Psychological safety
Psychological safety is the foundation of a well-functioning team, stronger leadership and organisations where people dare to contribute their best ideas. Without it, a culture of silence, conflict avoidance and employees doing the bare minimum takes hold instead of genuine engagement.
I’m Viktoria Saxby, and I help organisations build psychological safety through keynotes, workshops and training grounded in the latest research and always focused on the practical. With clients ranging from the Swedish Armed Forces and the Police to UN agencies and leading companies within finance and tech, I have worked with psychological safety in many different environments.
Contact me to book a free introductory meeting and to explore how you can strengthen safety within your organisation.
Psychological safety at work is the key to high-performing teams
Research clearly shows that psychological safety at work is the single most important factor for high-performing teams. When employees feel safe asking questions, sharing ideas and admitting mistakes without fear of negative consequences, an environment is created where innovation, learning and collaboration thrive.
I help you understand what psychological safety at work means in practice and give you concrete tools for building it. This is not about everyone agreeing with each other or avoiding difficult conversations. On the contrary, it is about creating a culture where difficult conversations can be had constructively and where differing views are welcomed as a strength.
CLIENTS SAY
As an HR manager, I've worked with a wide variety of large companies that are pushing the D&I issue strongly - Viktoria's lecture and training on the topic are the best I have ever heard.
Camilla Samuelsson, Interim HR Manager, Delphi Law Firm
Psychological safety for employees, companies and the entire organisation
Psychological safety for employees is not just about feeling comfortable, it is about feeling welcome to contribute fully with their perspectives, ideas and skills. When employees experience psychological safety within a company, engagement, motivation and the willingness to take initiative all grow. Sick leave decreases, staff turnover goes down and the organisation becomes more attractive as an employer.
I work at all levels: from executive teams and managers to entire organisations. The goal is always for safety to permeate everything, from the daily meetings to the strategic decisions. Organisations that build psychological safety also see positive effects on their employer brand, their ability to attract and retain talent, and their competitiveness in the market.
Psychological safety in teams with practical tools
Creating psychological safety in teams is about conscious behaviours and structures. It is about how meetings are run, how feedback is given, how mistakes are handled and how conflict is resolved. My training gives team leaders and managers concrete methods for creating a culture where every voice is heard and where differing views are seen as an asset.
Participants practise situations they recognise from their everyday work and leave with tools they can start using straight away. My method is built on the idea that inclusion is a verb. Understanding the concept of psychological safety in theory is not enough. You need practical skills to create it in reality, day by day.
Inclusion is win/win. This is why;
The success of my blockbuster series Bridgerton has proved the economic sense of prioritizing diversity on screen.
The cast has been lauded for its inclusion, with color-conscious casting rather than color-blind. 82 million people watched the series in the first month.
– Shonda Rhimes, Executive Producer, Shondaland
Psychological safety in the workplace when problems already exist
Many organisations contact me when they are already experiencing a lack of psychological safety in the workplace. This can manifest as conflict, high staff turnover, silent dissatisfaction, leaders who are poorly regarded by their teams, or specific incidents such as sexual harassment or toxic work environments. Whatever the starting point, I work in a solution-focused and forward-looking way.
I help you identify the root causes, create an action plan and build structures that prevent the problems from recurring. Sometimes in-depth interviews, investigations or analyses are needed as complements to keynotes and workshops. I always adapt the interventions to what the situation requires. By working both preventively and remedially, I help organisations not only solve acute problems but also build a sustainable foundation for the future.
My expertise in psychological safety
With over 30 years of experience in the field, I have worked with psychological safety in organisations on several continents and across many different sectors. From the Police and the Armed Forces to municipalities and universities. From banks and tech companies to Save the Children and UN agencies such as UNDP and UN Women. That experience means I understand that psychological safety looks different in different contexts and that solutions must be adapted to your particular reality.
My keynotes and training are always grounded in the latest research and focus on the practical: how you actually create safety in everyday life. The training is offered both on-site and digitally, and is fully tailored to your wishes. My work on psychological safety also touches on closely related topics such as leadership, organisational culture, communication, values-based work and sustainable organisations, since these areas are tightly interwoven in practice.
Contact me to book an introductory meeting
Would you like to build a workplace where psychological safety is a natural part of the culture? Book a free meeting with me, Viktoria Saxby, and take the first step towards a team that collaborates better, feels better and performs better.
