At a recent check-up visit, my doctor was going through her long list of health questions. I found myself answering them quickly and easily until she asked me,
"Do you feel safe?"
I paused. The question seemed out of place. Then heard myself say, "Well there's been two car-jackings in broad daylight in my neighborhood recently so I'm not feeling as safe as I use to feel."
Her eyes met mine, she paused and nodded. Then asked,
"Do you feel safe inside the home?"
"Inside my home? Yes, I feel safe inside my home."
I smiled as I answered understanding she was screening for domestic violence, not asking me about how I was feeling about the community where I lived.
Leaders,
Part of our job is to ensure our team members are feeling safe at work, inside their "work home." While we can't control what goes on in the communities where our employees live, when our team members come to work, we can and must ensure they feel safe.
Research has shown when an employee is feeling afraid, they are not only less productive at work, but less innovative and less able to solve problems, plus more likely to get sick and miss work.
As we shift our focus away from the pandemic and the concern and fear that it embodied, be aware that individuals will not all change their ways at the same rate. I've been hearing leaders use the word "optional" when messaging the change to facial covering policies in the workplace. They are saying that wearing a facial covering is now "optional."
I love this language.
It acknowledges that not everyone is ready to change their pandemic behaviors and habits. Wearing face coverings in public in particular, helped many and continues to help many feel safe during the pandemic. Please know some of your team members may wear their facial covering for a while in order to feel safe and that's ok.
Key Points:
- Employees do their best work when they feel safe and secure — feeling psychologically and physically safe at work boosts productivity, innovation, and well‑being.
- Leaders who honor individual comfort levels (e.g. around health or safety practices) and watch for warning signs of distress build trust, belonging, and stronger teams.