I hope this is true for most people in almost all circumstances. We all want to be safe, both physically as well as psychologically. I am also assuming that growth is not in our minds when we are confronted with personal safety.
Coming to our workplaces now, let us assume the situation of an employee, who has made a mistake and is not very certain as to what is going to happen to her when her superiors find that. If she is confident that her superiors will understand that she was sincerely trying to do a good job and mistake happened during that, she will go and tell them. However, if she is not confident, she will try to hide the fact.
What do you feel happens in your organization in similar cases? The answer will give you an idea about the type of culture, your organization has.
Almost all organizations are very particular about their HSE compliances, but very rarely try to get inside the “Psychological Safety” of the employees. Let us shorten it to PS for convenience. When an employee, at any level, makes a mistake in the course of their activities in the organization, they are apprehensive about the consequences of that from their superiors or peers. They feel in danger about themselves and their career. At that time, what they want the most is to survive.
Managers would do well to appreciate that their handling of an employee, especially when the employee has made a mistake, plays a great role in the growth of the company. Currently, it is considered almost normal in India to show one’s displeasure to the employee concerned when they make a mistake. At times, we become rude to them, as well. The treatment given to that one employee is indicative of the culture of the company.
Managers need to understand that giving a safe environment to employees is one of the most profitable things that managers can do to grow the company. Let us focus on #makingworkplaceshappier