Any workplace knows to follow certain physical safety guidelines.

If you’re handling biological waste, you wear protective gear and wash your hands. If you’re working with power tools, you know to use ear and eye protection. And even if everyone ends up okay after breaking a safety regulation, you can still receive a fine.

But what many workplaces know less about is how to protect workers’ less visible psychological well-being. Yet, it’s just as vital as protecting their physical safety -- which is, itself, directly influenced by psychological safety.

Fundamentally, psychological safety means you feel like the people around you have your back. In the workplace, this means that you feel like your contributions matter and that you’re safe from retaliation for bringing up uncomfortable yet urgent topics or suggestions.

But it also means feeling safe when you feel different than others in a group and feeling safe when you are having a very difficult time in your life.