Importance of Psychological Safety
With life seeming to become more stressful, psychological safety has become more of a concern for individuals, and – according to online sources – employers should be more aware of it as well. According to their July bulletin, “Research consistently backs the need for psychological safety in the workplace. For instance, in a survey of 28,000 professionals across 16 countries, released in January by Boston Consulting Group with employees feeling 2.1 times more motivated, 2.7 times happier and 3.3 times more enabled to reach their full potential at work.”
They go on to say that leaders – and particularly HR – should be “trauma-informed,” regardless of industry. Trauma is often thought of as physical, but psychological trauma can be damaging as well. Employee retention can increase by a factor of four times for both women and minorities in environments where employees feel psychologically safe. Conversely, employee groups such as veterans, refugees and others who may be exposed to violence or other safety hazards are more at risk.
“Trauma-informed” entails being aware of how to approach, communicate with and deal with employees who are experiencing trauma. Two points are brought out in the article:
Being trauma-informed does not mean asking survivors to share their trauma with colleagues; and
trauma-specific interventions require licensed professionals. It is noted that “HR and leaders in the organization are not responsible — and can actually risk further harm — by being involved in diagnosing and delivering trauma intervention.”