This document discusses the importance of psychological safety in the workplace. It notes that 1 in 5 Australians experience mental health issues and these issues cost Australian businesses $10.9 billion annually. Creating psychologically safe work environments where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas without fear of criticism or punishment can lead to significant benefits such as reduced turnover and safety incidents as well as increased productivity. The document recommends measuring psychological safety using tools like the PS25 assessment and prioritizing leadership programs and policies that foster psychological safety and employee well-being. Investing in these areas can provide large returns on investment through increased productivity, reduced costs, and improved business results.

1. Ç≈
Linda Ray
Chris Phillips
Changing the safety
conversations

2. Serious work-related mental disorders are
attributed to work-related mental stress
$10.9B
1 in 5 Australians experiencing a mental
health condition
92%
Costs to Australian businesses in
productivity, participation and
compensation costs
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/book/supporting-business-provide-mentally-healthy-workplace

3. Investment in resilience and wellbeing
programs rising

4. Should wellbeing be the
individuals responsibility?
75% of people say
that the most
stressful part of
their job is their
immediate
supervisor

5. Risks to work-related mental health disorders
1 Job Strain
2 Lack of respect or value
3 Occupational Uncertainty
https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/australias-deadly-workplace-crisis/news-
story/cbca12299b34930b22c7b69f7583b576

6. Secrets of Team
Effectiveness
• Dependability
• Structure and clarity
• Meaning
• Impact
• Psychological safety

7. Psychological
safety
‘Psychological safety is a
belief that one will not be
punished or humiliated for
speaking up with ideas,
questions, concerns or
mistakes’
(Amy Edmondson 2012)

8. Psychological safety
is not ‘soft’ or ‘fluffy’

10. “If I do ‘X’ here,
will I be hurt, embarrassed
or criticized?”

11. Psychological safety
Drives business results

12. Doubling the number of workers who felt
psychologically safe generated:
• 27% reduction in turnover
• 40% reduction in safety incidents
• 12% increase in productivity
Gallup Study

13. Physical Safety
Mental Health
Well-Being
Engagement
Creativity
Customer X
Culture
Business
Results
Psych
Safety

14. *improvement per person per year
Local Queensland Gov’t Authority
$8,888 productivity gain + $1,333 insurance reduction + $1,067 statutory cost reduction
$11,288*

15. A Local Government
Authority – 2IC
improving safety
space
Lost Time Injuries by 66%
Statutory Costs by $800,000
per year
Insurance Premiums by
$1,000,000
Productivity gains by
$20,000,000 over 3 years
$8900 per employee/year
ROI = 3500%

16. Psychological safety
can be measured.

21. The PS25™
The World’s First
Psychological Safety Assessment Tool
For Organizations

22. PS25™
25 = Twenty-Five easy-to-understand*
questions
that take ~5 minutes to answer.
Free text option
*Fleshman-Kincaid Grade Level: 7.0

23. 5 Social Domains
(Five questions each)
Significance – Do I matter?
Certainty – Do I have clarity?
Autonomy – Do I have choices?
Relatedness – Do I belong?
Equity – Am I getting a fair deal?

24. I feel my
manager trusts I
will do what is
expected of me.

25. Lifting the bar on psychological safety (PS)
● Invest in leadership
programs
● Measure PS,
establish PS as an
organisational KPI
● Prioritize measures
to foster and protect
psychological health
of employees

26. M.A.P.S Model of Engagement

27. Ç≈
Contact
details
www.neurocapability.com.au
linda@neurocapability.com.au
Ph 07 3180 0622