Enable speaking up and psychological safety

This standard is about enabling speaking up and psychological safety within your area of responsibility. You work in partnership with colleagues to assess behaviours, practices and conditions that influence psychological safety and trust. You lead and role-model behaviours that support openness and inclusion, use active listening and communicate clearly to reduce barriers to participation. You support colleagues to challenge discrimination and address behaviours that undermine psychological safety, promote fairness and organisational values and use data, feedback and research to monitor cultural conditions. You help colleagues understand their role in contributing to a psychologically safe environment and reflect on your own behaviour to strengthen how psychological safety is maintained. 

This standard applies to managers and leaders at all levels across all sectors.

1. Assess behaviours, practices and conditions with colleagues to identify how they influence psychological safety and trust within your area of responsibility. 
2. Role-model behaviours that support psychological safety and trust in everyday interactions to promote openness and respectful working relationships. 
3. Communicate clearly, objectively and using active listening to support openness, inclusion and shared understanding. 
4. Treat colleagues with dignity to promote a positive, respectful and psychologically safe working environment. 
5. Adapt communication and behaviour with colleagues to reduce barriers that may affect their ability to participate fully. 
6. Lead and promote open dialogue by enabling colleagues to share ideas, perspectives and concerns to support inclusive participation. 
7. Respond constructively to concerns raised by colleagues in line with organisational procedures to maintain trust and psychological safety. 
8. Support colleagues to challenge discrimination and address behaviours that undermine psychological safety or trust in line with organisational procedures to maintain fairness and organisational values. 
9. Lead and promote practices that support fairness, inclusion and organisational values to strengthen a psychologically safe culture. 
10. Use data, feedback and research to monitor the working environment and identify changes that may affect psychological safety and trust to support timely action. 
11. Support colleagues to understand and fulfil their responsibilities in contributing to a psychologically safe working environment to promote shared ownership. 
12. Reflect critically on your behaviour and its impact on psychological safety and trust to identify opportunities to strengthen your approach.

1. The factors that influence psychological safety and trust at work. 
2. How behaviours, practices and working conditions affect colleagues’ willingness to contribute. 
3. How to lead and role-model behaviours that support psychological safety and trust. 
4. How to communicate clearly, objectively and without judgement to support openness and inclusion. 
5. How to use active listening to support openness, trust and psychological safety. 
6. How to adapt communication and behaviour to reduce barriers to participation. 
7. How to enable colleagues to share ideas, perspectives and concerns. 
8. How to lead and promote practices that support fairness, inclusion and organisational values. 
9. Organisational policies, procedures and ethical principles relevant to psychological safety and trust. 
10. How to respond constructively to concerns raised by colleagues. 
11. How to support colleagues to challenge discrimination and address behaviours that undermine psychological safety or trust. 
12. Methods for using data, feedback and research to monitor cultural conditions. 
13. How to support colleagues to understand their responsibilities in contributing to a psychologically safe environment. 
14. Principles of reflective practice and how critical reflection informs improvement. 
15. How psychological safety influences team performance, wellbeing and organisational culture.

The following values underpin this standard. They are integrated throughout the performance criteria and knowledge and understanding requirements and inform how individuals approach their work, make decisions and interact with others.

• Integrity - acting consistently with organisational values.
• Respect - treating colleagues with dignity in all interactions.
• Inclusion - valuing diverse perspectives and reducing barriers to participation.
• Openness - encouraging honest communication and shared understanding.
• Responsibility - taking ownership of the environment you influence.
• Courage - addressing behaviours that undermine psychological safety or trust.

The following behaviours underpin this standard. They are integrated throughout the performance criteria and knowledge and understanding requirements and inform how individuals approach their work, make decisions and interact with others.

• Act with integrity, addressing behaviours that undermine psychological safety.
• Be inclusive, reducing barriers to participation.
• Act with respect, treating colleagues with dignity in all interactions.
• Be curious, encouraging open dialogue and diverse perspectives.
• Take accountability for your impact on psychological safety.
• Role-model openness, inviting feedback and responding constructively.
• Practise self-care, maintaining habits that support balanced and effective leadership.