Feeling safe to share views

Why safe spaces to communicate are important

Creating a workplace where workers feel safe to share their views, knowledge and experiences builds trust, helps morale and can improve work–life balance. In turn, these factors help improve productivity within organisations. 

Safe spaces for communication build trust by:

• allowing people to explore, ask questions about facts, and also the reasons and motives behind those facts 
• encouraging conversations about differences, and promoting curiosity 
• letting people talk about sensitive or threatening issues. 

It recognises the critical role that dissatisfaction, low morale and negative attitudes can—and should—play in providing an accurate picture of your organisation.

Everyone should feel comfortable to share their views at work—regardless of who they are, where they come from and their role in the organisation. 

How you can create safe spaces to communicate in your workplace

These tips can help you make your workplace a safe place to share information, knowledge and experiences:

• Create a safe environment. For example, provide visible examples of what support looks like, such as through sharing experiences or stories of when one has received help and support. Hearing from others about how they received help, or what channels they went through to receive help, provides that important element of hope.
• Lead by example. It is no good encouraging workers to be free and open if you are not. Do not avoid challenging topics, instead be mindful about how you communicate difficult messages. 
• Give people the information they need to do their jobs and make sure they know where to find additional resources. 
• Invest in leadership. Hire and promote people with good management and leadership skills and develop them along the way. 
• Align relationships, rewards and recognition with results. 
• Provide frequent opportunities for feedback (e.g. regular meetings, performance reviews). 
• Consider formal channels (e.g. meetings and surveys) and informal channels (e.g. walking around the office, informal catch ups) for gathering and sharing information. 
• Give people opportunities to communicate in ways that suit them (e.g. some people are visual communicators while others are verbal communicators).
• Actively promote diversity and inclusion programming. Initiatives must be targeted to achieve specific goals. 
• Actively engage with people who may be reluctant to share views. 
• Respond to feedback and input, so workers recognise their views are important and that they can positively influence their organisation. 
• Change the goals of your organisation’s communication. Communication may not be about output (e.g. what are we trying to achieve with this conversation). It may be about flow (e.g. go through this process in this way). 
• Review processes to ensure that people can provide feedback without repercussions. This may mean providing multiple communication channels or appointing trusted representatives such as health and safety representatives.

Guidelines for respectful communication within meetings may also be helpful, and may include: 

• devote full attention to each person as they speak 
• allow each person to take their time and complete their thoughts
• ask follow-up questions for clarity if necessary
• invite people into the conversation who have not spoken
• answer all questions truthfully
• summarise actions and deadlines, and then follow through.

In a workplace with safe ways to communicate, people get the information and feedback they need in a way that's constructive and respectful. They also feel confident to share their views and ideas.