Psychological Protection

Nov. 15

Written By Worker's Compensation Board Of Nova Scotia -

Refers to the psychological safety of workers and is demonstrated when workers feel able to be forthcoming without feeling like they are putting themselves at risk, ask questions, seek feedback, report mistakes and problems or propose a new idea without fearing negative consequences to themselves, their job or their career.

What is psychological protection?

Psychological protection is present in a work environment where workers’ psychological safety is ensured. Workplace psychological safety is demonstrated when workers feel able to be forthcoming without putting themselves on the line, ask questions, seek feedback, report mistakes and problems or propose a new idea without fearing negative consequences to themselves, their job, or their career. A psychologically safe and healthy organization actively promotes emotional well-being among workers while taking all reasonable steps to minimize threats to worker mental health.

An organization with good psychological protection would be able to state that:

The organization is committed to minimizing unnecessary stress at work.
Leaders and immediate supervisors care about workers’ emotional well-being.
The organization makes efforts to prevent harm to workers from harassment, bullying, discrimination, violence or stigma.
Workers would describe the workplace as being psychologically healthy.
The organization deals effectively with situations that can threaten or harm workers (e.g. harassment, bullying, discrimination, violence, stigma, etc.).

This video was developed by The Mental Health Commission of Canada, in partnership with Ottawa Public Health with content adapted from The Mindful Employer.

Why is psychological protection important?

When workers feel psychologically protected, there may be greater job satisfaction, enhanced team learning, and improved performance. Workers may be more inclined to speak up, become involved, show increased morale, and are less likely to experience stress-related illnesses. Workplaces with psychological protection may also see fewer labour management conflicts and potential for legal risks.

When workers lack psychological safety, they might have feelings or experiences of demoralization, feelings of threat, disengagement, and strain. Workplace conditions may appear unclear and unpredictable. The organization may face legal and regulatory risks, which can potentially affect customer and public confidence in the organization.

FAQs

• Create a culture where psychological health and safety is valued, encouraged and promoted.
• Ensure fairness in how workplace decisions are made and how procedures are carried out.
• Create a process where difficult workplace situations can be discussed and addressed in a safe and confidential manner.
• Recognize that psychological safety is more than just a policy – it involves an ongoing process of education, implementation and evaluation, with revisions as needed.
• Provide incentives and reinforcement for the active demonstration of psychologically healthy and safe behaviour.
• Provide ongoing orientation and training on policies and programs on harassment, discrimination, violence at work and conflict management.
• Train all leaders, including human resource providers and union personnel, to be knowledgeable and accountable for ensuring a psychologically healthy and safe workplace.
• Provide training on identifying and dealing with psychosocial challenges in the workplace (e.g. training in assertiveness, problem-solving and stress management).
• Ensure employees are up-to-date on existing policies on harassment, discrimination, violence and conflict management, via both formal and informal communication.
• Provide safe opportunities for team members to identify and participate in the improvement and correction of factors that create psychological safety concerns.
• Communicate the availability of resources, educational material and supports available to manage stress, including stress resulting from workplace crisis or trauma.
• Comply with the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace.
• Develop policies and programs that assess and address factors that cause harm to team members (e.g. harassment, discrimination, violence).
• Regularly review and modify policies and programs to reflect legal and regulatory changes and obligations.
• Ensure employees from all levels within the organization comply with company ethics, values and privacy requirements.
• For workers who have experienced harassment, discrimination or violence, provide internal programs and benefits, as well as information on external resources (e.g. employee and family assistance programs, access to psychologists or other mental health professionals, community services).
• Conduct regular risk assessments and reviews to help understand and monitor factors that may negatively affect workers’ psychological health and safety.
• Provide programs and services for those working in vulnerable situations or environments, including those working off-hours (e.g. debriefing, peer support, safe-walk programs, secure parking access).
• Provide adequate rests and breaks or job rotations for particularly burdensome mental or physical tasks (e.g. rest period for night-shift workers).

Next Steps

Ensuring employees’ psychological protection

A work environment where employees’ psychological safety is ensured.
• Reduced work absences and costs from work absences (e.g. sick time, disability costs).
• Reduced conflict.
• Fewer job-related errors, incidents, accidents and injuries.
• Reduces labour-management conflicts and potential for legal risks.
• Do issues related to employees’ psychological protection present a greater risk to particular groups of employees (e.g. new employees, certain jobs, shift workers, etc.)?
• What are the strengths in your workplace in terms of employees’ psychological protection (e.g. what do you do well and what should you continue doing)?
• What could your workplace do to improve in this area (e.g. what could you do more of and what could you do less of)?