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The secret of psychological safety climate: Why it's so critical to workplace health.
In today's rapidly changing business environment, how to ensure the mental health of employees has become an important issue for management. Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC) is a concept in the field of organizational psychology, which refers to the common belief of employees in the company's senior management in protecting and supporting mental health. Research shows that a good psychological safety climate can not only reduce absenteeism but also increase productivity, while a poor climate is associated with high stress and low job satisfaction.
The essence of a psychological safety climate is to provide a climate where employees feel their psychological health and safety are valued and protected.
The dominant idea of psychological safety climate is the degree to which senior management pays attention to the mental health of employees. When organizations make mental health and safety a priority, they design work environments that are meaningful, manageable, well-resourced, and where processes do not carry psychological risks. Not only is this theory close to other theories of job stress, it can also predict future job designs and the demands and resources available to employees.
Four subsystems of psychological safety climate
To build a good psychological safety climate, there are four subsystems to consider:
—— Management commitment: Senior management expresses its importance to stress prevention and participates in it.
—— Management priority: Senior management prioritizes employee health and safety over production goals.
—— Organizational Communication: The organization provides safe and effective communication channels and listens to the concerns of all members.
— Organizational engagement: All levels of the organization are engaged and consulted on protecting and promoting employee mental health and safety.
To understand PSC, it is also necessary to consider its climate level, intensity and ideal concept. The PSC level involves the shared perception of the organizational climate, while the PSC strength reflects employees’ consistent understanding of that climate. When the messaging within an organization is clear and consistent, employees experience a greater sense of psychological safety.
Relationship between psychological safety climate and other concepts
PSC is related to concepts such as safety culture, perceived organizational support, and psychological safety, but they are distinct constructs. Safety climate focuses on protecting employees from accidents and injuries, emphasizing safety systems and behaviors, while organizational support focuses on the extent to which the company cares about the physical and mental health of its employees. A psychological safety climate is about promoting risk taking within a team, that is, creating an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing dissent and asking questions.
A healthy psychological safety climate empowers employees to take the risky behaviors necessary for learning and performance.
The impact and evidence of psychological safety climate
Studies across multiple countries and industries have shown that levels of PSC predict psychological risks in the workplace, as well as health and productivity outcomes. Specifically, poor PSC can lead to problems such as emotional exhaustion, depressive symptoms, and employee absenteeism. According to a study, a steady increase in psychological safety climate can effectively reduce job stress and enhance employee engagement, which is crucial to the overall performance of the company.
A poor psychological safety climate can triple the risk of new depressive symptoms, according to research in the British Medical Journal.
Further evidence suggests that even a small increase of 10% can result in changes ranging from 4% to 8%, including reductions in work demands and increases in resources. If low levels of psychological safety climate can be eliminated, workplace stress and absenteeism can be significantly reduced.
Intervention research and practical application
Actual research shows that it is feasible to improve the psychological safety climate through organizational and individual interventions, and the results can be seen in a short period of time. Conducting participatory organizational interventions can not only help improve employees’ coping abilities with work stress, but also enhance PSC.
In summary, psychological safety climate is an important indicator for an organization to implement psychological risk management, covering the basic requirements of safety and health. When developing policies, especially laws and regulations related to health and safety at work, configuring a good psychological safety climate will also provide a strong foundation for a healthy working environment.
As we explore psychological safety climate, will it lead to deeper reflection and attention on our own work environments?
