In today’s rapidly advancing technological environment, online assessment security has never been more important. The rise of AI tools has introduced new challenges in recruitment and talent evaluation, prompting assessment providers to take proactive steps to safeguard their platforms.
No matter which assessment platform you’re using, leading providers are continually enhancing online assessment security to ensure you can confidently trust the outcomes of your hiring and development processes.
Here’s a look at the current protections in place across many leading assessment platforms — and some emerging innovations you can expect to see.
Key Protection Measures in Place Today
Most reputable assessment providers have already introduced a multi-layered approach to maintain the integrity of their platforms and prioritise online assessment security
Disabled Copy and Paste
Candidates are restricted from copying questions or pasting responses into the assessment platform, minimising opportunities to share or outsource answers.
Timed Assessments
Strict time limits are applied to each section or question, reducing the likelihood that candidates can consult external resources during an assessment.
Dynamic Question Banks
Many platforms now use large and randomised question pools, ensuring that each candidate receives a unique assessment experience.
Live Proctoring Options
Some providers offer live proctoring as an additional layer of verification, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorised assistance or resource use.
Candidate Declarations
Candidates are typically required to acknowledge a commitment to ethical behaviour, reinforcing the importance of honesty during the assessment process.
Emerging Innovations in Online Assessment Security
Assessment providers continue to innovate in response to evolving risks. New features being rolled out include:
Screen Capture Prevention
Many systems now offer screen capture blocking, preventing candidates from taking screenshots or sharing questions externally — a key development to protect against AI misuse.
Steople’s Approach: Tool-Agnostic, Purpose-Driven Solutions
At Steople, we are committed to delivering assessment solutions that are fit for purpose, secure, and scientifically valid.
We are proudly tool-agnostic, meaning we are not tied to any single provider. Instead, we partner with a range of globally recognised assessment providers — including Saville, LSI, ACER, Testgrid, and others — selecting the most appropriate tool based on the specific needs of each client and project.
This ensures we:
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Customise solutions to match the role, industry, and organisational context
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Maximise predictive validity by aligning methods with required competencies
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Stay ahead of emerging security threats
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Maintain flexibility to deliver the best technology and insights available
At Steople, it’s not about using the most popular tool — it’s about using the right tool to achieve the best outcomes for our clients and candidates alike.
Why Online Assessment Security Matters
Protecting the integrity of online assessments ensures that:
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Results are valid and predictive
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Candidates are evaluated fairly and consistently
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Organisations make better, more informed decisions
In a competitive environment where securing top talent is critical, strong online assessment security is essential to maintaining trust and driving success.
Staying Ahead: What Organisations Should Do
When selecting or reviewing assessment providers, organisations should ask:
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What security measures are in place today?
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How is the provider adapting to emerging technologies like AI?
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Are there additional options like live proctoring or dynamic question sets?
By choosing platforms – and partners – that prioritise online assessment security, innovation, and candidate fairness, organisations can ensure that assessments remain a trusted foundation of their hiring and development strategies.
Why Both Are Essential for High-Performing, Healthy Teams
When we work with leaders across Australia and New Zealand, one thing is clear: there’s a lot of conversation about workplace wellbeing right now. But often, important terms like psychological safety and psychosocial risk are confused—or worse, used interchangeably.
While they’re deeply connected, they are not the same thing. In fact, understanding the difference is crucial for organisations that want to build healthy, high-performing cultures.
At Steople, we work with organisations every day to unpack these concepts, applying the latest organisational psychology research to drive real, lasting change.
First, What’s Psychological Safety?
Coined by Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson, psychological safety is the belief that you won’t be punished, humiliated, or ignored for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.
In a psychologically safe workplace, people feel empowered to:
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Challenge the status quo
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Share bold ideas
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Admit mistakes without fear
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Ask for help when needed
Research consistently shows that psychological safety is one of the strongest predictors of team performance, innovation, and resilience. Google’s famous “Project Aristotle” found that psychological safety was the number one factor distinguishing high-performing teams.
Simply put, when people feel safe, they are more engaged, more collaborative, and more creative.
And What’s Psychosocial Risk?
Psychosocial risks refer to factors in the workplace that could cause psychological harm. This includes things like:
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High job demands without support
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Workplace conflict and incivility
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Poor change management
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Lack of role clarity
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Discrimination, harassment, and bullying
In Australia, new WHS regulations and Codes of Practice now legally require organisations to manage psychosocial risks. Similarly, in New Zealand, the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 emphasises the duty to ensure both physical and mental wellbeing at work.
Unmanaged psychosocial risks can lead to:
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Stress and burnout
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Anxiety and depression
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Reduced productivity and performance
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Increased absenteeism and turnover
In short: psychosocial risks undermine employee wellbeing and organisational effectiveness—and ignoring them is no longer an option.
The Key Difference (And Why It Matters)
Think of it like this:
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Psychological safety is the outcome we want—an environment where people feel safe and supported.
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Psychosocial risk is the hazard we need to identify and manage—the factors that threaten that safety.
One is about building positive conditions; the other is about eliminating harmful ones.
At Steople, we often explain it to clients like a garden:
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Managing psychosocial risks is like removing weeds and nurturing healthy soil.
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Building psychological safety is about planting seeds, watering growth, and fostering a thriving ecosystem.
You need both to create a healthy, high-performing workplace.
What the Research Tells Us
Leading organisational psychology research shows that:
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Psychological safety acts as a buffer against the negative impacts of psychosocial risks. (Newman et al., 2017)
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Teams with high psychological safety recover more quickly from stressful events, showing greater resilience.
