By Cheryl Koe and Susie Horvath, HR Profession
On 11 June 2025, the APS HR Professional Stream organised a one-hour webinar on ‘Speak up culture’ in the APS. Presenters Shannon Owen and Susie Horvath from the APSC’s Capability and Workforce Committee Taskforce explained the benefits of working in a Speak up culture environment and provided useful guidance materials to help build that culture.
Speak up culture in the APS is based on the academic definition of psychological safety, which is: “the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes, and the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking.” (Amy Edmondson, 1999). It is worth pursuing because it underpins people strategies, encourages staff to collaborate and innovate, and helps deliver organisation objectives. It is the foundation for integrity, diversity and inclusion, learning and development, change management and wellbeing.
The Speak up culture project was a response to one of the recommendations in the APS Integrity Taskforce's Louder than Words: An APS Integrity Action Plan. During the webinar, HR professionals learned about how the guidance materials could be implemented in APS agencies and tips for success. Many participants shared that their agency had started conversations and/or were actively working on building speak up culture.
Resources have been created to help staff and managers discuss and implement Speak up culture in their teams. These resources are available on APS Learn, the APS Academy’s learning management platform. The materials include practical tips to help build Speak up culture through the 4C practices – listen with compassion, show curiosity, act with courage and speak with candour. These practices have been developed through APS-wide consultation, and support employees to uphold the APS Values and comply with the Code of Conduct.
HR professionals play a vital role in fostering a workplace culture where team members feel safe to speak up and contribute their ideas. HR staff are often the first port of call when a supportive, collaborative culture doesn’t exist, and staff don’t feel safe or lack the confidence to raise issues. Hence, it is important that HR professionals have the resources to assist staff to find a resolution and to help SES, managers and staff build this capability. If your organisation doesn’t currently have a focus on building Speak up culture, it can be a good idea to start small and aim to create a supportive environment at the team level.
If you missed the webinar, you can register to receive a link to a recording.