This document outlines an agenda for a session on psychological safety in the workplace. It will cover the relationship between employees and their roles, health and safety issues related to psychological safety, factors impacting it, and real issues that can undermine it. It will also discuss relevant policies, training, legislation, and strategies to promote psychological safety, including ensuring freedom of speech and addressing absenteeism, turnover, and presenteeism. The goal is for employees to feel safe sharing ideas and contributing without fear of punishment.

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Dr Natalie Skeepers
25 July 2022
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This session will cover
 Our relationship with the workplace
 Roles of all the role players , human resources ,
safety managers, etc.
 Health and Safety issues linked to Psychological
safety
 Factors impacting Psychological Safety
 Real Issues that causes Psychological safety in the
workplace
 Strategies to consider e.g. Policies
 Training and awareness on the subject
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3. +1930 – Empire State Building
Things have changed since then…
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4th Industrial Revolution (4IR)
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The employer is responsible
for ensuring a healthy and
safe workplace environment

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Who is accountable for
employee Safety (Psychological Safety of
employees)
Executives and non-executive directors of all types
of workplace in both the private and public
sectors, at officers of undertakings, the board
chairman/woman and board members,
at senior managers and at any other managers
who are responsible for directing workers while at
work and work activities.

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Corporate Governance
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Legislation
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9. +Health and Safety Policies

10. +Policies
Health and Safety Policies
 Stale and outdates policies
 Generation X, Z and now
Generation Alpha (10 years to
17 years )
 Diversity, Inclusion and Equity

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Working from Home
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News24, 22 February 2022

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Labour and Employment
Relevant Legislation , Codes &
Standards
 Basic Conditions of Employment
 Occupational Health and Safety
 Mine Health and Safety
 Labour Relations Act
 Skills Development Act
 Unemployment Insurance Act
 Protection Disclosures Act
 ILO conventions, declaration on fundamental
principles and Rights to work
 World Health Organization Directives
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Health is ……..a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-
being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.

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• Physical wellness – encompasses diet, physical
activity, adequate sleep, etc.
• Mental wellness – being creative, problem-solving,
and learning
• Emotional wellness – the ability to express and
accept your feelings, also doing the same for others
• Spiritual wellness – pertains to your meaning and
purpose in life, or the pursuit thereof
• Social wellness – interacting with and connecting
with those around you
• Environmental wellness – living in a hazard-free
environment, an environment that adds to your health
versus detracting from it

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Why Health and Wellness are
connected
 Health can impact wellness AND VICE
VERSA
 Chronic illness affect your financial well
being
 It affects your functional capacity in the
workplace
Increases your emotional state at work
 Health and wellness will decline and spiral
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Health
Issues
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Physiological safety plays a fundamental
role in how the culture will be realised. Employee
ownership must be driven through this process.
Safety Culture in the workplace is derived from
the Tone that leadership sets
Physiological safety

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Violence in the
workplace/harassment
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Safety In the workplace
Vulnerability
Open up about your struggles
Speaking up about things that bother you
(toxic workplace render people frighten to speak up)
Let the team know how their work fits into
the bigger picture
Pay attention to team members who feel
excluded or having challenges
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Mental Health was a Taboo
subject in the workplace

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Values and Ethics
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Management 8/e - Chapter 3
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• Lack of Psychological safety
• Culture in the organisation
• Lack of strategic direction/CHANGING objectives
• Management style of the leaders
• Not seeing work realised
• Budget constraints
• Undue expectations and lack of support
• Lack of incentivised work environment
• Lack of innovation and creativity
• Being able to thrive and survive in the workplace
• Ultimately workplace incidents
Wellness and Safety …..What
gets in this way of this
intention

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What shapes our behaviour at work
Why do we think and then what do
we do(or not do)..what are we
suppose to do(or not suppose to do)
to do to stay safe)
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Few leaders seem to
understand that when people
come to work for them, those
individuals have placed their
physical and psychological
well-being in the leaders’
hands

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What Psychological Safety is not
 People are encouraged to share
ideas or try new things
 Team members offers
constructive feedback
 Admitting to errors and
mistakes openly
 Teams are encouraged to
express themselves freely
 People feel the need to make
their submissions perfect
(procrastinate ) before
presenting their ideas
 Blaming , cover up , passing
the buck , avoiding
confrontation and excuses
 My team may embarrass ,
rejection, hold me accountable ,
ridicule my decisions ,judge me
, speak bad behind my back
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Unspoken truths only hurt the company and
productivity and finally the safety culture in the
workplace.
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Freedom of Speech

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Workplace indicators
Absenteeism
Employee Turn
Over
Grievances
Health cost
Employees dis-
enge
Workplace
incidents
Presenteesim
Medical Leave
disability
Work time lost
General
abuse/misuse of
Plant Equipment
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Management 8/e - Chapter 3
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Email Fatigue-Wellness
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37. + Employee Fatigue –Wellness
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Does your EAP work?

39. Management 8/e - Chapter 3
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42. + Email Fatigue
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Presenteeism

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Its not my job
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45. +Working from Home-
New definition of the workplace
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Employee Engagement

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Lone Workers-
Workplace Violence
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Lone Workers-Infrastructure
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49. + Lone Workers-Vulnerable 49

50. + Lone Workers- Railway 50

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We want to be at work and
enjoy it
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“ No one wants to put on
a work face when they get
to the office “ – Aristotle
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Finally
If you make a mistake in your team will it be held against
you?
Are members of the team able to bring problems to you?
Will you be punished for speaking out or speaking up,
questioning, raising concerns or disagreeing on issues?
is it safe to learn and grow through feedback of ideas,
questions, concerns and mistakes?
is it safe to share abilities and ideas and opinion and
contribute meaningful to the group ?
is it safe to challenge ideas, opinions and comments?
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Emerging Issues Employers
need to address –
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Domestic (GBV) abuse by your
employee…. EMPLOYER
(perpetrator)

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natalie.skeepers@gmail.com

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natalie.skeepers@gmail.com