US2U Consulting is pleased to announce a new Psychological and Psychosocial Safety service, led by US2U Associate Consultant, Dr Danny Kett BSc (Hons), MSc.
With 18 years’ experience in hostage and crisis negotiation as a practitioner, trainer, team leader and tactical adviser, combined with an academic background in behavioural science, Danny brings extensive expertise in understanding human behaviour, communication and achieving lasting behavioural change.
Why Psychological Safety Matters
When organisations think about health and safety at work, the focus has traditionally been on visible physical hazards. However, factors such as excessive workload, unresolved conflict, poor workplace relationships and a culture where people are reluctant to speak up can also have a significant impact on employees and organisational performance.
Psychological safety is the shared belief that people can speak up, raise concerns, challenge assumptions, report mistakes and contribute ideas without fear of humiliation, punishment or damage to their professional standing.
For organisations, creating this environment is about much more than making people feel comfortable. When employees feel able to speak openly, potential problems and mistakes can be identified earlier, different perspectives can be heard and teams can learn and improve together.
Psychosocial safety considers the potential exposure of employees to work-related psychological hazards and the harm these can cause. Taking a proactive approach can help organisations promote wellbeing, reduce sickness absence and staff turnover, and create healthier, more productive working environments.
How Psychologically Safe is Your Workplace?
Consider your own teams:
• Do people contribute freely in meetings, rather than raising issues afterwards - or not at all?
• Do people speak up when they think something is wrong?
• Do team members feel able to raise tough issues or problems for discussion?
• Are sickness absence and staff turnover low across your teams, while productivity remains high?
If you answered ‘no’ to any of these questions, it could indicate areas where psychological or psychosocial safety needs greater attention. When people do not feel able to speak openly, mistakes can go unreported, problems can remain unidentified and standards may ultimately be compromised.
From Psychological Safety to High Performance
Recognising the signs of low psychological safety is important, but creating a psychologically safe workplace is not simply about making people feel comfortable. It is about developing an environment where people can speak openly, challenge constructively and learn from mistakes, while maintaining clear expectations and high standards.
High-performing teams combine high psychological safety with clear accountability and high standards. Where accountability is high but psychological safety is low, anxiety and fear can develop, creating the foundations for a toxic working environment. Conversely, psychological safety without clear standards can result in comfort without performance.
It is the combination of psychological safety, accountability and high standards that helps create an environment characterised by open dialogue, clear expectations, organisational learning and sustained excellence.
Practical Expertise to Support Lasting Change
Danny’s experience ranges from life-and-death negotiations to organisational leadership and change. He has also trained hostage and crisis negotiators from around the world, helping them achieve successful outcomes in some of the most challenging circumstances.
As part of US2U Consulting, Danny will translate this operational experience and behavioural science expertise into practical, evidence-informed strategies for clients. By identifying the factors that influence behaviour, the new service can support organisations facing challenges around culture, conflict, compliance, communication and organisational change.
US2U Consulting can work with your organisation to assess and strengthen psychological and psychosocial safety, helping you create an environment where people feel able to speak up while maintaining clear accountability and high standards.
If you would like to explore how psychological and psychosocial safety could improve staff wellbeing, organisational culture and performance within your organisation, please contact US2U Consulting at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to arrange an initial conversation.