Social safety at work: foster a safe and open feedback culture
Are you concerned about social safety within your organization? Do you want to create a workplace where employees feel safe to set boundaries and address each other respectfully? Social safety at work starts with a culture where colleagues can openly discuss sensitive topics without fear and where both leaders and employees take responsibility for maintaining a safe work environment. Without such a feedback culture, social safety can come under pressure, leading to reluctance, reduced engagement, and even inappropriate behavior.
We support organizations in building a safe feedback culture where boundaries and responsibilities are openly discussed, and everyone feels heard and valued. On this page, you’ll discover how to work step by step toward a safe work environment and how an open feedback culture fosters trust and collaboration within your team. Find practical steps and programs to embed social safety and create a workplace where employees feel free to contribute to collective success.
What is social safety at work?
Social safety at work means that employees feel free to communicate openly. They can express concerns, boundaries, and areas for improvement without fear. It’s not just about giving feedback but also about engaging in constructive conversations where everyone feels heard. The focus is on progress and collaboration. In a safe work environment, it’s clear that discrimination, harassment, or inappropriate behavior is not tolerated. There are clear agreements about mutual respect and healthy working relationships.
In a socially safe environment, employees feel empowered to address each other positively and constructively. This contributes to a setting where everyone can develop personally and professionally. Feedforward plays a crucial role, focusing on leveraging talents and developing qualities that are not yet fully expressed. Together, we build successful teams and organizations.
Why is social safety important?
A culture of social safety is essential for the success of any organization. When employees feel safe to address each other, trust increases. This leads to better collaboration and higher engagement, ultimately resulting in improved performance. Social safety also provides a solid foundation where employees can make mistakes, give constructive feedback, and engage in open discussions about shared goals. It’s essential that personal relationships do not influence professional dynamics.
Leaders play a critical role in this process by setting an example and being open to feedforward themselves. This creates an environment where employees feel safe to share their concerns or ideas, strengthening team collaboration and enabling teams to respond more effectively to challenges.
“What I hear from those attending the training is that they find it very valuable. The insights they gain and the skills they learn help them not only address inappropriate behavior but also tackle other challenging conversations in their daily work.”
Maaike van Steenis – Project Coordinator, Stichting Sociale Veiligheid Podiumkunsten
Create a safe feedback culture
When incidents occur, it is crucial to act swiftly against those involved. However, preventing inappropriate behavior requires addressing the broader context. This involves three key steps:
First: Build a culture of respect and openness
Organizations must actively foster a safe work culture based on respect and open communication. This means treating all employees equally and eliminating behaviors such as discrimination, harassment, or bullying. Employees should feel free to speak out against inappropriate behavior without fear of repercussions. Transparency between management and employees about the impact of power dynamics on collaboration is also essential. This creates a workplace where trust is central, fostering collaboration and recognizing everyone’s contributions.
Second: Make it discussable
Inappropriate behavior must be openly discussed without fear. Creating opportunities for employees to share their experiences about safety is crucial. Regularly addressing this topic in team meetings helps integrate it into the culture, keeping safety a priority in daily collaboration.
Third: Promote awareness and training
Awareness and training are essential to embedding a safe feedback culture sustainably. By focusing on the impact of behavior on others and constructive communication, social safety becomes an integral part of workplace culture. Our training programs, tailored to the needs of leaders and employees, offer practical tools such as discussing boundaries, conducting open conversations about safety, and providing constructive feedforward without defensiveness.
What makes us unique?
- Custom programs specifically tailored to the needs of your organization, leaders, and employees.
- Immediately applicable insights and methods for achieving quick results.
- Practical guidance (if desired) for long-term support to realize sustainable cultural changes.
- Supported by research from the HPO Center, providing a scientifically grounded and proven effective program.
- Over 25 years of experience across profit, non-profit, and government organizations.
“It’s great that we now have a safe work environment where people feel free to report issues.”
Joris Holter, Board Member – Doornroosje
More information
Would you like to promote social safety and an open feedback culture within your organization? Contact me today for a free consultation and discover how our programs can help create a safe, inclusive, and productive workplace for your organization.
