Stop Chasing Benchmarks. Strong Psychological Safety Starts With Your People

Some organizations rely heavily on benchmarking psychological health and safety performance (PHS) against others. While external benchmarks can add value and provide helpful context if an organization is measuring itself against others of the same size and sector, they must be used strategically and with purpose.

Benchmarking against others shouldn’t limit your goal setting and confine you to “good enough.” It should inspire aspirational goals that are meaningful, aligned to your organization’s standards, and encourage you and your team to strive for continuous improvement.

Before comparing to others, I advise clients to define what they want to achieve and to question norms that don’t fit the standards they want to uphold in their workplace. For example, other organizations might deem 20 percent of a workforce experiencing work demand issues to be acceptable, but that doesn’t mean you want to accept that same rate in your workplace.

Instead of setting goals strictly based on the standards others set, I advise clients to focus on internal psychological health and safety baselines and encourage them to define what a “good” PHS looks like based on the realities of their workforce and sector.

Look Within Before Outside

Looking within ensures you are defining what “good” looks like to you and you are setting goals that are focused on internal growth and sustainability rather than external validation.

Consider these points when setting organizational standards and goals:

• Who do we want to be? Every organization possesses a unique culture shaped by its people, values, and goals. What works well for one may not suit another. By establishing your own psychological health baselines, you create standards that reflect the ethos and goals of your organization.

• We care about your needs. Employees are inclined to engage with and commit to programs tailored to meet and support their needs. When organizations invest in understanding their unique workplace dynamics, barriers, and opportunities, they are positioned to design thoughtful approaches for employees’ psychological safety and well-being, which can enhance morale and loyalty.

• We care about short- and long-term success. Internal benchmarks allow organizations to focus on gradual, meaningful improvements rather than chasing external standards beyond their readiness or, alternatively, settling for lower standards.

• Own “good.” Employees are more likely to respect senior leaders who define what “good” means and what is not good enough — who focus on excellence and being the best in class, not on being average. Owning “good” means setting a clear vision, explaining why it is important, consulting employees, and outlining how your organization will use a plan-do-check-act approach to ensure goals are achieved. You don’t want to be defined by averages; you want to create a standard for others to chase.

See: Building your workplace mental health performance scorecard

Steps to Establishing Norms

1. Before setting any standards, conduct thorough workplace assessments and consultations to understand the state of psychological health within your organization. You can use surveys, focus groups, and interviews to gather data on employees’ perceptions and experiences related to psychological safety.
2. Collaborate with a diverse group of employees across all levels to define what psychological safety should look like in your organization. Define what “good” looks like and what KPIs must be improved to demonstrate progress. Explore and determine how much the organization values PHS and is ready to invest time, resources, and energy to achieve its PHS North Star. Engage employees in these discussions to ensure clarity and consensus on “good.”
3. Based on findings from the above, develop initiatives to address identified needs and align them with your defined concept of “good.” This could include training programs, leadership development workshops, mental health resources, and policies that promote psychological safety.
4. Report current benchmarks and outline the desired benchmarks to define “good,” be transparent, and reinforce what must be done to achieve them. Regularly share your organization’s commitment to psychological safety and how it is woven into the culture. Reinforce these standards through consistent messaging and integrate them into all workplace interactions.
5. Establish regular check-ins to monitor the effectiveness of initiatives and ensure they are on track to achieve “good.” Use surveys, feedback sessions, and performance metrics to evaluate progress. Be prepared to adapt and refine strategies based on data and feedback, ensuring that standards evolve to meet workforce needs.

See: How to use the 3 E model for workplace mental health management

Utilizing External Benchmarks Wisely

While industry benchmarks have their place in validating efforts and inspiring progress, the heart of psychological safety should always rest on knowing and pursuing your unique organizational goals and your own definition of “good.”

Concentrating on establishing your organization’s psychological safety goals and norms can help you develop a PHS program that engages and protects employees and sets you apart as an employer of choice.

or more than five years, Mental Health Research Canada has collected the most comprehensive, population-wide, mental health statistics in Canada.  

Get to know the authors – Dr. Bill Howatt