Psychological safety might sound like a buzzword, but it’s one of the most important foundations for a healthy, high-performing workplace. When it’s missing, teams become cautious, creativity stalls, and people hide mistakes. When it’s present, trust thrives, people speak up, and innovation flourishes.
So what exactly is psychological safety, and how do we build more of it?
What is Psychological Safety?
Coined by Harvard professor Amy Edmondson, psychological safety is the belief that you won’t be punished, humiliated, or ignored for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. It’s not about being nice all the time or avoiding tough conversations — it’s about feeling safe enough to be honest, take risks, and show up as your full self at work.
In a psychologically safe workplace:
- People feel comfortable saying “I don’t know” or “I need help”
- Feedback (both giving and receiving) is welcomed
- Mistakes are seen as learning opportunities, not reasons for blame
- Diverse perspectives are encouraged, not silenced
How Psychological Safety Shows Up — Or Doesn’t
When psychological safety is present, it can look like:
- A junior staff member asking a “dumb” question in a team meeting without fear
- Someone calling out a potential risk in a project, even if it’s unpopular
- Healthy debates where disagreement is welcomed, not shut down
- A manager openly admitting when they got something wrong
When it’s missing, you might notice:
- Silence in meetings — especially from newer or more junior staff
- Fear of speaking up, especially around mistakes or new ideas
- Groupthink (or echo chamber) and a lack of creative problem solving
- People avoiding feedback, difficult conversations, or owning up to errors
How to Improve Psychological Safety in the Workplace
The good news? Psychological safety is something that can be intentionally nurtured. Here are a few practical ways to build it:
1. Model Vulnerability
Leaders and managers set the tone. When they admit mistakes, ask for feedback, or share uncertainties, it signals that others can do the same without fear.
2. Invite Participation
Make space for all voices. Actively ask quieter team members for their views. Encourage questions, even (especially!) the basic ones. Make it clear that curiosity is valued.
3. Respond Positively to Feedback and Ideas
Even if you don’t act on every suggestion, thank people for speaking up. Avoid shutting down ideas too quickly or with sarcasm — it only takes one bad reaction to make someone go quiet.
4. Normalise Mistakes as Part of Learning
When things go wrong, avoid blame. Instead, explore what can be learned. A “what can we do differently next time?” mindset helps shift from fear to growth.
5. Train Leaders in Psychological Safety
Team leaders often have the biggest impact on day-to-day culture. Equip them with the skills to foster openness, navigate conflict constructively, and create inclusive environments.
The Flow-On Benefits of Psychological Safety
When psychological safety is embedded in a workplace, it doesn’t just feel better — it works better. Some of the proven benefits include:
- Higher engagement: People feel valued, heard, and invested.
- More innovation: New ideas flow when people aren’t afraid to take risks.
- Stronger collaboration: Teams trust each other and work more cohesively.
- Better problem solving: Diverse viewpoints and critical thinking are encouraged.
- Reduced turnover: When people feel safe, they’re more likely to stay.
Ultimately, psychological safety is the bedrock of a resilient, agile, and human workplace. In a world that’s constantly shifting, building that kind of culture isn’t just nice to have, it’s a must.
Want to explore where your team sits when it comes to psychological safety? Start by asking: Do people feel safe to speak up here? If the answer’s not a confident yes, there’s work worth doing.
Brene Brown has a set of questions that she share’s with organisations to understand their culture and this plays nicely into the psycological safety piece, those questions are:
1. What behaviours are rewarded and punished?
2. Where and how are people spending their resources; time, money and attention
3. What rules and expectations are followed, enforced and ignored?
4. Do people feel safe and supported talking about how they feel and asking for what they need?
5. What are the sacred cows, who tips them and who stands them back up?
6. What stories are legend and what values do they convey?
7. What happens when someone fails, disappoints or makes a mistake?
8. How is vulnerability, uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure perceived?
9. How prevalent are shame and blame and how are they showing up?
10. What’s the collective tolerance for discomfort? Is the discomfort of learning, trying new things, giving and receiving feedback normalised or is there a high premium put on comfort and how does that look?
How Much Do Leaders Need to Model Behaviour to Create Psychological Safety?
Psychological safety doesn’t just magically appear because you told your team “this is a safe space” or stuck some values up on the wall. It’s built day by day, interaction by interaction—and it starts with the people in charge.
Here’s the deal: teams watch what leaders do, not just what they say. If you’re asking people to speak up, take risks, or admit mistakes, but you’re not doing that yourself? They won’t either. Modelling isn’t optional—it’s essential.
That means:
- Owning up to your own stuff when you mess up (and doing it publicly).
- Inviting feedback—and actually listening without getting defensive.
- Admitting when you don’t have all the answers.
- Checking in with people regularly, not just when something’s gone wrong.
And here’s the kicker: consistency is everything. One moment of dismissiveness can undo a whole month of “my door is always open” vibes.
If you’re serious about creating psychological safety, the question isn’t whether you model the behaviour. It’s how deliberately you do it, every day.
Fancy a coffee and a chat on all things wellbeing in the workplace?