How creating psychologically safe workplaces is key to long-term success

When was the last time you challenged the status quo in a staff meeting or felt safe speaking up to a manager about a difficult issue?

In many organizations, the idea of creating an environment where employees or teams can take on interpersonal risk – meaning that they are able to make mistakes and express opinions without fear of judgment or retribution – is encouraged, particularly when the benefits can help them innovate more quickly or adapt to bigger organizational changes more effectively.

We know that when leaders build a culture of psychological safety, attrition risk is reduced. According to a study by Boston Consulting Group published early this year, 12% of employees with the lowest levels of psychological safety said they were likely to quit within a year. When psychological safety is high, however, only 3% of employees were at risk of quitting.

But as we emphasize at the Psychological Safety Institute, creating a psychologically safe workplace goes beyond…