
2) Trust and Loyalty
3) Attract the top talent
4) Increased Retention, Productivity and Profitability
5) Motivate, inspire and empower individuals to work to the best of their abilities
6) Reduction in Absenteeism
7) Reduction in Turnover and Replacement rate
8) Increase in Employee Engagement and Employee Participation
9) Increased Profits and Revenue
10) Increase in organisational Effectiveness and Efficiency
11) Better Brand Management
12) Better Competitive Positioning
13) Improvement in areas of weaknesses
14) Quality Products
15) Better customer service
16) Bolstered confidence and self-esteem
17) Ability to cope with the faster cycles of change
18) Positive workforce and Environment
19) Development of capability to work in a diverse culture with people from different walks and backgrounds of life to decode complex business problems
20) Improved relations facilitating a smooth flow of communication and command
21) Better Decision Making and Problem Solving
NEGATIVE IMPACT
1) Chaos and Confusion
2) Demotivation
3) Absenteeism
4) Increased Turnover and Replacement
5) Misunderstandings and Miscommunication
6) Conflict
7) Lack of Psychological safety will only lower the self-confidence and self-esteem of an individual
8) Poor performance
9) Bouts of anxiety, stress, depression
10) An emotionally unstable and psychologically disturbed employee will only bring chaos and extra burden upon the other team members proving costly economically and mentally for others who is providing counter expected results by not taking and sharing the responsibilities with others to adding to their plates full of meetings, regular , standard duties, additional cross functional responsibilities and that of the challenging employee’s will only take a toll on the other competent person , on his attendance , commitment , punctuality , sincerity , work performance and results provided no immediate action is taken either against the liability employee by removing him or by giving a heads up and focusing more on his training and understanding and giving a chance to see the improvement the next time or simply replacing by a competent person in the truest sense.
How to create a Psychologically safe Workplace Environment?
1) Communicate ideas and expectations as it is a two-way street to the employees clearly
2) Create a transparent, fair , predictable and objective Environment
3) Show appreciation and humility at all times when communicating
4) Polite communication and Active Listening
5) Encourage open and honest communication
6) Accept fallibility ,admit mistakes and apologise to reflect your humble approach for others to emulate.
7) Don’t unnecessarily criticise and blame others for your own mistakes instilling a sense of fear , anxiety , nervousness shredding their confidence and self-esteem resulting in a poor performance.
8) Stay humble , always set an example for other people to follow as nobody is going to be in hollow words until supported by inspired action.
9) Be respectful and appreciate others’ efforts and be tolerant of their opinions and encourage them to keep thinking creatively and innovatively to get the sense of feeling valued, recognised and cared for.
10) Don’t defame anybody’s performance in public only making an individual feel humiliated and embarrassed to develop hatred towards you and not cooperate and collaborate.
Some ways to retain employees
1) Non-Monetary Benefits which are more memorable the transactional nature leading to breaking the ice and paving the way for nurturing the growth of the recently established approachable relation between the juniors and seniors which does without a doubt starts creating a sense of belongingness for an individual to thrive and slog for someone whom he thinks of as his own.
2) Creating a positive work force by promoting and facilitating timely , positive communication and organisation across the entire department through various methods like self -assessment , 360-degree assessment , consistent feedbacks, interviews, surveys etc to make an individual feel included and being cared for.
3) Work-Life balance opportunities, an individual who discontinued his education for whatever reasons must be given some % of educational allowance to use that resource for enriching and adding to the already existing knowledge pertaining to the current field which polish his skills and broaden his horizon by facilitating and flowing more knowledge his way and also developing some other industry required and trending skills which would definitely help with better increments and improved performance score in comparison to the previous performance review.
4) Shared values, morals , sync between the employee efforts and focus with organisational culture will enforce desired employee behaviour and help in moving and taking the organisation forward.
5) Employers must support individuals through organisational change and shifts and keep them updated about the progress, movements in the company.
6) Awards and Recognition to well performed employees, intrinsic , experiential rewards like public recognition , tangible gifts , random small acts of kindness would only keep the individual empowered to keep working to the best of their abilities.
7) Flexibility to work from home and other wellness programmes like reduced workweek , free meals on any day of the week ,additional time off etc would only give an individual more time recover from their accumulated mental fatigue and look inwards to pay attention to their areas of weaknesses and contribution , methods to work even more innovatively , creatively to deliver the results of future responsibilities in an even better, effective, efficient ways possible after doing a thorough analysis of their current year’s performance with previous years’ and paying attention to the scale of growth , changes in analysis and implementation, understanding of work , enthusiasm , participation , quality , punctuality , sincerity ,work negotiation , objectives of management , enthusiasm , drive and seeing if it is the same , consistent ,improved, deteriorated etc , self-assessment and introspection will only help an individual to reaffirm his boundaries of giving and doing from time to time or set new boundaries altogether to realign with organisational aims and objectives but also a strike a balance between individual aspirations and organisational expectations so as to have an equally strong drive for grounding personal dreams into memories too and not let them get sidetracked and overpowered by the professional responsibilities which could be a potential , evident stressor to deterioration in an individual’s enthusiasm to live and be happy and stay satisfied.
8) Certain percentage of time to focus on personal projects which could turn out to be beneficial and profitable for the organisation.
