How psychological safety affects remote work?

Psychological safety in remote work is one of the dynamics that affects productivity and performance. It is what drives the team towards success and progress. It is basically the atmosphere in which workers feel comfortable being themselves. When people are psychologically safe, they share their ideas freely. In addition to that, they confess their mistakes without fear of being rejected by their team or feeling embarrassed about it. As such they don’t suffer from negative consequences when they express themselves.  

Unfortunately, psychological safety in remote work is much lower than that in the actual work environment. It is even more challenging to build in the remote work environment, due to the virtual practices which reduces collective trust and honesty. This article provides with the means in which you can boost psychological safety in remote work.

Four ways to boost psychological safety in remote work:

1. Be aware of your team on the personal level:

People tend to trust each other more when they talk to one another intimately on the personal level. It is essential to get to know more about the personal aspects of the lives of your employees. Use video calls to connect with them often and create a habit of asking non-work questions.

2. Provide support often to provide psychological safety in remote work:

Do more listening than talking. Focus more on what your employees have to say instead of focusing on your response to what they say. It is also essential to deeply understand your employees in times of uncertainty and knowing how to handle them. In addition to that, Coaching sessions for employees will help provide them with support. When holding conversations with employees discuss how they feel and their needs not just their performance.

3. Create a culture of gratitude:

Take the time to recognize and affirm the efforts of each person in your team. To keep your team psychologically safe, it is crucial to find small wins to speak openly about and celebrate. Ask employees to speak publicly about their recent achievements and how they feel about that. Take some time at the beginning of the meeting and ask employees to list one thing to which they are grateful for.

4. Use technological tools:

New technological tools like slack, hangouts and Microsoft teams are essential for communication and interactions among team members. As a manager you should use these tools to ask your employees to provide you with feedback. The feedback would provide you with information on whether or not they are feeling psychologically safe around you and the team.

Here are your 4 ways to boost your psychological safety as a remote worker and guarantee an increase in your productivity level.