Does it sometimes feel like your business has a revolving door? Do you want to not just attract but retain great people? At our most recent Gather event psychiatrist, three-times TEDx speaker and high-performance expert Dr Tharaka Gunarathne held a great workshop exploring some of the science behind psychological safety and why it could be the key to stopping talent drain.
We don't want to keep all his wisdom to ourselves...so here is some of the insight he shared and steps you can take to ensure your business is a place that's safe for people to stay.
The brain science behind it
You’ve probably heard the saying ‘People do business with people they know, like and trust’ and trust is also key to psychological safety in our teams. We can actually measure levels of trust in the blood by measuring levels of oxytocin. Oxytocin is found in the pituitary gland in the brain and when we are in a trusting interaction with people we like, we produce more of it and it pumps through our blood.
When you have more trust people are more likely to share opinions on things that matter, make deep connections, and have conversations that could put them at risk. The more trust you have the more teamwork and high value interactions occur.
The biggest mental health challenge in the workplace post lockdown is burnout. What does trust have to do with that? A Harvard Business Review article showed that teams who have higher levels of oxytocin have:
- 74% less stress
- 106% more energy
- 13% fewer sick days
- 76% more engagement
- 40% less burnout
Why it’s important now
As Dr T put it ‘Have you noticed people are hopping on and off jobs like buses on a busy high street?’
The way people perceive work has changed post pandemic. It's more and more an employee’s market and if you don't fulfil the people’s needs, they will go elsewhere.
Most human beings don’t like pain – physical or psychological. When we feel rejected, alone, stupid, or lacking community this causes us pain, pain we want to run away from.
If you were in job where you encountered these feelings, would you stay? It’s more important than ever that we consider the atmosphere we create for our people to work, communicate, and connect in.
Psychological safety can play a big part in developing an environment that people want to join – and stay. It’s an interpersonal atmosphere that exists between people that ensures we feel safe to speak up, ask questions, contribute our best work, and challenge.
How can we create higher levels of trust?
So we know trust is important for psychological safety, but how can we create higher levels in our business?
Dr T had 5 key tips:
1. Recognise excellence in the people around you
Don’t just tell people well done in a 360 review – give them a pat on the back when a call goes well, when their copy is great, or when they’ve gone the extra mile.
2. Use goal-focused pressure
Goal focused pressure can increase team trust. Shared, attainable deadlines cause oxytocin and cohesion to soar as we rise to the challenge. But if it’s too high for too long and goal posts constantly shift, we experience toxic stress. Which can kill a team and cause a rush for the exit.
3. Share comms widely
The greatest distance between two people is misunderstanding. We all like to be included, understood, and informed. If we feel left out and not on the same page as those around us we feel distanced and lose connection.
4. Intentionally build relationships
When we see our colleagues as real people, with real lives it increases levels of trust. Ask questions, grab lunch, mix with people in the office and encourage others to do the same.
5. Show measured vulnerability
Many leaders worry that if they show weakness their team will lose trust in their abilities, but the opposite is true. When you make a mistake, you show you are human. It’s ok to declare you don't know all the answers. Confidently share your uncertainty.
It’s a personal and team journey
Dr T was keen to point out that building a culture of psychological safety isn’t an overnight process and it’s something that needs to be worked on – individually and as a team.
He gave us a great image of a high trust environment being a bit like being in a sauna on a cold day – you just want to stay there.
We need to intentionally work at building relationships, understanding our people, navigating emotional buttons, and apologising if we snap.
It's a continuous practice. But if we keep pumping in the heat of psychological safety we’ll develop a workplace that people won’t want to leave.