31 Jan 2025 News

A Safe Work Community Calls for Courage

In turbulent times, everyone longs for security — even in the workplace. Where does workplace safety come from and how can it be nurtured — or better yet, turned into a competitive advantage? What does effective safety communication look like? We discussed the theme of workplace safety at Miltton’s breakfast event held in January.

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Kaius Niemi, Anna Martela, and Eemeli Koljonen from Miltton gave talks on the topics of psychological safety and agency. In a panel moderated by Panu Mäenpää, safety communication experts Jorma Lammila (Vaisala), Katja Olli (Compass Group), and Sirpa Ek (Hartela) shared experiences from their years of working with occupational safety.

Below, we’ve gathered the key insights from the discussion.

1. Psychological Safety Can Leverage Your Business

Twelve years ago, a Google research project called Aristotle revealed that team success depends on more than just talent and resources. What is also needed is psychological safety – an atmosphere that allows team members to feel safe to take risks, be themselves and show vulnerability. Making mistakes is essential in creative expert work – what makes a difference is how they’re dealt with. Do you have to hide your mistakes, or can you share them openly in the spirit of learning something new?

People leadership forms the most crucial value chain in any organization. According to research, up to 40% of business results can be attributed to an organization’s atmosphere, and up to 70% of the changes in that atmosphere depend on leadership behavior. Psychologically insecure work environments are bad for business. If an individual has to hide their mistakes, thoughts, or true self – such as sexual orientation—at work, up to half their workday energy might be spent on hiding.

2. Are We Running Low on Agency?

Without psychological safety, agency — the ability to act together to achieve greater goals — cannot emerge, said Anna Martela, referring to a Miltton study conducted in 2024. According to the study, our sense of agency appears to be in crisis: people experience feelings of meaninglessness, are cautious in voicing their opinions, feel too exhausted to take action, and seek certainty in places where it does not exist. On the other hand, some individuals still wish to challenge existing structures.

3. The Solutions? Resonance and Emotional Leadership

So, how can psychological safety and agency be built through leadership and communications? Koljonen highlighted the importance of genuine encounters, leading by example, and remembering the importance of emotions when leading people. The most important question a leader aiming to create psychological safety should ask is, “How are you, really?”

Martela, on the other hand, emphasized resonance — the moments when an individual feels a sense of meaningfulness in connection with others. During difficult times, resonance can be fostered by understanding the cyclical nature of life. In corporate communication, this can be leveraged by tapping into nostalgia and connecting with individuals on a human level — for example, by sharing stories about the people within the organization.

4. Safety Communication Can’t be Based on Rationality Alone

As important as psychological safety is, ensuring actual occupational safety in the workplace is equally crucial. At Compass Group, Hartela, and Vaisala, creating a safe work environment is an ongoing practice, continuously reinforced through routines such as safety walks and training sessions.

However, communicating about everyday occupational safety is not as simple as it might seem, the panelists emphasized. People are not purely rational beings — simply warning them about dangers isn’t always enough to get the message across.

We assume people will follow advice, but facts alone don’t drive action. Action requires emotion, Olli and Lammila explained. In occupational safety, the focus is often on deviations, mistakes, and accidents — but effective safety communication also involves positivity, listening, and dialogue, Ek added.

5. Attitude Makes the Difference, in Situations Big and Small

Effective safety communication takes place in both major crises and in small, person-to-person moments. The key is to seek human-level connection and adopt the right attitude, the panelists pointed out.

A year ago, Compass Group found itself in the midst of a small scandal when uncooked food accidentally ended up on a school’s food line. The company didn’t bury its head in the sand but quickly participated in a public conversation about product safety. As the situation was approached head on with courage, the psychological safety within the work community actually ended up growing as a result of things going awry, Olli described.

On the other hand, everyday encounters are just as important. Once, Vaisala’s leaders went on a safety walk around the company premises, handing out reflectors to employees to ensure their safety in the dark. During one encounter, an employee actually burst into tears from emotion, overcome with the feeling of being cared for, Lammila shared.

Tips for Effective Safety Communication from our Panelists:

“Aim to influence people emotionally rather than rationally, seek radical honesty, and be consistent.”

Jorma Lammi

“Communication must be emotionally engaging, truthful, and continuous.”

Katja Olli

“Remember the three Cs: conversation, cheering people on, and being concrete in your communication.”

Sirpa Ek

Want to hear more?

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  • Ulla Helander

    Director, employee experience and communication Miltton Finland +358 407 419 615 ulla.helander@miltton.fi