Speak Up and Creating Psychologically Safe Spaces
Psychologically safe spaces and encouraging open communication are essential within organisations. At AVS Culture Consulting, we understand the importance of creating an environment where staff feel comfortable speaking up and flagging issues. Our Speak Up and Creating Psychologically Safe Spaces service helps your organisation foster a culture that promotes open dialogue and empowers individuals to contribute to a safer and more inclusive workplace.
Evaluation process
Why Psychologically Safe Spaces Matter:
​
Risk Management: Psychologically safe spaces allow employees to raise concerns that may not be detected through existing processes, ensuring better risk management.
Early Issue Identification: By providing a safe environment for open communication, potential concerns can be identified and addressed before they escalate into major issues.
Improved Decision Making: Creating psychologically safe spaces demonstrates a thorough consideration of issues before making decisions, leading to better business outcomes and serving as a defense in regulated sectors.
Encouraging Innovation: When individuals feel safe to express ideas and take risks, innovation thrives within the organisation.
Increased Staff Engagement: Psychologically safe spaces enhance employee engagement, creating a positive and supportive work environment.
How We Help:
​
Evaluation: We assess the current state of your organisation's ability to facilitate speaking up, utilizing data points such as staff surveys, grievances, and exit interviews.
Differentiating Speak Up and Whistleblowing: We help define and communicate the distinction between speak up and whistleblowing processes, ensuring clarity for employees.
Establishing a Baseline: We create a quantitative baseline by asking specific questions that gauge the current level of speaking up within your organisation.
Customized Approaches: We tailor interventions to address specific dilemmas faced by different teams, recognising that challenges may vary across departments.
Empowering Bystanders: We provide bystander training that empowers individuals to intervene and address issues through the use of customised scenarios.
Support for Managers: We offer support and guidance to managers, enabling trust-building within teams, encouraging difficult conversations, and promoting inclusive decision-making.
Speak Up Toolkit: We provide all staff members with a practical toolkit that offers guidance on appropriately calling out behaviors and influencing positive change.
Re-evaluation: Following the intervention, we conduct a re-evaluation using the same specific questions from the baseline assessment, supplemented with additional inquiries.
By facilitating speaking up and empowering bystanders, organisations can effectively manage risks and create a more inclusive and resilient culture. It is crucial to provide support to managers to ensure that the voices encouraged to speak up are heard and valued. Through carefully designed interventions, we help reshape behaviors and promote a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and empowered to contribute.