Introduction
It is now becoming clear that today’s organizations cannot treat their employees simply as task performers. Rather, the organization sees the employee as a rich source of innovative ideas, critiques, expert advice, and even early warning signs of potential problems. However, the employee will not necessarily provide these inputs if he fears embarrassment, criticism, punishment, and career injury. This is where psychological safety comes into play.
Understanding Psychological Safety
Psychological safety does not imply freedom from accountability or having everyone agreeing with one another. Psychological safety is about the feeling that one can share their views without being humiliated or punished unfairly. Employees feel comfortable saying "I disagree," "I made a mistake," and "There might be a problem."
The idea of psychological safety is crucial since it takes courage for the worker to speak out. They might be afraid that it would seem disrespectful to question the manager or negative if they identify the problem. All those reasons can create employee silence despite the fact that workers have information useful for the organization.
Why Employees Remain Silent
There are several reasons why employees might be unwilling to speak out. Hierarchy-based structures, poor relations with supervisors, fear of consequences, experience with being ignored before, and cultures that do not promote disagreement are among them.
Employees who observe something wrong – from operational issues and ethics concerns to problems related to safety and ineffective processes – might find that staying silent is better for their own sake. Organizational leaders will then not learn about the problems that exist in their companies until it is too late.
A psychologically unsafe working environment can influence learning as well. Employees might not ask questions as they might appear unprofessional. Mistakes will go unnoticed as they might embarrass the employees who committed them. Dominant opinions might always get agreed upon without exploring the alternatives. All this might hinder experimentation and innovation, and the organizational learning process itself. One of the most cited studies on psychological safety discusses its importance in voicing ideas, exchanging feedback, collaborating, and taking interpersonal risks.
The Link Between Psychological Safety and Employee Voice
David Magnani of M&A Executive Search said, the strong reason why psychological safety is important is due to the connection that it has with employee voice. Employees would be encouraged to suggest improvements and bring up issues when they are assured that their input is going to be taken seriously.
The concept of employee voice can be divided into two different types of voices. The first one is called promotive voice, where employees suggest ideas and improvements, while the second one is called prohibitive voice, where the employees warn about the risks and the wrongdoings. Both of these concepts are important for the organization. In recent times, employee voice has been studied with an emphasis on the importance of psychological safety, self-confidence, and responsibility.
A psychologically safe environment encourages employees to share their knowledge rather than hiding it. This is beneficial for a better decision-making process as managers receive access to various views on certain issues from people who interact with clients and technology daily. Literature review on the topic also shows the consistent positive relation between psychological safety and employee voice.
Dr. Reginald Lew of Harley Street of Heart & Vascular Centre said, workplace wellbeing also depends on employees feeling comfortable raising concerns about their physical and mental health. Encouraging employees to speak openly about health issues can help organizations identify problems earlier and support healthier working environments.
Conclusion
Psychological safety is more than just a fad in today's workplace; it is a bedrock for voice, learning, innovation, collaboration, and safety. In the absence of psychological safety, an organization fails to harness valuable insights and potential warning signs. Where employees are made to feel valued and psychologically secure in taking interpersonal risks, they are better equipped to share their knowledge and address potential issues.
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