Building psychological safety – whole-of-service approach

A whole-of-service approach to building psychological safety is being developed by the Australian Public Service. This approach fosters cultures of integrity, innovation and transparency in teams.

Psychological safety is defined as ‘the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.’ It is also called ‘speak up’ culture. It lays a foundation for honest communication in teams, promotes ethical decision-making and contributes to broader trust in government.

An APS-wide approach to building psychological safety sets the standard for what is expected from all leaders and employees. It is fundamental to individual, team and organisational high performance.

The Secretaries Board Capability and Workforce Committee (formerly the Future of Work Sub-committee) endorsed a project in March 2024 to develop a whole-of-service approach to building psychological safety.

The project aims to:

• establish a common understanding of what psychological safety means in the APS context
• develop practical guidance and tools to help APS senior leaders, managers and employees exhibit psychologically safe behaviours and foster psychological safety in the workplace
• explore how psychological safety can be measured, monitored and evaluated.

A discovery phase has been undertaken by the project team, including a literature review, desktop research and engagement across the APS to understand the current and desired state of psychological safety. Discovery insights and recommendations to address the issues identified were presented to the Capability and Workforce Committee in July 2024.

As this project progresses, consideration will be given to the intersections between psychological safety and other APS priorities, including work health and safety and cultural safety.

Louder Than Words: An APS Integrity Action Plan, the final report of the APS Integrity Taskforce, was published on 17 November 2023. It included a recommendation that the APS focus on ethical decision-making and fostering psychological safety.

Ensuring APS workplaces are psychologically safe supports the government’s APS Reform agenda, particularly that the APS embodies integrity in all it does, is a model employer and has the capability to do its job well.

See also in this report

Working in the APS – Supporting health and wellbeing

Integrity – Louder Than Words: An APS Integrity Action Plan

Find out more

Australian Public Service Commission (2024) Psychological safety in the APS, APSC website, accessed 16 July 2024.