Walking on Eggshells in a Virtual Meeting: Why Psychological Safety Matters
By Sophia Rossow
Imagine attending an important meeting with a new project team of unfamiliar stakeholders. You’re joining remotely via Microsoft Teams. Your excited, nervous expectations of high-level facilitation, rich discussions, and innovative collaboration are dashed in the first few minutes.
You speak up early, offering a well-considered point about an important project issue. The facilitator responds briskly: “We don’t have time to go into detail,” brushing your comments aside. Still engaged, you ask a follow-up, keen to understand how this issue has been handled in past projects. It sparks a brief but productive exchange. A few team members agree it’s worth noting, and your input is acknowledged.
Encouraged, you keep contributing — until a message appears in the MS Teams chat:
“Hey, just opening a side chat to work through any detailed queries outside the main session. Feel free to flick any questions through — we’ve covered a lot of this before, so I’m happy to catch up with you one-on-one afterward.”
On the surface, it seems like a kind gesture — a soft redirection. The team lead is trying to smooth the session flow, maybe noticing the facilitator’s growing frustration. But for you, it feels like a quiet cue: “Not now. Not here.”
If an individual’s perceived psychological safety shapes how they act, how do you think the team member was feeling at this point? Would they continue contributing, or hold back, concerned they might lose the favour of the new team? To answer this question, let’s explore how psychological safety is established in virtual teams.
Online Teams: Rules of Engagement
MS Teams and other platforms are designed to facilitate team communication and collaboration. These “virtual teams” are defined by geographic dispersion and technological dependence in work-related interactions among employees. During the Covid -19 pandemic, the use of platforms like MS Teams significantly increased, forcing employees to radically shift into these virtual collaborations to minimise physical contact. But what has been the cost of this shift — particularly in terms of psychological safety?
On the surface, MS Teams appear the most productive way of communicating with people in different locations and time zones. However, take our scenario, you’re invited a virtual meeting for your insights, but then stifled by the team, and afraid to speak up. Was this a one-off incident or a phenomenon? Coined by organisational researcher Amy Edmondson, the term psychological safety describes a group phenomenon defined as a shared belief held by teammates that it is safe to take interpersonal risks. Psychological safety also captures individuals’ perceptions about the consequences of taking interpersonal risks in a given setting. In psychologically safe teams, voicing one’s views does not carry the risk of fear, embarrassment, judgment, or repercussion. In psychologically safe teams, engaging in dialogue, expressing opinions, and ask for help is encouraged.
Do you think the scenario was a psychological “unsafe” team? The signs suggest yes, despite good intentions the virtual environment lacked the cues and practices needed to make contributions feel welcome. Leading us to ask what are the elements of a psychological “safe” team and how can we help facilitators and leaders to improve?
Team Behaviours: Enhanced by Psychological Safety
Before we move to the how, it’s important to understand the why. Understanding how we support psychological safety and shape the experience of psychological safety in teams is at the core of every successful team.
Team behaviours enhanced by psychological safety, adapted from Kumar (2024), illustrates that when team members feel safe to speak up and take interpersonal risks, they are more likely to:
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Innovate – Experiment and offer ideas without fear of criticism.
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Collaborate – Work together effectively, valuing diversity.
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Learn – Ask questions, admit mistakes, and continuously improve.
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Quality Improvement – Identify gaps, suggesting changes to improve behaviours.
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Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) Improvement – Speak up about hazards, participate in risk assessments, and challenge “business as usual” practices.
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Engage – Contribute meaningfully, seek to assist the team and commit to team goals.
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Team Performance – Strive to reach higher levels of team effectiveness and productivity.
Why wouldn’t you want that for your team? Now let us explore the how!
Practical Tips for Facilitating Psychologically Safe and Productive MS Teams Meetings
Hybrid teams, like our online team project meeting, operate across both physical and virtual environments. These teams are most effective when their work is thoughtfully designed. Drawing on this insight, here are five practical facilitation tips to help boost your next MS Teams meeting.
