Okay, let’s talk about this whole “workplace psychological safety act” idea. It’s not like some official law got passed everywhere, at least not that I know of, but the idea behind it? That’s what got me thinking and trying things out where I work.
Starting Small, Feeling the Waters
So, I didn’t just barge in demanding changes based on some concept. That never works. I started by just observing my team more closely during our regular meetings. Who speaks up? Who stays quiet? Who gets interrupted? It was pretty eye-opening. You could almost feel the tension sometimes when certain topics came up, or when specific people talked over others.
My first actual step was super simple. In our next team huddle, I deliberately made space for the quieter folks. I’d say something like, “Hey [Quiet Person’s Name], haven’t heard your thoughts on this yet, what do you reckon?” It felt awkward at first, honestly. A couple of times, they just shrugged. But I kept doing it, gently. The key was not putting them on the spot aggressively, just offering an opening.
Trying Something a Bit More Structured
After a few weeks of that, I noticed a tiny shift. Maybe one or two more people would chime in occasionally. So, I decided to push it a bit further. I floated the idea of a “mistakes are okay” session. Sounds cheesy, I know. But the idea was simple: once a sprint, we spend 15 minutes where anyone can share a small mistake they made, what they learned, and that’s it. No blaming, no deep dive unless the person wants to discuss it.
Getting this started was tough.
- First try? Dead silence. Nobody wanted to be the first to admit they messed up.
- I had to go first. I shared a minor coding bug I’d introduced and fixed. Kept it light, focused on the “oops, learned this” part.
- Slowly, very slowly, others started sharing small things. It took maybe two months before it felt remotely comfortable for most.
Dealing with Pushback (Because It Always Happens)
Not everyone was thrilled. One senior guy, pretty dominant personality, clearly thought it was a waste of time. He’d roll his eyes or make comments like, “Can we get back to real work?” I had a quiet chat with him separately. Didn’t accuse him, just explained why I was trying this – that hearing different perspectives, even about mistakes, could actually save us time down the road by catching issues earlier. I framed it in terms of efficiency, which seemed to land better with him. He didn’t become Mr. Enthusiastic overnight, but he stopped actively undermining it, which was a win.
I also talked to my manager. Laid out what I was doing, why I thought it tied into making the team function better – closer to that “psychological safety” ideal. Having her aware and vaguely supportive helped. She didn’t champion it loudly, but she didn’t block it either.
Where Things Stand Now
So, did I magically transform the workplace into some utopia based on a “psychological safety act”? Absolutely not. That’s not realistic. But did things change? Yeah, a bit.
Here’s the real outcome:
- Meetings are slightly more balanced. The same loud voices still dominate sometimes, but less so.
- The “mistakes” session is still hit-or-miss, but it happens. People seem less terrified of admitting small errors.
- There’s a bit more willingness to ask “dumb” questions, which honestly, often turn out to be really important questions nobody else dared to ask.
It wasn’t some grand strategy following a specific act. It was just me, noticing a need, and trying a few practical, small things based on the principle of making people feel safer to speak up, make mistakes, and be themselves at work. It’s slow, ongoing work, really. You take a step, see what happens, adjust, take another step. That’s been my whole process with this stuff.
