PSYCHOLOGICALLY <br> SAFETY DURING <br> PROBATIONARY PERIODS
De Prosser — Head of Operations.
A crucial and often overlooked aspect of the onboarding experience.
Psychological safety is like oxygen. When it’s in the room, we don’t even notice it. The second it’s gone, it’s all we notice.
Psychological safety is like oxygen. When it’s there, we don’t even notice it. The second it’s gone, it’s all we notice.
This is particularly true during the probationary period, where psychological safety plays a crucial and often overlooked role. Getting it right helps people feel comfortable earlier, making it more likely they’ll get up to speed quickly, and avoiding unnecessary turnover.
Starting a new job is stressful. Despite high hopes, there’s a heavy burden of expectation combined with uncertainty around whether they’ve made the right decision; whether they have the right skills, talent and experience; and whether they’ll fit in. Optimism can quickly and easily be overwhelmed by survival instinct, causing people to react like any other creature responding to a threatening situation.
A single mistake or awkward conversation can be devastating. Hearts pound, breath quickens, muscles tense and beads of sweat form. It brings on the physiological and psychological change known as ‘fight-or-flight’.
As humans, we crave social acceptance. Identifying people as ‘on probation’ or ‘on trial’ positions them as outsiders. This language not only amplifies uncertainty, it erodes their sense of belonging. It communicates the message: ‘congratulations you got the job, but we’re still not 100 per cent certain we made the right choice’.
Consider how when we’re hungry, being denied food makes us even hungrier. But having a decent meal sates our appetite. The same applies to feeling socially accepted. Therefore conversations throughout the probationary period should be focused on building a sense of acceptance and belonging.
It’s on us as leaders to instigate those conversations, as new employees aren’t going to express concerns around feeling unsafe. That only exacerbates the feeling of being under threat.
But perhaps the real question is: do we need probationary periods if we hire right?
There’s certainly a valid argument for employers needing to legally safeguard themselves in the case of an employee not fitting in or underperforming. But at the very least, we need to acknowledge a duty of care and design psychological safety into the onboarding experience and the early phase of the employee lifecycle.
Here are five considerations:
1. Build acceptance through shared experiences
Numerous studies have found a clear link between meaningful relationships, social connectedness and happiness.
Shared experiences foster connection, deeper relationships and a sense of belonging. They provide reassurance that people are part of the collective. These are opportunities to develop a better understanding of one another. And once we understand each other better, we’re more likely to feel safe in each other's company.
Shared experiences don't have to be grand occasions. They can be everyday moments, like attending a workshop together, inviting them to join you for lunch, or grabbing a coffee together. Encourage your team to include your new employee wherever possible.
2. Build confidence through easy wins
The feeling of delivering as a new employee is amazing. When their contribution is acknowledged, whether big or small, it’s a run on the board.
New employees want to contribute, yet they’re unlikely to perform at their best straight off the bat. And sadly, once people are stressed about their performance, it tends to be a downward spiral.
Expectations around competency and deliverables often take precedence, regardless of the psychological state people are in. However, by setting new employees up to succeed from the start, celebrating wins and having regular conversations around progress, it builds confidence and puts them in a far better mindset to perform.
3. Build in opportunities to demonstrate expertise
There’s always a reason for hiring someone. They had the skills you were looking for, or brought experience the team and organisation required. Yet frequently the onboarding experience takes the form of a one-sided dialogue. The need to pass on information about the business and role takes precedence over giving the new employee a voice to contribute.
Remember: you hired an expert. They’re not just there to observe, they already have knowledge they can contribute. So engineer situations where the new employee can show the team what they’ve got.
This can be as simple as asking ‘what do you think?’ It’s a small question that offers a huge amount of reassurance. Actively listen, pay attention and ask more questions. This is their chance to demonstrate their expertise, building both their confidence and the confidence you have in them.
Also give them a chance to share their story in an informal setting. They’ve already gone through an interview process so keep it light, but make sure it happens. This provides another important opportunity to connect with the team.
4. Build in an early exit
A six-month probation can feel like an eternity in the early stages of a new job. Regardless of how great the onboarding experience is, people will count down the weeks and days until the probationary period passes — the time until they feel like they’re truly part of the team.
Probationary periods are there to protect the business, but do they really need to be set in stone? If a new employee is smashing it and you see them contributing short and long term, the benefits of waiving the probationary period early far outweigh the minuscule risk.
So put the probationary dates in your calendar with a plan to waive it early wherever you can. And celebrate it! It's a huge moment, maybe not for you, but definitely for them. The reassurance it provides will definitely be appreciated and remembered.
5. Build empathy
Empathy is a critical leadership capability, especially when leading new employees.
Remember what it was like to start a new job with a new leader, learning new things, building new relationships and delivering in a new role. All the while with the monkey on your back whispering discouraging words about whether you’re right for the role or organisation.
As leaders, we often use external training to help build capability and retain valued employees. Yet given we’ve all gone through a similar process (many times, in some cases), it’s often more effective to look inward first, considering our own experiences and how we might use those to improve the experiences of others.