Conversations about psychosocial safety are becoming more common in workplaces. A challenge many leaders are grappling with is helping their teams distinguish between moments of healthy stretch, everyday stress, and genuine psychosocial risk.
The challenge is that people often confuse “feeling uncomfortable” with “feeling unsafe.” A prime example of this is receiving feedback. Having your ideas questioned or receiving constructive criticism can feel uncomfortable, yes, but it isn’t unsafe if handled respectfully. On the other hand, experiences like bullying, discrimination, harassment, or prolonged unmanaged workload stress do pose real risks and need to be taken seriously.
For a great read on how to differentiate between these, read this article by Tanya Heaney-Voogt. In summary though, a useful way to think about it is this:
- Stretch feels uncomfortable in the moment but helps people learn and grow.
- Stress can be positive when short-term (it gets us moving), but harmful when constant or unmanaged.
- Psychosocial risk arises when the work environment causes real harm. This could be through behaviours, systems, or culture.
As a leader, you don’t need to have all the answers, but you do need to stay curious. One simple way to do this is regular check-ins with questions like: “What’s been your biggest challenge this month?” or “Do you have the resources you need to succeed?” These conversations help you spot when someone is being stretched in a healthy way, or if they are slipping into unhealthy stress.
You might also include some deeper coaching-style questions like: “Which parts of your role give you energy? Which parts drain it?” This normalises the reality that every job has highs and lows, while giving you a clearer picture of where support might be needed.
At the end of the day, the goal isn’t to remove all stress. Not only is that unachievable, but it would hinder positive growth. The goal is creating the right balance where people are encouraged to grow, supported through the tough patches, and protected from harm. In keeping these clear distinctions, leaders can foster both resilience and safety across their teams.
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