the foHRsight podcast: Creating Psychological Safety in HR: A Leadership Imperative

In an era where HR professionals are tasked with ensuring everyone else's wellbeing, who's looking after HR? This critical question emerged during an insightful foHRsight podcast conversation with Teresa Vozza, an executive coach and former CHRO at Allianz Canada, who brings decades of experience in human resources leadership.

Understanding Psychological Safety in HR

"In its simplest terms, psychological safety is just about a feeling of being open and safe to express yourself, whether that's a thought, concern, idea, and the ability to do so without that fear of being punished or judged or humiliated," explains Teresa.

For HR professionals, this concept carries particular weight. While they're often tasked with ensuring employee wellbeing and balancing executive leadership needs, their own psychological safety can be overlooked. The emotional toll of managing difficult situations, from layoffs to complaints and conflicts, combined with digital disruption and AI advancement, creates a unique pressure cooker environment for HR leaders.

Recognizing the Warning Signs

According to Teresa, several key indicators suggest an HR team is operating in an environment lacking psychological safety:

1. Fear of Speaking Up: HR leaders avoid voicing concerns about workload or stress, fearing it might impact their perceived competence

2. Feelings of Devaluation: A persistent sense that their input is overlooked or dismissed

3. Growing Apathy: A "just a job" mentality emerges, with professionals counting down to retirement or their next role

4. Professional Detachment: Increasing cynicism about the HR profession and industry as a whole

"This disillusionment represents a huge disservice to the companies we serve," Teresa emphasizes, "because there's so much untapped potential that's not being brought out because of that fear of consequences."

The Root Causes of Psychologically Unsafe Environments

Teresa identifies several key factors contributing to the lack of psychological safety in HR:

1. The Enforcer Stigma:
"There's still this stigma, this perception that HR is like this enforcer policy," Teresa notes. When HR is viewed as merely a policing function rather than a strategic partner, it creates a chasm between HR, leadership, and employees.

2. Top-Down Pressure
HR often faces intense pressure to focus solely on business metrics and immediate results, leaving little room for crucial initiatives like employee wellbeing and psychological safety.

3. Limited Authority
"We may be the ones that advocate for psychological safety and mental health, but we also may be the ones that lack the authority to actually implement meaningful change," Teresa explains. This disconnect between responsibility and authority can create significant stress.

These challenges create a complex web of barriers that HR professionals must navigate, making it crucial for organizations to address these detractors of psychological safety systemically rather than treating just the symptoms.

The CEO's Critical Role

Leadership from the top is essential in fostering psychological safety within HR. Teresa recommends several key actions for CEOs, including:

Model Vulnerability: Leaders should openly admit mistakes and ask for feedback.
Provide Clear Support: "It's not enough to just say in a one-to-one to your HR leader 'I see you as a strategic partner.' You need to publicly endorse HR as a strategic partner and not just an administrative function."
Grant Real Autonomy: Give HR leaders genuine authority to make key decisions without excessive oversight.

Teresa emphasizes that authentic leadership support must extend beyond mere lip service to create meaningful change.

Preventing Burnout Through Psychological Safety

The connection between psychological safety and burnout prevention is clear.

"When there's a sense of constant crisis fatigue, that's what leads to emotional exhaustion," Teresa explains.

In psychologically safe environments, HR professionals can:

- Share burdens with teammates and managers
- Establish and maintain healthy boundaries
- Prioritize workload effectively
- Voice concerns before reaching burnout

By enabling these protective mechanisms within HR teams, organizations can help prevent the costly exodus of HR talent while fostering a more resilient and engaged HR function that's better equipped to support the entire organization.

Practical Steps for HR Leaders

For HR professionals looking to advocate for their own psychological safety, Teresa offers these actionable suggestions:

1. Join Professional Communities: "You don't have to be alone," emphasizes Teresa, recommending participation in peer forums and professional networks.

2. Communicate Early: Set expectations and boundaries from the start of new roles or relationships. For established relationships, have courageous conversations about evolving needs.

3. Model Healthy Boundaries: Demonstrate work-life balance and boundary-setting for your team, showing it's acceptable and encouraged.

4. Build Strategic Relationships: Develop strong connections with executive leaders and advocate for mutual support and understanding.

Looking FoHRward

The transformation of HR's role requires a parallel transformation in how we approach psychological safety within the function. As Teresa aptly puts it, "The question should shift from 'what's the ROI' to 'what's the cost of not investing?'“

Creating psychologically safe environments for HR professionals isn't just about individual wellbeing—it's about enabling HR to fulfill its crucial role in organizational success. When HR leaders feel safe to innovate, challenge, and contribute authentically, they can better serve both the organization and its people.