9) Insights into individual aspirations and support
10)Time for volunteering for noble cause which gets an individual satisfied for having contributed to the society automatically resulting in happiness followed by enhanced creativity and innovation to deliver effectively.
11) Opportunities for enlargement and enrichment to feel included.
12)Healthy, toxic-free , a little less stringent environment will give the individuals a sense of freedom and liberation without the fear of someone keeping a tab constantly on them which could also delve into a state of rancour and anxiety and fear for individuals affecting performance.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion , the above elaboration gives a clear, enunciated and fact rich idea on the importance and vitality of a rich office place in terms of psychological, emotional, mental health. It is not just the sole responsibility of the employer but also that of the staff to make an individual feel a little nervous, apprehensive, worried, harassed but instead create a conduit and a bridge between yourself and the other individual for a free flow of communication and command and also create opportunities for training and developing the capacitated and potential filled individuals for future critical level positions and helping them realise their own strengths, weaknesses, areas of improvement and also ,make the best use of their talent creating a myriad of possibilities for decision-making , problem-solving and persevering through the toughest of times and adversities and challenges. The growth of an individual automatically results in the fulfilling and sustainable development of the organisation through his innovative ideas , creativity , imagination , analytical , logical thinking , rational reasoning, questioning , futuristic thinking , integrating enthusiastic , energetic ideas and someone who at all times gives a certain degree of discipline to the field of management and keeps him/her self in alignment with organisational culture continuing enforcing desired employee behaviour and empowering them to continue working to the best of their abilities.
Help an individual in whatever aspects possible be it cultural, social, educational ,economic etc and it only boosts up an individual to function effectively with discipline, consistency and sustainability and with a “learn it all” at all times approach in a positive environment whereas it would only result in doom and gloom if there’s a toll on employees’ health of any kind which would impinge his focus, concentration , thus, the performance.
A leader must always invite people on a journey to follow by setting an example rather than upholding stringent , punitive measure to induce fear by using the clout of power which would never create a sense of belongingness and wouldn’t generate enthusiasm either eventually lead to burnout and lack of trust and loyalty pushing an individual to either quit or be fired.
Workplace should be a sacred ground of learning , growing, developing , failing , making mistakes , rectifying and driving away evils in the form of gates to self-destructive hell which an individual possess like the negative nellies and traits not appreciated as they hinder intellectual growth and creating meaningful connections and bonding with people. Any workplace devoid of stability , security , safety , trust , intelligence , intellect , morals and ethics is bound to fail.
Thus, more focus should be on creating a healthy , toxic free environment so that the rest of the things which could be potential sources of stressors resulting in distress of all kinds to the company also automatically by reinforcing the company ethics would fall in place and reduce the chances of potential fatalities like increased turnover , absenteeism , reduction in revenue, profits, work quality etc.
REFERENCES
1) What Is Psychological Safety? (hbr.org)
2) Psychological Safety and Why it is Crucial in Leading Great Teams (linkedin.com)
Frequently asked questions
What is the main topic discussed in this document?
This document discusses the importance of psychological safety in the workplace and its impact on employee retention, productivity, and overall organizational success. It explores both the positive and negative consequences of psychological safety and offers practical strategies for creating a psychologically safe environment.
How is psychological safety defined in this document?
The document references Amy C. Edmondson's definition: "Team psychological safety is a shared belief held by members of a team that it’s OK to take risks, to express their ideas and concerns, to speak up with questions, and to admit mistakes — all without fear of negative consequences."
What are some of the positive impacts of psychological safety?
Positive impacts include a sense of belonging, increased trust and loyalty, attracting top talent, increased retention and productivity, motivated employees, reduced absenteeism and turnover, increased employee engagement, higher profits, better brand management, improved customer service, and a more positive work environment.
What are some of the negative impacts of a lack of psychological safety?
Negative impacts include chaos and confusion, demotivation, absenteeism, increased turnover, misunderstandings, conflict, low self-confidence, poor performance, anxiety, stress, and depression.
What are some ways to create a psychologically safe workplace environment?
Strategies include communicating ideas and expectations clearly, creating a transparent and fair environment, showing appreciation and humility, practicing polite communication and active listening, encouraging open and honest communication, accepting fallibility, avoiding unnecessary criticism and blame, being respectful of others' opinions, and not defaming anyone's performance in public.
What are some ways to retain employees, according to the document?
Employee retention strategies include offering non-monetary benefits, creating a positive work force, providing work-life balance opportunities, aligning employee values with organizational culture, supporting employees through organizational change, providing awards and recognition, offering flexibility to work from home, allowing time for personal projects, understanding individual aspirations, providing opportunities for volunteering, and creating a healthy, toxic-free environment.
What research methodology was used for this study?
The research is descriptive and secondary data collection methods were used.
What is the overall conclusion of the document?
The document concludes that psychological safety is essential for a healthy and productive workplace. It emphasizes the shared responsibility of both employers and employees in creating a supportive environment where individuals feel safe to learn, grow, and contribute their best work. A lack of stability, security, safety, trust, intelligence, morals, and ethics will lead to failure. It also highlights the importance of addressing potential stressors and reinforcing company ethics to prevent negative outcomes such as increased turnover and reduced work quality.
- Citation du texte
- Anonym (Auteur), 2024, Impact of Psychological Safety at a Workplace and Retention of Employees, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1504507
