Seven examples of damaging psychological safety in the workplace - Angela Prentner-Smith comment

Psychological safety – it’s one of those things that as business leaders, we’re likely to have heard about now, may be actively looking at, and in some cases are actively working towards.

It’s something that takes conscious effort to build and maintain – every, single day. And as much as there are things we can do to actively work to achieve psychological safety, much of what we need – is actually in the “don’t do this” camp, as per the following:

Bullying, intimidation, and ruling by fear

Some managers believe that fear is a powerful motivator. Far from facilitating optimum attention and performance from a team, an atmosphere of fear results in anxiety and distraction undermining a culture of inclusivity. This impacts on the success of a project in addition to undermining good mental health in the team.

'Micromanaging and constant checking for mistakes robs team members of drive, autonomy and confidence,' says Ms Prentner-Smith (file image). Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto.

One of the main components of psychological safety is being able to be open and honest. A team ruled by fear and intimidation will aim towards hiding bad news or negative feedback, leading to disastrous results for your people and the performance of your business. If your team is afraid to raise a problem or challenge authority – you won’t hear about that risk or issue that is bubbling under the surface. Better to know, and be able to tackle it.

Bad energy

We’re highly attuned to the energy of people. Any successful team will have an awareness of negative feelings or pushback on a potential or perceived threat. Team members not on board with fostering psychological safety will make themselves known very early on.

Lack of trust

Angela Prentner-Smith is the founder and MD of consultancy, training and technology business This is Milk. Picture: Andrew Cawley.

Trust in your colleagues is fundamental to developing a psychologically safe culture. Keep your word and follow through on promises. If for any reason you break a promise, acknowledge it, apologise, explain why it happened, and discuss the next steps. Openly admitting your own mistakes fosters trust.

Powering up

Leaders who enjoy overt demonstrations of their power and authority may flout team rules, self-aggrandise, be openly flashy and name-drop excessively. These are examples of how they manipulate their higher status over their team members. It’s critical for leaders to model positive behaviours within the team, so that good behaviours turn into good habits, and good habits build performance.

Stealing success

One of the key indicators of positive teamwork and a psychological safe space is sharing success. In some organisational cultures, leaders feel compelled to take credit for the success of their team in order to maintain or increase their status. This will undermine trust, and in turn safety. Remember – if your team does well, you look good.

Promoting presenteeism

Many managers insist that team members clock in and clock out when they start and finish work, or even take a toilet break. We know of one healthcare business in the UK that

timed staff who went for a comfort break. This is presenteeism, where simply being on time and “doing your hours” takes priority over the quantity and quality of work.

Obsessing over mistakes

Quality of work is important, and the quicker we can catch errors, the better – whether it’s a product design, the tone of a social marketing campaign or the briefing of a third-party supplier. However, micromanaging and constant checking for mistakes robs team members of drive, autonomy and confidence.

Angela Prentner-Smith is the founder and MD of consultancy, training and technology business This is Milk