The ultimate workplace perk
It seems like every week there’s a trending story about the latest company that’s fighting the power struggle of getting people back to the workplace. I don’t know how this will end. Clearly, there’s benefits to working from home - and those may be too powerful to overcome for many people. But it seems like many companies are just attempting to lure their employees out of their homes with workplace perks and/or reverting to ultimatums when the perks prove ineffective or impractical. And what about schools and hospitals and places where people can’t work from home? Are they at a permanent disadvantage for recruiting talent?
I’d argue - maybe not. And maybe the biggest “lure” for millions of employees across sectors might be available at an endless supply and costs nothing. But it will require leaders to stop taking a reductive view of their people and may challenge them to lead differently.
People are in constant search of stimulation, relaxation, and connection - and many of us are drawn to the idea of getting out of our house in pursuit of places where we can be ourselves, feel joyful, purposeful, and in community. If that’s our workplace experience, it’s possible we may not want to stay at home.
But try to get someone to leave their house in order to put on a social mask, search out the hidden agenda of every meeting, or constantly interpret passive aggressive messages while they sit in fear of voicing what they’re actually thinking and feeling. That’s unpleasant enough on zoom, but at least on zoom I can wear sweatpants and I know my kitchen is only a few feet away.
Creating environments where people can be honest without fear or repercussion (what academics call “psychological safety”) is not just the biggest correlation to high performance (though it is). It might be the ultimate workplace perk. Because in psychologically safe environments, people feel more stimulated, more connected, and more relaxed. It doesn’t mean people get to do whatever they want. Psychological safety doesn’t mean showing up late, belittling coworkers or ignoring deadlines. It means people don’t get penalized or policed for voicing their true thoughts and feelings.
Instead, when people start voicing their true fears, frustrations, insecurities and doubts, those feelings get normalized and lead to deeper human connection. People relax into themselves and divert all the energy they were spending on navigating hidden dynamics into their real work and collaboration. Productive arguments increase. And so does laughter - along with employee retention and effectiveness.
Psychological safety costs nothing and means almost everything. But it is hard to do. For most leaders, it takes deep awareness, self-work, and behavior change. Not easy - but wouldn’t it feel better putting energy there, instead of trying to figure out how to force or coerce people into their workplace?
