How to Create a Healthy Workplace Culture 

To build a healthy and successful workplace, you need to ensure psychological safety, cultural competence, and employee well-being. 

What is psychological safety and why is it important? 

Harvard Business School professor Amy C. Edmondson states in her latest book that psychological safety is the belief that one “is confident that candor and vulnerability are welcome in their workplace. They believe that they will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.”

A recent Deloitte study found the following top three reasons employees don’t speak up:

• Insufficient background information or data about the situation 
• A feeling of not having anything of value to add to the discussion 
• A perception that people on their team don’t listen to one another

In a two-year landmark study, Google found that on its highest-performing teams, dialogue between team members happened naturally and without anyone directing it. The time spent discussing projects and sharing ideas was fairly equal among team members. Every team member felt safe speaking up.

Google People Analytics manager Julie Rozovsky said, “We learned that there are five key dynamics that set successful teams apart. Psychological safety was far and away the most important.”

The next element in a wonderful workplace is cultural competence.

What is cultural competence, and why is it important?

The American Psychological Association defines cultural competence as “the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from one’s own.” It requires adapting your skills to the population you work with or serve. 

According to Indeed, “Cultural competence is a vital skill for communicating and collaborating successfully at work. When employees have this skill, it can lead to higher levels of efficiency and productivity for an organization.”

The final component of creating a company that attracts and keeps the most talented employees is well-being.

What is workplace well-being, and why is it important?

According to the International Labour Organization, “Workplace well-being relates to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment to how workers feel about their work, their working environment, the climate at work, and work organization. A lack of recognition of the need to promote workers’ well-being may give rise to workplace problems such as stress, bullying, conflict, alcohol and drug abuse, and mental health disorders.”

Based on a recent quality of life study, Gallop recommends that leaders take these steps to increase workplace well-being:

• Help employees discover their strengths.
• Address abusive or bullying managers.
• Train managers to be coaches. 
• Hold well-being conversations as part of the career development process.