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Introduction to Psychological Safety for HR

A guide to building psychological safety at work.

  • Despite psychological safety being a point of popular discussion, common misconceptions around it often result in key players failing to see the value of building psychological safety at work.
  • There are significant risks for organizations with low psychological safety, which negatively impact internal and external key players and can have long-lasting consequences.

Executive Summary

Critical Insight

Psychological safety is not a checklist item or quick fix. It is an ongoing effort that requires commitment from key players and strong alignment between the organization’s norms, leadership behaviors, and day-to-day processes.

Impact & Result

  • Embed and reinforce the organization’s commitment to psychological safety through everyday practices to help the organization progress through each stage of psychological safety.
  • Build commitment and shared accountability for psychological safety by outlining responsibilities for key players across the organization.
  • Establish and communicate best practices for modeling psychologically safe norms and behaviors at work for all employees.
  • Create an environment where employees feel included and safe to learn, contribute, and challenge (adapted from Timothy Clark’s Four Stages of Psychological Safety) by reinforcing psychologically safe best practices.

Research & Tools

2. Framework

Identify the four stages of psychological safety (adapted from Timothy Clark’s Four Stages of Psychological Safety) and best practices for reinforcing each stage.

3. Fundamentals

Outline key player responsibilities and establish best practices for modeling psychologically safe norms and behaviors.