5 Tips to influence a positive workplace safety culture
Influencing safety culture within your organization can be both time consuming and difficult, but its importance cannot be understated. Safety shouldn’t be regarded as just another task for management to complete. It doesn’t have to feel overwhelming either. Organizations who put a focus on maintaining a positive workplace safety culture will typically see a reduction in injury rates, increased productivity, and a decrease in absenteeism and turnover rates. In this article, we’ll share a few tips you can start using to influence your safety culture for the better.
Foster a culture of accountability
Accountability might look like implementing processes and procedures in place that keep your employees accountable. It’s crucial for supervisors and managers to set clear health and safety expectations for their employees to meet. Implementing a process or levering an EHS management solution that does follow up for you can be a great place to start.
Improve your engagement
Make sure you are talking to your employees about safety and know that you care about them. The best and most effective way to engage with your employees is to talk with them. Spend time with your employees and let them know you are focusing on safety because you care. Open communication is the key to ensuring your people are keeping safety top of mind.
Motivate your employees
Go out of your way to motivate your employees that are going above and beyond with safety. Some companies give bonuses based on safety ratings, some have a company get together, meal, or days off if the employees or teams are going above and beyond. The important thing is to think about what your employees want (time off, money, etc.). See how you can leverage that to motivate them to care more about safety.
Recognize your employee’s achievements
Don’t just motivate employees to do well – make a point of recognizing them in front of their peers too! Make it prestigious to be safe in your company and let employees know that is something you are looking for all the time and it’s something you will reward. People who know they will be acknowledged for their efforts are more likely to be engaged and take actions that improve safety in the workplace.
Free up some of your time so you can focus on bigger picture projects and your people
If you’re in a management role and feeling overwhelmed and short on time to spend on improving safety culture and don’t feel you have resources to propel it forward– it’s going to be difficult to make it happen. Safety culture comes from the top down and is measured at the floor level. So, if you can’t push it forward and you can’t measure it, then it isn’t going to happen. Look for ways to save yourself time and save yourself resources. Our EHS management system can be a game-changer for you, helping you to move the needle in your organization and allow you to invest in what really matters: your people. For more information, schedule a consultation.