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Set clear expectations and roles
Be careful not to micromanage your team. Begin meetings by clarifying objectives, timelines, roles and responsibilities. Drive autonomous teams and facilitate self-management. -
Create space for all voices
Check-in or ask quieter members specifically for input. Avoid letting one or two people dominate the conversation. -
Encourage idea sharing and curiosity
Encourage open discussion by asking open-ended questions like “What are we missing?” Acknowledge all ideas respectfully and create a space where team members feel safe to speak up or admit mistakes without fear of judgment. -
Respond appreciatively and constructively
Acknowledge all contributions positively, even if the idea isn’t adopted. Never embarrass or shut down participants publicly. -
Model reflection and learning
End meetings with a quick reflection: “What worked well?” and “What could we improve next time?” This builds psychological safety over time.
By following these steps, facilitators can foster psychological safety by positively influencing how team members feel during interactions.
Leader Cheat-Sheet: 10 Evidence-Based Behaviours to Strengthen Psychological Safety in MS Teams Meetings
Listed below are key leadership strategies which should be useful in your next MS Teams meeting:
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Acknowledge when team members do things well
Recognise positive behaviours and reinforce what is working to build confidence and trust. -
Reframe mistakes as learning opportunities
Emphasise reflection over blame. This encourages risk-taking and continuous improvement. -
Describe what success looks like
Be specific about desirable behaviours, not just outcomes, especially for new or ambiguous tasks. -
Share your vision and purpose
Clearly describe team’s goals in shared values and mission. A compelling “why” can enhance motivation and inclusion. -
Set clear expectations early
Clarify roles, norms, and boundaries. Psychological safety thrives in structured environments where ambiguity is reduced. -
Practice behavioural integrity
Align what you say with what you do. Consistency builds trust and a safe interpersonal climate. -
Appreciate team efforts
Express gratitude for contributions, regardless of outcome. This supports intrinsic motivation and a supportive climate. -
Show genuine interest in your team
Focus on open ended questions, listen deeply, and respond with empathy. Leaders who elicit positive emotions foster higher psychological safety. -
Model thoughtful inquiry
Ask open-ended questions like “Who has a different perspective on this?” to invite diverse perspectives and uncover blind spots. -
Address unsafe or undermining behaviours
Intervene when sarcasm, exclusion, or intimidation occurs. Protecting team norms is critical to sustaining safety.
Psychological safety is not just the latest workplace trend, it is a critical foundation for creating productive, innovative, and safe environments. While leaders shape team relationships through trust, facilitators model the behaviours that enable continuous learning and creativity.
If your team is navigating similar challenges or you’d like support creating psychologically safe virtual or hybrid environments, get in touch with Spring Safety Consultants — we’re here to help with psychosocial hazard management and meaningful, practical solutions.
References
Jones, M. S., Cravens, A. E., Zarestky, J., Ngai, C., & Love, H. B. (2024). Facilitating psychological safety in science and research teams. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), Article 1632. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04037-7
Klonek, F. E., & Parker, S. K. (2021). Designing SMART teamwork: How work design can boost performance in virtual teams. Organizational Dynamics, 50(1), Article 100841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2021.100841
Klonek, F. E., Kanse, L., Wee, S., Runneboom, C., & Parker, S. K. (2021). Did the COVID-19 lockdown make us better at working in virtual teams? Small Group Research, 52(5), 555–588. https://doi.org/10.1177/10464964211008991
Kumar, S. (2024). Psychological safety: What it is, why teams need it, and how to make it flourish. Chest, 165(4), 942–949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2023.11.016
Madrid, H. P., Vasquez, C. A., & Escaffi-Schwarz, M. (2024). Leader affective presence, psychological safety and team proactive problem prevention. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 97(2), 516–535. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12480
Resources
Adams, K., Parker, S. K., Jorritsma, K., & Griffin, M. A. (2020). How to lead virtual teams for success: A guide for managers. Future of Work Institute. https://www.thriveatwork.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/How-to-Manage-Virtual-Teams-for-Success-A-Guide-for-Managers-2022.pdf
