When employees feel psychologically safe at work, they are more engaged, productive, and committed for the long haul. Psychological safety is all about fostering an environment where people feel secure taking interpersonal risks like speaking up, asking questions, or making mistakes.

While psychological safety may sound abstract, it has concrete impacts on performance, retention, innovation, and more. Organizations that proactively cultivate inclusion and trust reap immense benefits.

This article explores evidence-based strategies any company can implement to optimize their culture for psychological safety and empower people to thrive.

Set the Tone at the Top

Culture stems from shared values lived out every day. To foster psychological safety, an organization’s leaders must visibly prioritize openness, inclusion and supportive leadership.

Some ways executives and managers can model this commitment include:

• Sharing stories of personal challenges and what was learned
• Admitting when they don’t have all the answers
• Actively soliciting ideas and feedback from the team
• Speaking openly about past mistakes and lessons learned
• Responding constructively when employees disclose mistakes or concerns

When leaders demonstrate authenticity and humility, they signal that it’s safe for others to take interpersonal risks too.

Train Managers in Inclusion Skills

Inclusion starts with managers. Equip them with mindsets and tactics to cultivate trust on their teams.

Potential topics for manager training include:

• Mitigating unconscious bias through curiosity
• Establishing team norms that encourage candor and belonging
• Having 1:1s focused on growth and care for the whole person
• Running meetings and retrospectives where all voices are welcomed
• Being allies who give credit and share power
• Responding supportively when employees make mistakes or raise issues

Managers who role model inclusive behaviors daily build psychological safety on their teams.

Spotlight Vulnerability as a Superpower

From the top-down, leaders should highlight vulnerability as a source of growth, not weakness.

Some ways to celebrate vulnerability include:

• Leadership messaging that affirms asking for help is courageous
• All hands meetings where employees share challenges overcome
• Profile stories of employees who stepped outside comfort zones
• Recognition programs for bold ideas that didn’t quite pan out but spurred learning

When employees see vulnerability rewarded rather than punished, they will feel safe to take more interpersonal risks.

Facilitate Inclusive Group Dialogues

Get people connecting 1:1 but also in groups – sharing experiences, solving problems collaboratively, and lifting each other up.

Examples include:

• Roundtable small group discussions exploring issues like work-life balance, allyship, or career growth
• Peer support networks and mentoring circles
• Team building events and social gatherings to humanize colleagues
• Mixers that intentionally diversify the groups of people interacting

Dialogue across differences – in juniority, function, age, background – builds understanding essential for psychological safety.

Respond Supportively to Conflict

Moments of disagreement present crucial opportunities. Train leaders in conflict resolution focused on mutual understanding.

Key skills include:

• Letting each party share their perspective one at a time
• Asking curious questions to uncover root issues
• Restating concerns and emotions before responding
• Identifying shared interests and motivations
• Outlining agreements and next steps
• Checking egos and avoiding blame or judgment

When conflict leads to greater empathy, trust deepens.

Embed Safety in Talent Processes

From hiring and onboarding to performance management, optimize for psychological safety at every talent touchpoint.

Examples include:

• Incorporating safety questions into interview process
• Training hiring managers to spot inclusive mindsets in candidates
• Having new hires share guiding values and expectations
• Adding psychological safety to performance frameworks
• Making stay interviews part of reviews to surface concerns

When talent practices reinforce safety, employees notice.

Gather Widespread Input on the Employee Experience

Create mechanisms to regularly source feedback that might otherwise go unheard. Anonymous input gives cover for sharing.

Some ways to do this include:

• Bi-annual engagement surveys with psychological safety indices
• Anonymous forums or suggestion boxes
• Stay interviews exploring reasons employees choose to stay
• Small group listening sessions on issues like flexibility or career growth
• Anonymous pulse checks on new policies or initiatives

Regular input into the employee experience enables responsive action to cultivate ever-greater safety over time.

Conclusion

Optimizing for psychological safety at the workplace results in more engaged, productive, and committed team members. But safety isn’t built through policies alone. It stems from shared values lived out through behaviors that foster trust and inclusion.

Leaders must evolve mindsets, skills, and processes with intention to enable the level of vulnerability and care that lets people – and organizations – thrive.

The benefits for employees who get to bring their full, authentic selves to work are immeasurable. And the rewards for companies are immense. It’s time to optimize for psychological safety.