Psychological safety (and wellbeing) and psychological health and safety - it IS ok to talk about both
I recently read (in a conference blurb that I intend on attending) that many people are ‘butchering the understanding of psychological health and safety’, and that one of the key red flags of this butchering is if the person quotes Amy Edmonson (as I do constantly).
I am hooked on all things linked with psychological safety, psychological health and safety, AND psychosocial risks and hazards. But it seems that by the way I approach these topics I may be going against some big players in this space. I recently read (in a conference blurb that I intend on attending) that many people are ‘butchering the understanding of psychological health and safety’, and that one of the key red flags of this butchering is if the person quotes Amy Edmonson (as I do constantly).
Hmm...
Psychological safety (and wellbeing) conversations and psychological health and safety (linked to psychosocial hazards) conversations are not the same thing, but we do have to start somewhere.
For those individuals and workplaces who still have limited understanding or exposure to these concepts, and for those individuals and workplaces who still struggle to include mental health and wellbeing in safety conversations we need to raise awareness as simply and easily as we can. For me this starts with explaining psychological safety – both what it is and why it matters. For those who work in this arena the obvious connection of mental health and wellbeing to safety was realised long before now but let’s not assume that the average employee/smaller workplace has caught up. Before we can debate semantics let’s ensure that we are at least in the same arena.
Psychological safety as defined by Amy Edmonson is ‘…a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up’. This is such a powerful statement and for me is an obvious starting point for discussions about mental health and wellbeing. I want people to understand that the way they treat others can influence work performance, wellbeing, and mental health outcomes. Once this is understood and individuals can embrace the importance and benefits of psychological safety, they then have a starting point to work from.
Workplace psychological health and safety is a framework and psychological safety is just one piece of that framework, but for individuals and workplaces to come on board with the Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work and start identifying, assessing, and managing psychosocial risk factors and hazards they first need an emotional hook to make the initial connection (or care factor). For me this starts with a conversation on psychological safety and psychological harm.
I believe that as an educator in this space, my principal job is to create awareness. I will not judge someone for where they are in their awareness journey as long as they are progressing. If we want workplaces embracing ALL elements of health and safety, then let’s ensure that we are creating psychologically safe environments for them to learn and grow.
If you would like some assistance facilitating Psychological safety (and wellbeing) and psychological health and safety conversations in your workplace - please reach out. Respect at Work training sessions will help.