Safety can mean so much more than I imagined a few years ago. To be honest, the longer I think about it now, the stronger my opinion of its relevance in my life. From the clear-cut physical feeling of security to the psychological immunity one can gain with a stable internal and external environment: Safety makes life easier.
Recently, the many facets of the expression were particularly brought into light while I was absolving a learning program that highlighted psychological safety in the job environment. So, my initial thought was: What does that mean and how is it important to my work life?
But, once comprehended what it stands for, I came to the understanding that it, indeed, is an ongoing emotion that influences most of us once we enter the professional world. Psychological safety, as far as I apprehended, is the embedded openness one feels to ask, voice ideas, address concerns, but also point out faults. Basically, it is candour to speak up. Hence, it is not having a fear of putting oneself in a negative spot or perhaps damaging one’s position while taking conversational or operating ‘risks’.
That being said, all the aforementioned points are surely self-evident in theory but, let’s be honest, difficult in action for a lot of us. We are creatures defined by apprehensions. Put differently, many times, inhibitions leave us puzzled. They jam us between ease and disquietude. But the real question I ask myself is: How do we progress if we do not give a voice to our notions and thoughts? Can we actually grow with constant or recurring feelings of discredit? So, should we not seek surroundings that cultivate psychological safety?
‘Easier said than done’ is a line I use way too often to evaluate topics as such. It is always easier to say that one needs to find a setting, where psychological safety is a given. But, again, I am taking the liberty to repeat: It is easier said than done. Let alone the fact that it is so difficult to find an environment that is aware of the importance of psychological safety and ascertains a sensible inclusion of it, the process of building the latter can take an eternity while brushing it aside can happen in no time.
But, as is the case with a few matters in life, it is about taking steps in the desired direction, isn’t it? It can be the smallest steps that make the biggest impact. Thus, it is about setting affirmative examples of how a milieu can be extremely safe regardless of differences in attitudes, opinions, and personality styles.
Whatsoever, this write-up is not aimed at explaining or elucidating the concept and examples but is purely my reflection on it. On a near daily basis, I am reminded that we naturally fail to notice abilities, which once given consideration, can make life a bit simpler. I am realizing that job settings, in particular, can and should draw more attention to ideas on bettering interpersonal interactions, if not relationships.
Sometimes, living in a collective society that is animated by diversity can be tough. On the one side, we can be completely unbothered about possibly hurting sentiments and utter words without fearing the consequences of striking the wrong note. On the other side, we can simply go silent to avoid any risks of emotional damage. Thus, maybe a conscious decision to act against interpersonal communication issues is actually worth the effort. Maybe, psychological safety is, in fact, a culture, which can redefine our work environment on different levels. Perhaps, the stages, defined within the scope of psychological safety, can be a stepping stone in actively making changes, we often like to talk over.
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