Ashley Calhoun’s Post

When talking about psychological safety, it is critical to think and consider people who are most at risk of feeling psychologically unsafe, for example, minoritised groups. It is helpful to consider power dynamics within different ecosystems to understand what compromises psychological safety. A good way of examining power dynamics is by mapping out unwritten rules for in-groups and out-groups. In the context of psychological safety, when we are part of the out-group, our power to speak up is weakened, our feedback is seen as less valued and relevant, and we are afraid of taking risks or communicating our mistakes because of the penalties we might face when compared to the in-group and, in general, there is an issue around belonging, hence we were pushed out in the first place. Our diagnostic tool measures psychological safety and we analyse results through an intersectional lens to create an accurate picture of the employee experience, which will likely vary depending on identity. To find out more, check out our website: https://lnkd.in/eV7HwMDM or email us at enquiries@inclusiveleadershipcompany.com #PsychologicalSafety #belonging #inclusion #diversity

When we consider psychological safety in the context of diversity, we must consider the fact that different people will need different things to experience psychological safety. In the work I do through Inclusive Leadership Company, we take an evidence-based approach to accurately measuring psychological safety and informing recommendations on how to build a psychologically safe culture.

Things on my mind this week: Do your inclusion, equity, people ops, HR and culture management job descriptions include requirements for: Trauma-informed care certification? An understanding of trauma response? A focus on the 6 principles of trauma-sensitive practices? A deep knowledge of the tenets of psychologically safe workplaces? A focus on building trust? Proof of skills related to transparency and honest? Ability to manage neurodiverse individuals? Those with chronic illness? Those with traumatic pasts? The knowledge, demeanor, strengths and skills to address a present trauma? Or Acute trauma that may occur like an accident?Collective trauma like the pandemic or a severe climate tragedy in the town where you are located? How about cultural, racial, gender specific, and intergenerational trauma? Do the certifications that give them those all important letters after their name train to these things? These things are far more important to the work at hand than some of the requirements I am seeing in the ads for these positions. If they don’t, consider why they don’t? Is your organization lacking awareness? Are they aware but ignoring? Is it a trauma-recreating culture? Is leadership resistant to these important topics due to lack of education on the topic or fear of cost? Just a Friday night word puzzle based on what I have seen, heard, and been told this week - like “trauma is too negative, people won’t pay to hear about it.” But here’s the thing…at its heart trauma-responsive is human-responsive, trauma-informed is human-informed. And what is better, more hopeful, more positive, more proactive, and more transformative than making sure the people and practices we have in place are aware, sensitive and skilled in caring for your people! Hops off soap box to go finish making the spaghetti. #humanness #traumainformed #behumane #psychologicalsafety #workplacewellbeing #safework #culturework #humanresources #putthehumanfirst #peopleoverprofits

🤫 Does your workplace have a silent problem? When conversation dries up, questions are few and far between, and dialogue a distant memory it's a warning sign deeper cultural issues could be simmering. ⚡ Silence is one of our 10 signs of culture cracks and this article brilliantly articulates why it's something we need to urgently act on before it leads to significant issues for people and business. It also includes practical advice for tackling the wall of silence. Building psychological safety is key - check out our free guide via our website for more ideas! #silence #culture #PsychologicalSafety https://lnkd.in/eGr32dTq

Interesting read on the importance of psychological safety for creating a culture of engagement, inclusion and innovation: https://lnkd.in/emswCdUX

Are we empowering people through our silence? If we want our workplaces – and let’s be honest, lots of other spaces too – to be better, then we need to learn how to recognise inaction and its impact on workplace culture. How often have we stood by, becoming complicit in the face of bullying, poor culture, and other inappropriate behaviours? Are we ignoring the red flags? In my latest article, I’m challenging us to move beyond inaction and denial, to acknowledge and address these issues head-on – and demand action from ourselves and others.

What is psychological safety? Why is it important and how can managers create it? Our insightful article “Everyone’s talking about psychological safety for inclusion”, written by Michael Puchalla, Moe Iwata and Dr. Doyin Atewologun seeks to answer these questions and more, and offers evidence based, actionable tips to improve psychological safety in your organisation. Read it here: https://buff.ly/3UR3c3I #Deltapsychsafetymonth #psychologicalsafety #diversifyingleadership #inclusiveleadership #diversityequityinclusion #diversity #inclusion

📈📊When employees feel psychologically safe, they perform at their best. 🙌🏼Psychological safety means feeling confident to take interpersonal risks. 👉🏼Employees feel comfortable: ✅sharing their opinions ✅expressing disagreement ✅disclosing concerns ❌They are not worried about negative repercussions or having to make something appear more pleasant than it really is. 👀🤝EMPLOYER: JSR will help you establish clear norms and expectations so there is a sense of fairness, open communication, support, and appreciation among your team members. This is psychological safety. 📱Count on us. Call today. #psychologicalsafety #workculturematters #humanresources #JSRServices

When we think about financial abuse in a domestic, we know that the abuser coerces the survivor through monetary means. E.g. “If you don’t do xyz, I will stop paying for abc,” knowing that the survivor needs monies in order to live. Especially in a world that revolves so much around capital. Work is the same. We, ultimately, seek jobs in order to afford to live. We dress it up under the guise of passion—and we do try to align our work with our values. But, we only play this game of renarrating the pursuit of work as desire and not necessity. And that’s just for those who are able. How, then, do employers think they do not have a duty of care to their employees? Employers utilise financial abuse to coerce employees, survivors, to repeatedly acquiesce to unrealistic and unreasonable expectations, demands, and conditions. It’s why ‘moral injury’ can be studied in organisations, or burnout at work and how to mitigate it—largely relying on survivors to find safety and manage the harms they experience without ‘burdening companies’. The problem of workplace abuse does not belong with us. It belongs with the employers who have the power to hire and fire at will, to decide our salaries and our benefits, to decide our schedule and how we balance ‘work and life’. We need a deep overhaul of our understanding of power, the role of capital, and the process of modernity. If companies are considered individual entities, then they too can be understood as having an interpersonal relationship with each and every employee. No matter how many individuals make up the quagmire of a company in the first instance.