Psychological Safety and Risk Management

1. Understanding psychological safety and mental health and wellbeing in the workplace

What does workplace psychological safety mean?

Creating psychological safety in the workplace can greatly improve an individual’s experience of work and increase individual mental health and wellbeing. When people feel safe at work, issues and risks may be more likely to be understood and addressed before they cause an injury. It is the responsibility of all staff to contribute to a psychologically safe workplace.

Psychological safety is present when safe working environments exist, enabling staff to express themselves, speak up, ask questions, seek feedback, and report issues without fearing negative consequences or judgement.

There are several factors that can contribute towards building psychological safety. This includes leadership support, positive culture, inclusivity, and effective communication.

It is important to consider and recognise diverse perspectives and experiences as these can lead to varying perceptions of the same issue. Understanding this is essential to creating a supportive and inclusive work environment that promotes psychological safety for all staff.

Psychological safety is vital for managing mental health in the workplace, as it:

• has the flow on effect of a workplace that has well-managed psychosocial hazards
• allows an increased visibility of psychosocial hazards.

For further information on proactively managing psychological safety in the workplace, refer to Preventing and proactively managing psychosocial hazards.

What are the benefits of a mentally healthy and safe working environment?

Encouraging and supporting mental health and wellbeing is important for both staff and the principal and school leaders. Potential benefits from improved mental health and wellbeing include:

• positive impact on teacher-student relationships and student learning outcomes
• increased staff engagement and commitment
• staff retention and reduced absenteeism
• enhanced morale, motivation and job satisfaction
• improved productivity
• reduced WorkCover claims.