One thing that has contributed to humans, settling in one place, over time, has to do with, how suitable the environment is, to them.
People will always settle down, where they feel it is safe for them and they can develop the place and themselves.
This is exactly how workers feel, in terms of the working environment they find themselves in.
Workers will settle and be very productive, when they feel secure and at no risk of losing their jobs.
Research has shown that people who feel psychologically safe, tend to be more innovative, learn from their mistakes and are motivated to improve their team, or, company.
The psychological safety of workers in your workplace begins with you, as the leader.
How you treat your workers, determines how productive they will be.
Sometimes ago, Google spent two years, conducting Project Aristotle.
This project was an attempt, aimed at discovering what sets their most effective teams apart, from the others.
After interviewing 180 teams, it became glaring that, high-performing teams, are in fact, founded on a balance of human-centered traits.
Psychological safety came tops and this thumbed down their initial assumption that, high-performing teams were founded on the right blend of complementary hard skills.
“Psychological safety is not about being nice. It’s about giving candid feedback, openly admitting mistakes, and learning from each other” says Amy Edmondson, Professor at Harvard Business School.
What this means, is that, when workers become free, with their teammates and are not afraid to speak up to their Boss, they become more settled and will not be afraid of risks and mistakes.
This ensures that workers learn from their mistakes and improve their deficiency.
All these combine together and create psychological safety at work and it enhances productivity.
Below are 3 ways, to enhance psychological safety, at the workplace:
Pay attention to all your workers Create an environment, whereby, all your workers will be free to speak up their minds. Encourage them to speak out, express their curiosity, as curiosity gives birth to innovative ideas.
Treat others, just as you want to be treated Do not push to your team members, what you do not like. Do not treat them in a way you would not like to be treated. A great leader operates from the viewpoints of others and not from the viewpoint of what he, or, she wants.
Ensure you earn the trust of the workers When people trust you wholeheartedly and know what you can do, they naturally trust you and you will not have to do much more, as they already feel comfortable around you.
Earning the trust of your workers is essential and it goes a long way in ensuring the psychological safety of your workers.
Earning the trust of your workers does not happen overnight. It takes time and efforts on your part, as the leader to exhibit the traits that foster psychological safety.
A healthy team climate is characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect, in which people are comfortable, being themselves.
Featured Image: Focusu.com
