Building Bridges in the Library Workplace: Communication, Empathy, and Psychological Safety

Libraries thrive on collaboration. Yet too often, our ability to work well together falters not because of skill gaps, but because of how we communicate. Words, tone, timing, and unspoken assumptions can create friction that undermines trust. To counter this, many library leaders are experimenting with tools and frameworks that put communication, empathy, and psychological safety at the center of workplace culture.

Communication Agreements: Talking About How We Talk

Kabel Nathan Stanwicks’ chapter Let’s Talk about How We Talk introduces the concept of a communication agreement—a structured but flexible tool for clarifying how colleagues prefer to give and receive feedback, approach difficult conversations, or even phrase everyday interactions.

Why Many of Us Don’t Feel Safe at Work

Before we ask people to “talk about how we talk,” we have to acknowledge why that can feel risky. In libraries, staff, faculty, student workers, and temps may hesitate to speak up because of:

• Power dynamics & hierarchy: fear of retaliation or being labeled “difficult.”

• Micromanagement & surveillance: hyper-control that erodes trust.

• Incivility & tone policing: interruptions, dismissiveness, or critiques of being “too emotional.”

• Bias & microaggressions: race, gender, language, ability, or class-based behaviors that silence voices.

• Inconsistent expectations: shifting priorities or unclear roles.

• Uneven accountability: favoritism or rules applied inconsistently.

• Precarity: adjuncts, temps, or student workers fearing replacement.

• Accessibility gaps: meetings or tools that don’t account for disability or neurodiversity.

• Lack of follow-through: when input is asked for but nothing changes.

Naming these realities helps explain why “just communicate” doesn’t work. Communication agreements matter precisely because they lower these risks—making preferences explicit, clarifying boundaries, and setting shared ground rules.

Psychological Safety: The Foundation for Honest Dialogue

For communication agreements to succeed, they must rest on a bedrock of psychological safety. As Robinson and Held emphasize, psychological safety is the belief that one can speak up, ask questions, admit mistakes, or disagree—without fear of humiliation or retribution.

When employees feel safe to voice concerns, they are more willing to engage in the kind of honest dialogue communication agreements demand. Without safety, even the best-structured agreements risk becoming performative checklists rather than living tools for collaboration.

Robinson and Held’s research shows that psychological safety is not a “soft” concept—it is directly tied to team performance, innovation, and retention. In a library environment, where workloads shift rapidly and collaboration is constant, cultivating this safety is not optional; it is essential.

Empathy in Practice

Empathy strengthens these tools by reminding us that communication isn’t just about information—it’s about people. Leaders who approach agreements with curiosity and care create space for employees to share not only their communication preferences but also their concerns, needs, and strengths.

For example, you might ask:

• “What’s the best way for me to give you feedback?”

• “When do you prefer to receive updates—face-to-face or in writing?”

• “How do you want to be recognized when you do good work?”

These questions may seem small, but they move a team from assumptions to understanding.

Beyond Onboarding: User Guides for Every Project

Some workplaces use User Guides (a type of communication agreement) as part of onboarding. These simple, fill-in-the-blank documents allow each person to share their preferences for feedback, recognition, and conflict resolution.

But don’t stop there. User Guides can also be refreshed any time a new project or team begins—whether it’s a collection management initiative, a cross-departmental committee, or a new instruction program. Each project brings its own stressors, timelines, and communication needs. Resetting expectations up front prevents misunderstandings later.

In other words: User Guides are not one-and-done. They are adaptable agreements that grow with your work, reinforcing both psychological safety and empathy.

A Practical Tool: Two-Way Communication User Guide

Communication agreements work best when they’re reciprocal. Both supervisors and employees should articulate their preferences, expectations, and responsibilities. Below is a sample two-way User Guide you can adapt for your own library.

Supervisor → Employee

Support

• How I will be available to you: __________

• Best times/methods to reach me: __________

Communication

• How I will share updates: __________

• My expectation for timely responses: __________

Feedback

• How and when I will provide constructive feedback: __________

• How I will recognize and celebrate your successes: __________

Conflict/Difficult Conversations

• How I will approach difficult conversations with care: __________

• Where I prefer to hold these conversations: __________

Commitments

• I will respect your preferences as outlined in your User Guide.

• I will check in periodically to revisit and update this agreement.

Employee → Supervisor

Support Needs

• How you can best support me: __________

• My preferred way to communicate: __________

Communication

• How I prefer to receive updates and instructions: __________

• How I will keep you informed of progress/delays: __________

Feedback

• How I prefer to receive constructive feedback: __________

• How I like to be recognized: __________

Feedback to Supervisor

• How I prefer to share feedback with you: __________

• How often I want to provide feedback: __________

Conflict/Difficult Conversations

• What helps me feel safe during difficult conversations: __________

• My preferred approach if a conversation becomes uncomfortable: __________

Commitments

• I will keep my preferences updated as they change.

• I will respect your preferences as outlined in your User Guide.

By making the guide mutual, both supervisors and employees share responsibility for communication and workplace culture. This reciprocity strengthens psychological safety because employees see their supervisor modeling the same openness they are asked to practice.

Bringing It All Together

When we connect these three threads, a powerful model for library leadership emerges:

• Communication Agreements → provide the structure for respectful dialogue.

• Psychological Safety → ensures those dialogues are authentic and risk-free.

• Empathy → makes the agreements human-centered and responsive to real needs.

Together, they create a cycle of trust, collaboration, and learning. Employees and student workers alike are more willing to share ideas, raise concerns, and engage in problem-solving—ultimately strengthening the library’s ability to adapt and serve its community.

A Call to Action for Library Leaders

• Adopt communication agreements with your staff and student workers—let them tell you how they want to be heard.

• Prioritize psychological safety in your meetings and daily interactions—make it safe to fail, safe to question, safe to grow.

• Use User Guides beyond onboarding—refresh them for new projects and collaborations to reflect changing needs.

• Lead with empathy—structure processes that show care, respect, and inclusion from the very first day.

Talking about how we talk may seem simple, but it is the work that makes all other work possible.