ISO 45003: Part II – Who drives psychological safety at Unmind?

Two Unminders explain what psychological safety means to them, what this looks like at Unmind, and why it should matter at every organisation.

In our last blog, we introduced ISO 45003 – a new global standard that redraws the lines of workplace health and safety. Now, having explored the what, let’s dig into the who. 

While it’s true ISO 45003’s not just a document, but a state of mind (and by that we mean you don’t have to become certified to protect employee wellbeing), it's impossible to create a psychologically safe workplace overnight. 

Sure, you can buy the ISO standard at the clack of a trackpad. But true cultural change – that supports the whole person and whole organisation? That takes work. And people.

Starting this conversation at your business means, well, having many conversations with many stakeholders. Who exactly? We’re glad you asked.

ISO 45003: The key people at your organisation

First, it’s important to make it clear that cultural change (around mental wellbeing, but also just about anything) needs company-wide buy-in. Unless everyone is aware, and cares, it’s near impossible to stitch lasting change into the fabric of your firm. Put another way: everyone matters.

But let’s head back to the start. And those early chats with the roles, departments and disciplines most closely tethered to ISO 45003. We think the following need a strong grasp of the standard:

• Company executives
• HR
• Wellbeing
• Operational health and safety (OH&S)
• Rewards and benefits

Below, you’ll learn why getting employee wellbeing right (both with and without ISO 45003) can lay the groundwork for a better, healthier, safer workplace.

Unmind leaders on psychological safety

Steve Peralta – Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist

Hi Steve. Why is it so important for execs and business leaders to pay attention to ISO 45003?

I believe it’s a win-win situation. Firstly, any person would rather experience more wellbeing than less wellbeing, and secondly, there is enough evidence out there to confirm the positive relationship between wellbeing and things like productivity, engagement, and prosocial behaviour at work.

Some may see ISO 45003 as a tick-box exercise, or a way to pay lip-service to employee wellbeing. In your experience, where’s the line between words and action?

If you don’t have a genuine commitment to creating a psychologically safe workplace, and a culture that truly supports employee wellbeing, I’d say don’t speak to your employees about ISO 45003. That said, it’s easy to have the best intentions, then forget them amid the demands of being an executive. So, it’s important that you find a way to embed this commitment in the organisation.

Here’s how I think you can do that:

1. Get a clear, accurate picture of how you’re doing as a leadership team, and  company, at supporting employee wellbeing. You can do this using ISO 45003 risk factors as your start-point, then widen it out to things like surveys and employee feedback. Don’t rely on your own perspective. Research shows that most leaders think their company is doing a good job at supporting employee mental health. Most employees disagree.
2. Discuss the findings at a leadership level, then seek buy-in and commitment to address issues and foster wellbeing.
3. Share your findings with the company, plus your commitments to creating positive change.
4. Have someone at a senior leadership level champion wellbeing, to ensure it remains top of mind.
5. Create a team of wellbeing champions from across the business who will represent their colleagues and promote wellbeing at your company. Realise how important this group of passionate volunteers is, and support them accordingly.
6. Use data to inform the initiatives you run and changes you implement. Measure the impact of your efforts by making employee wellbeing and the health of your culture KPIs you can track across the year.
7. Review your policies and company guidelines. Make sure these support psychological safety and wellbeing.
8. Provide line management training to equip managers, so they can create psychologically safe, wellbeing-supportive relationships with their colleagues.
9. Last, keep an open line of communication between leadership and the rest of the company around employee mental health and wellbeing. Ask for ongoing feedback to ensure it’s both a top-down and bottom-up responsibility. Mental health and wellbeing is everybody’s business.

Megan Kille – Head of People 

Hey Megan. What parts of your role, team and remit impact how psychologically safe Unmind employees are?

I believe everything we do can impact the psychological safety of our teams. As ‘people people’, our job is to foster a culture where every team member can thrive. To devise policies that support the whole organisation. And create working environments (and flexible working practices) that boost productivity and wellbeing for all. 

And that’s just the beginning. To summarise, key areas we influence and are responsible for include;

• Fair, transparent, inclusive policies.
• A structured approach to compensation, rewards and benefits.
• Organisational culture, how we communicate, operate and behave as a collective – while also supporting the individual.
• Leadership capability and visibility of decision-making.
• A focus on internal and continuous learning, development and growth opportunities.
• Building diverse teams and a focus on inclusion to help foster a sense of belonging, while understanding that what makes us unique is embraced and celebrated.
• Objective hiring practices to promote inclusion and remove bias wherever possible.

From a health and safety perspective, what’s your opinion on ISO 45003?

My early impression is that there’s no better time than the present. Over the last two years, our traditional notions of health and safety in the workplace have been challenged over and over. Covid-19 has not only meant health and safety professionals have had to navigate an immense amount of ambiguity – like prepping business continuity plans in the face of so many unknowns (e.g. regular mutations of a potentially fatal virus, and shifting government restrictions) – we’ve also shifted focus from a predominantly physical workspace to temporary spaces created in employees’ homes. 

Providing a HSE compliant workstation remotely was just the beginning. New considerations beyond the physical environment (such as social connectedness or the blurring of work-life boundaries) have become ever more important. ISO 45003 reinforces the importance of having a more holistic view of our health – physical, social, mental – and provides a much-needed framework that professionals can lean on for support.

What advice would you give other HR leaders on this topic?

I feel it’s important to not be intimidated by the weight and technical detail of the ISO 45003 standard. Publishing these guidelines validates and reinforces the importance of the great work HR professionals have already done to support the wellbeing of their teams, and have a more holistic approach to health and safety in the workplace. 

A big, important step would be to engage with team members, and draw on their expertise by creating a working group. This will enable you to dissect the standard’s guidance into tangible actions that are most relevant to your organisation. 

When considering how ISO 45003 fits into your people strategy, or contributes to your organisational success, be mindful that every single team member has the opportunity to benefit from even the smallest change you make. After all, we all have mental health all of the time. 

In the final blog of our ISO 45003 series, you’ll learn how Unmind can help your organisation provide a psychologically safe work environment for your employees. Missed the first blog: ‘ISO 45003: What it means for workplace mental health, your staff, and you’? Click here to catch up.