Monthly Article Archives: December 2019

Do You Feel Psychologically Safe and Happy in Your Workplace?Robert Brooks, Ph.D.

In previous articles, I have addressed themes related to the workplace, including the emotional culture of an organization, bullying, job satisfaction, and employee engagement. While workplaces differ—schools, colleges, hospitals, corporations, and law firms to cite just a few—common issues related to staff are found in all. One such issue that deserves special attention given the impact it can have is “psychological safety.” There are far too many workplaces in which employees (or students in schools) do not feel safe from bullying, intimidation, and sexual harassment. There appears to be greater awareness of and action taken to confront this problem now than in past years. As examples, courageous individuals have come forward to expose (a) the sexual harassment committed by notables in the entertainment and media world such as Harvey Weinstein and the late Roger Ailes, (b) the sexual abuse of gymnasts by Dr. Larry Nassar, and (c) the racial comments directed at a black hockey player by coach Bill Peters of the Calgary Flames, who was fired for the incident. The need to take measures to confront bullying and sexual harassment is apparent. Unfortunately, the reality is that many people still work in places in which they do not feel

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