Leading Human-Centered Psychosocial Safety Changes
Addressing psychosocial safety requirements often creates additional change and potential stress in organizations. This episode explores how to implement safety initiatives without creating the very risks you're trying to prevent. We share practical approaches that reduce overwhelm, build genuine psychological safety, and transform defensive reactions into productive conversations. Discover simple language frameworks and team activities that help normalize uncertainty while maintaining momentum, even during complex organizational transitions. 0:00:35 Katie explains how addressing psychosocial safety requirements can unintentionally heighten poor change management. 0:06:58 Chelle unpacks the human side of change management and how most workplaces unintentionally undermine psychological safety in the process. 0:14:06 Katie and Chelle explore how having a common language and shared literacy about the predictability and safety people feel can make change easier to navigate together. 0:21:25 Chelle and Katie share how leaders can turn ordinary discussions about change that often make people feel stressed and defensive, into extraordinary conversations that spark hope and ownership. 0:36:19 Chelle and Katie provide tiny HEART-based nudges to lead the human side of change at the "Me", "We", and "Us" levels.
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The Nervous System Toolkit For Psychosocial Safety
Do your people need more tangible skills to manage their own emotional and social responses at work? This episode explores evidence-based tools to help people understand their nervous system responses—whether they're in the "red zone" (urgency), "blue zone" (withdrawal), or "green zone" (connection)—and offers simple techniques like oxytocin shots and bridge-building that restore safety even during challenging moments. 0:00:35 Katie and Chelle breakdown the responsibilties of employees and contractors for psychosocial safety. 0:07:25 Chelle explains how we can build psychological safety at the "Me" (individual) level. 0:10:36 Chelle shares the power of understanding why our brains crave safety and how our nervous system responds to these needs. 0:20:40 Katie and Chelle shares the practical teams they've been teaching in workplaces to help people regulate their nervous systems to build more emotional and social safety in teams. 0:26:57 Katie and Chelle explore how our workplace systems continue to impact our nervous systems, even when we have great "Me" level tools.
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Building Psychological Safety Between Leaders & Teams
Studies consistently find that psychological safety reduces workplace hazards. In this episode, we explore concrete ways to strengthen safety at the "We” level (leaders and teams). We break down our Psychosocial Safety Lego Challenge that transforms abstract concepts into tangible team experiences, discover dynamic techniques to improve role clarity, and help team members find meaning during difficult organizational changes. 0:00:38 Katie and Chelle breakdown the responsibilties of leaders for psychosocial safety. 0:03:31 Chelle explains why psychological safety has consistently been found to helpminimize all 14 of the SafeWork Australia psychosocial risks. 0:06:05 Katie shares how she has been use a Lego Psychosocial Challenge to help leaders and teams practically build the diversity, learning, and teaming skills they need to build psychological safety. 0:15:30 Chelle shares the tools she's been using to help leaders and teams minimize the risk of lack of role clarity. 0:21:44 Chelle shares the tools she's been using to help leaders and teams minimize the risk of poor change management together.
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Supercharging Your Psychosocial Safety Risk Register
Need to meet organizational psychosocial safety requirements without just ticking boxes? Join us as we explore how OH&S, HR, and wellbeing teams can collaborate on creating risk registers that drive real change. We share practical examples from organizations that have turned compliance into opportunity, engaging leaders and teams in meaningful safety conversations. Discover strategies that not only satisfy regulations but genuinely improve workplace wellbeing. 0:00:59 Katie shares the psychosocial safety responsibilities that must now be met by workplaces in Australia. 0:04:00 Chelle and Katie explore who "owns" creating and maintaining the psychosocial safety risk register in most workplaces. 0:07:02 Chelle shares the example of how the wellbeing champions at a non-profit organization used the PERMAH wellbeing survey tool to measure psychosocial risks and debrief the results with leaders to co-create the risk register. 0:14:12 Chelle shares an example of how the OH&S and HR team at a local council use a survey insights, leadership workshop, a reporting template to co-create their risk register over a few hours. 0:18:22 Chelle shares an example of how OH&S, HR and wellbeing teams came together at a large construction company to help leaders and their team members co-create their risk register together during a practical workshop. 0:23:10 Chelle shares an example of how OH&S, HR, wellbeing, and legal teams came together a national energy company to design a Stop For Safety week for leaders to spend one hour with their teams identifying risks, co-creating controls, and reporting their insights and commitments for the risk register.
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What Boards & CEOs Need To Know About Psychosocial Safety
Boards and CEOs are still learning how to meet psychosocial safety requirements in a way that is both practical and effective. Uncertainty around roles and responsibilities can lead to fragmented efforts and increased risk. This episode explores how HR, OH&S, and wellbeing teams can align their efforts to create workplaces that are both legally compliant and genuinely supportive of employee wellbeing. 0:00:55 Chelle and Katie share the recent concerns of boards and CEOs when it comes to implementing psychosocial safety requirements in their workplaces. 0:03:08 Chelle and Katie explore who they are finding "owns" psychosocial safety in most workplaces. Is it HR leaders, OH&S teams, or wellbeing champions? 0:08:02 Chelle and Katie unpack the important value wellbeing champions bring when it comes to promoting mental health in workplaces. 0:09:17 Chelle and Katie clarify the essential role of OH&S teams in bringing a risk management lens to preventing psychosocial injuries. 0:12:03 Chelle and Katie explain the valuable role of HR leaders in supporting cultures of psychological safety across workplaces.
About Are Psychosocial Hazards Present in Your Workplace?
Are you able to confidently spot the psychosocial hazards your team may be facing? Caitlin Ible, an employment law expert from MinterEllison, joins us to provide the practical tips every leader needs to quickly and easily identify and minimize their team’s psychosocial risks.
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