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Employees in psychologically safe environments are 50% more likely to stay with their organisation and 67% more likely to recommend it as a great place to work (McKinsey, 2021).
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Managing psychosocial hazards reduces mental health claims and improves overall organisational performance (Safe Work Australia).
In other words: it’s not enough to manage risks. If you want a workplace that thrives, not just survives, you must also actively cultivate psychological safety.
How Steople Supports Organisations Across Both Dimensions
At Steople, we take an integrated, evidence-based approach to building better workplaces. Our work spans both:
Psychosocial Risk Management
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Conducting psychosocial risk audits and organisational diagnostics
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Designing tailored action plans to eliminate or mitigate hazards
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Supporting compliance with WHS legislation and codes of practice
Building Psychological Safety
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Leadership development programs focused on emotional intelligence, inclusive leadership, and feedback culture
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Team coaching interventions that build trust, accountability, and open dialogue
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Culture transformation initiatives that embed respect, wellbeing, and collaboration into everyday behaviours
We also use tools like the Steople Leading for Performance & Wellbeing Survey™ to capture a complete picture of both risks and strengths—giving organisations a clear roadmap for change.
Thriving Workplaces Start with Both
In today’s dynamic, complex world, performance and wellbeing are two sides of the same coin. Organisations that lead the future will be those that:
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Proactively manage psychosocial risks, and
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Intentionally build cultures of psychological safety.
If you want to create a workplace where people are safe, inspired, and set up to perform at their best, we’re here to help.
Ready to strengthen your workplace culture? Let’s talk: info@steople.com.au
Why Untapped Potential Isn’t a Talent Problem—It’s a Leadership Opportunity
In nearly every organisation we work with, there’s a familiar story: a team full of smart, capable people who aren’t quite firing on all cylinders. It’s not that they lack the skills. The problem is subtler – and more frustrating. There’s talent, but not momentum. Energy, but not focus. Ambition, but not alignment.
So, what’s the missing piece?
At Steople, we believe the answer often lies in coaching – specifically, coaching that unlocks self-awareness, psychological safety, and sustained behaviour change. When done well, coaching doesn’t just improve individual performance. It transforms teams and shifts organisational culture.
Coaching Isn’t Just for the Struggling Few
There’s a lingering myth that coaching is a remedial tool, something offered only when an individual is underperforming. But in reality, coaching is most powerful when used proactively.
Modern organisational psychology shows that coaching is one of the most effective ways to:
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Build resilient, self-aware leaders
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Develop high-performing teams
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Strengthen culture and connection across silos
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Improve goal clarity and accountability
In fact, a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology found that coaching has significant positive effects on performance, wellbeing, coping, and self-efficacy. It’s not just helpful, it’s strategic.
The Psychology Behind Coaching Success
So, why does coaching work? The answer lies in what psychologists call self-determined change. Unlike traditional training, where information is passively absorbed, coaching invites participants to actively reflect, explore, and take ownership.
Here are a few psychological principles at play:
1. Self-Awareness Fuels Growth
Great coaching surfaces hidden strengths, blind spots, and assumptions that shape our decisions. Through tools like 360° feedback and psychometric assessments, Steople coaches help individuals make sense of the “why” behind their behaviours and create a plan for change.
2. Psychological Safety Creates Space to Stretch
For coaching to be effective, people need to feel safe – emotionally and psychologically. That’s why we build trust first. When leaders and teams feel safe to speak candidly, take risks, and try new behaviours, they become more adaptable and innovative.
3. Clarity and Accountability Sustain Momentum
Insight is only useful if it leads to action. That’s why we structure coaching around clear, measurable goals – whether it’s improving a leadership style, navigating complexity, or lifting team engagement. We also focus on habit formation and accountability to embed lasting change.
Coaching at the Team Level: Where Culture Shifts Happen
While individual coaching is powerful, team-based coaching has the potential to reshape culture at scale.
We often work with intact leadership teams to:
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Unpack interpersonal dynamics
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Align on vision and values
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Build trust and commitment
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Navigate tough conversations
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Shift from siloed to shared thinking
In high-performing teams, coaching facilitates the transition from “working in parallel” to “working in sync.” It’s no longer about individual brilliance – it’s about collective intelligence.
And here’s the exciting part: when team coaching is integrated with assessments – like our Steople High Performance Teams Survey™ or Leading for Performance & Wellbeing Survey™ – we can measure progress, identify levers for change, and track ROI.
When Coaching Works Best
We’ve seen coaching unlock incredible transformation, especially when it’s:
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Timed with a step-up in leadership responsibility
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Embedded in culture or transformation programs
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Paired with diagnostics that provide meaningful insight
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Designed to support team alignment and cohesion
And most importantly? When there’s genuine commitment from leaders to do the work, not just tick a box.
The Steople Approach to Coaching
At Steople, we take a pragmatic and evidence-based approach. Our coaches are organisational psychologists and seasoned leaders who know how to navigate complexity, challenge with care, and translate insights into action.
Whether it’s one-on-one executive coaching, team coaching, or a leadership development program, our goal is the same:
To help individuals and organisations thrive by unlocking the potential that already exists—but hasn’t yet been fully realised.
We don’t do cookie-cutter coaching. Every engagement is tailored, strategic, and aligned with your broader business objectives.
Ready to unlock your team’s potential?
Let’s talk about how coaching can lift performance, deepen engagement, and build future-fit leaders.