Snap Shots – Making Work Your Happy Place: Laughology's Impact at a Large Financial Investment Firm
In the competitive landscape of financial investment, maintaining a psychologically safe and trusting workplace means everyone can get on performing at their very best. This creates an environment where feedback is welcomed and delivered in a helpful way and behaviours are called out that could unintentionally impact others.
In late 2023, a large financial investment firm faced the challenge of enhancing psychological safety and trust among its employees to help land some regulatory changes that could create disengagement. To address this, they turned to Laughology, known for its unique approach and expertise in creating positive workplace cultures.
The Challenge
The firm identified a need to improve psychological safety and trust within their teams, particularly as they navigated a period of significant change and regulatory pressures. The goal was to create an environment where leaders and teams felt comfortable to challenge while embedding new ways of working, admit mistakes and difficulties connecting to new regulation, and engage in healthy debate without fear of negative consequences.
Why Laughology?
Laughology was chosen for their proven track record in delivering engaging and impactful workshops. Their approach combines humour with psychological principles, making complex concepts accessible and memorable. Stephanie Davies and Dave Keeling, Lead Happiness Consultants at Laughology, were seen as the perfect fit to facilitate this transformation due to their extensive experience and dynamic presentation style.
The Programme
The Psychological Safety & Trust Programme, spanning September to December 2023, was designed to address the firm's needs and personalised to suit the specific challenges. This is where Laughology stands out, as it creates content that fits the challenge.
Our creative team can flex activities and content rather than off-the-shelf products that don’t always fit the challenge.
The programme included three key modules:
- Begin Session: Introduced the programme, set expectations, and established a baseline understanding of psychological safety and trust through a survey.
- Learn F2F Session: Delivered interactive workshops focusing on practical tools and techniques, bringing psychological safety concepts to life with real work examples. A reaction survey was conducted post-session.
- Reflection Session: Encouraged participants to share outcomes and success stories, reinforcing learning through online discussions. A final survey measured the programme’s impact.
Results and Achievements
The programme reached just under 400 leaders, with significant engagement across multiple cohorts in Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, and London. The data collected highlighted improvements across the business:
- Understanding Psychological Safety: Participants who could confidently explain and recognise how to create a psychologically safe environment increased from 71% at baseline to 98% post-programme.
- Handling Mistakes: Comfort in acknowledging and discussing mistakes rose from 82% to 99%.
- Building Trust: Ability to build trust and recognise its importance improved from 79% to 100%.
Qualitative feedback shared backed up the programme's success. Participants praised the interactive nature of the workshops and the relevance of the scenarios discussed. One participant noted,
"The opportunity to get practical input from colleagues brought the material alive, leading to open and honest discussions."
Conclusion
Laughology's Psychological Safety & Trust Programme not only met but exceeded expectations.
By creating a safe space for learning and dialogue, they empowered leaders with simple and practical tools to create a more open and trusting work environment. This case study demonstrates Laughology’s expertise in transforming workplace cultures, making them an invaluable partner for organisations aiming to enhance psychological safety and trust.
With the successful implementation and positive feedback, the firm is well-positioned to continue fostering a supportive and collaborative workplace, ensuring long-term success and employee satisfaction.
If you’d like to work with us to deliver a programme in your workplace or organisation, contact Doug and he’ll be happy to talk you through how we can help – doug@laughology.co.uk
