Why is creating a safe space in the workplace (and online) so important?
Because it’s one of the strongest proven predictors of team effectiveness.

Let’s face it, there is a lot going on in the world, and it’s no exception when it comes to people’s private lives. Gone are the days where you were taught to “leave your personal life at the door.” This just doesn’t work anymore, not when we work from our living rooms, bedrooms or kitchens, and not when our kids and pets have to make an appearance in the background of our online meeting. When you have to conduct your professional life in your own personal space, it’s hard to separate the two worlds.

Not only is it next to impossible to leave your personal baggage at the door, but it’s not really healthy. It’s a toxic instruction relayed to us throughout our careers, and we have been conditioned to believe it’s the standard—that your personal life has no place at the office.

Except, it does. It’s who you are, not just as an employee, but a human. Employers didn’t hire a robot, they hired a person, with a personal life, lived experience, and human qualities that ultimately cross over between personal and professional realms. To be able to bring your full self to the workplace is what adds the greatest value to a team.

The ability to do this depends on whether your employer has created a psychologically safe work environment. When we feel psychologically safe, we feel able to take risks, be vulnerable with others, ask questions, raise concerns, and admit mistakes. It isn’t always easy to establish this environment.

Our series of psychological safety courses help leaders establish an inclusive and safe environment for their teams, where members feel like they belong.