Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post about psychological safety, particularly related to workplace bullying. I’ve done some leadership trainings and coaching around this topic, and it’s not only a hot topic but a crucially important one for leaders. Many applicants are looking for a safe, psychologically welcoming environment as part of their career decisions, so today’s job market is leaning heavily toward emphasizing a positive workplace culture.
After writing that blog post, I heard from many people that although their workplace isn’t a bullying space, many of them did not feel safe or comfortable asking for help. What they told me is that when asking for help they were often told, “You should know the answer to that.” or “You should know where to find that.” What those responses led to is even more mistakes and more miscommunication.
The people I spoke to said they knew they wouldn’t get support when asking for help so they didn’t ask, but then they often didn’t know what to do or where to find information for what they wanted to do. This led to more problems, more frustration, less communication, and less psychological safety. Doom loop! Although it is certainly frustrating to hear our co-workers or employees ask the same question repeatedly, responding with “You should know the answer to that” will only lead to more frustration.
How to Create a Safe Space Where Coworkers Can Ask for Help
If you are a person who needs help or guidance frequently, you want to feel safe and comfortable asking questions, which makes total sense. It also makes sense that the people you keep asking might be frustrated and overwhelmed and feel as if they have already helped you enough. How can this situation be handled with psychological safety in mind? For those of you who are the askers, consider this option, “I know I’ve asked you a few times for this information and that must be frustrating for you, as it is for me. How can we find a way for me to more easily access this information so I won’t have to interrupt you as frequently?”
To create a workplace environment where people feel safe asking for help, focus on problem-solving not shaming. #leadership #PsychologicalSafety #WorkplaceCulture Click To TweetIf you are the person being asked, here might be a more psychologically safe response, “I’m going to assist you in finding that information. However, before I do I want to talk about us finding a way that will help you access this more readily on your own. What might help you in finding this information in the future?” Often, there is a simple answer such as a checklist, a process or system change, or an easily accessible spread sheet.
When people don’t feel safe or comfortable asking for assistance, more mistakes are made, more money is spent, employees are less satisfied, leaders are more frustrated, and things only get worse from there. Psychological safety is such a crucial part of a successful work environment, yet leaders often fail to make it a priority. Ask yourself if you offer a safe place for people to ask for help. If you are on the other side of that, ask yourself how you can approach the topic of psychological safety with key decision makers in your organization.
Love,
Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC