Psychological safety vs niceness
One of the most frequent misunderstandings I encounter is this: leaders who believe they have a psychologically safe culture, because meetings are pleasant, feedback is diplomatic, and people rarely raise their voices.
The implementation gap: policies exist, but behaviour doesn’t shift
Every organisation I’ve worked with over the last decade has policies. EDI policies, dignity at work policies, anti-bullying policies, safer workplace policies. Most are well-drafted, legally sound, and publicly visible. And yet, the same patterns keep turning up in staff consultations: people stay silent, concerns escalate, and culture stalls.
Why people don’t report (even when a policy says they can)
One of the most common questions I’m asked by HR Directors is some version of this: “We have a reporting policy, we have channels, we have posters on the wall. Why are we still hearing about issues months after they happened, through side channels, after people have left?”