Archive for the ‘motivation’ Category

The Shame and Blame Game: Why So Much Whistleblower Retaliation?

by Julianne Bass

If you see something, say something. That is a popular phrase we hear a lot these days, right? So why is it that this doesn’t openly carry  over into the workplace as well?

If the end game is to make sure that your facility is making its deadlines and that workers are provided a safe environment in which to meet those deadlines, if someone sees something that is impeding that process, they should feel comfortable enough to say something, shouldn’t they?

Many companies are proving that this is not the case, but the logic behind those decisions just isn’t adding up.

Some of those most common reasons employers are feeling the need to retaliate are:

Denial, fear, profit risk, thinking it isn’t a big deal, and forgetting about the long game. Some workplaces feel like they just don’t want to mess up a good thing and if any little change happens it most likely won’t be for the better.

This might be the case in the short term, however any company with longevity under it belt hasn’t made it there by ignoring very real, and serious problems by silencing those who speak out.

 

Read the source article at The Sliding Door Complaint Blog

National Safety Month: Why Workplace Safety Is Important

by Julianne Bass

TheImportanceofWorkplaceSafety

Sewage worker, hazmat diver, port-o-potty inspector. While these jobs top the list of the dirtiest occupations in America, could you image what they would be like without all of the necessary protective gear and safety procedures (shudder); direct contact with some pretty suspect substances to say the very least.

Not only in these positions but across the board, the presence of safety helps everyone do their job better and enjoy doing it… well at least more than if the rules weren’t there to protect them! Safety rules and regulations give workers a voice even when they don’t speak up for themselves. They put their well being at the forefront and provide consequences to owners who choose not to comply.

When workers feel that their safety is being considered important, they are more likely to perform and make the well being and prosperity of their facility important to them.

Here’s a couple of tips for engaging your workers and making a safe workplace:

  • Develop an open line of communication that breeds a positive health and safety culture in the workplace
  • Form a safety committee that meets monthly to discuss safety matters, propose changes, and follow up on issue
  • Prioritize safety updates fairly, perform hazard analysis and risk assessment if need be, but do not neglect quick fixes that will have a big impact
  • Stay up to date on trending compliance issues, regulatory news and changing standards
  • Create clear work procedures and job descriptions for every member of your team and check in regularly to let them know how they are doing

A safety mind set doesn’t change overnight but that is no reason to let a bad culture continue when there are ways to start turning the tide. What role does safety currently play in your facility?

Lead to Safety

by Julianne Bass

leadership

National Safety Month brings with it an important message. The workers you employ and their safety while carrying out their designated duties should always be your main priority. A safe and secure working environment breeds positivity, efficiency and production. When leadership shows an invested interest and gets involved in being part of the solutions, workers take notice. A leadership presence is vital when implementing effective safety initiatives. Workers who believe that both corporate leaders and field supervisors take occupational safety seriously are more likely to take the time and effort to work safely themselves.

According to a study sponsored by the Center for Construction research and Training there are two popular strategies, leadership teams often employ when fostering more engagement in safety programs – transactional and transformations.

Transactional leadership is one where workers are motivated by incentives and consequences based on the goals set forth by organizational leadership. Transformational leadership is one that inspires positive change through involved and active leaders who participate and present themselves as role models of the changes that they would like to see within the workplace.

Studies suggest that programs rewarding workers for meeting safety goals at times may have an adverse effect making it more likely for workers not to report accidents in order to receive a reward. This would conclude that positive role models and leaders who practice what they preach motivate workers to be safe more effectively.

To read more about the importance of leadership in workplace safety click here

Safety Visuals: Workplace Safety Reminders At-A-Glance

by emedco

We are visual creatures. As such, visual aids have a physical presence that can create a long-lasting impression on people and produce powerful memories.  This makes them the perfect tools for teaching and implementing safety principles, especially in the workplace.

Safety Protects People Banner

Promote and encourage safe work habits among employees.

A visual workplace is a workplace where effective standardized visual cues and communication tools are utilized for imparting safety goals and guidelines to everyone. This results in a work environment that is self-ordering, self-explaining, self-regulating, and self-improving. It should come as no surprise that this is one of the underlying principles of lean manufacturing.  An organization with a visual workplace should have the following components present in the facility:

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September is National Preparedness Month: Are You Ready?

by emedco
Ready

ARE YOU READY? FEMA has declared September as National Preparedness Month. Source: Ready.gov

“Are you ready?”

That’s a question many people ask each other (and themselves). But for business owners, it’s not always an easy question to answer — especially not when emergency preparedness carries with it a regulatory component. You may think yourself personally prepared for disasters, but more often than not, the mandates of the government will require greater investment.

With that in mind and in honor of the declaration of September as National Preparedness Month by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), we’ve assembled a number of emergency preparedness products that you can use to improve your facility’s disaster preparedness.

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Watch Out for the Sick-Sticks: A Smoking Labels Guide

by emedco

Smoking is an awful habit for a great many reasons. From the risk of cancer to the debilitating effects of second-hand smoke to the discoloration of teeth, more and more reasons to properly regulate smoking behavior pile up. To address these problems in the workplace, you need to regulate smoking in public spaces.

Smoking Labels

Enforce effective smoking prevention with smoking labels.

To that end, it’s important you find efficient, noticeable and comprehensive practices to best promote a no-smoking rule. Smoking labels can help you spread your facility’s health and safety regulations, and here a number of effective smoking label solutions you can enforce.

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Safety Scoreboards: Your Instant Motivational Tools

by emedco

The success of your organization largely depends on your employees’ motivation to work hard. Sure, you can develop a motivational plan that will bring out their diligence, or you can ask them to fill out a survey form to identify what makes them tick. Organizing a recognition ceremony at the end of the fiscal year can also be your option.

Safety Scoreboard

SET YOUR STANDARDS. Use safety scoreboards to communicate how much you value safety.

While these tactics may be effective, planning and implementing them, however, can gobble up a huge chunk of your company’s time and finances. Let safety scoreboards boost your workers’ motivation — via a quick glance. How?

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The Inside Story on Posters

by emedco

The ancient Chinese philosopher Xun Zi once wrote, “If I hear it, I forget. If I see it, I remember.” You see, telling your employees what to do sometimes is not enough. Some of them might not remember the instructions or reminders you have orally relayed to them.

Even Dr. Bill Klem, a neuroscience professor at the Texas A&M University, backs this up. According to him, ordinary humans have an astoundingly larger capacity for visual memories than for the auditory ones. This is where safety posters come in.

Safety Posters and Wallcharts

HEAD TURNERS. Pick posters with eye-popping colors to attract attention.

Encyclopædia Britannica defines posters as printed paper announcements or advertisements exhibited publicly. Even though the first posters were used for public advertisement in the 15th century, you can now use the visual cues on posters to enhance your employees’ memory.

Put up posters in your workplace to effectively communicate critical information to your employees. You can select from a myriad of workplace posters available in the market today, but take heed of these reminders to make the most out of your posters.

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What You Need to Know about Safety Posters

by emedco

Workplace safety is no joke. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 4,690 fatal work injuries in 2010. The industries with the most number of reported work-related fatalities include construction, transportation and warehousing, and mining.

Right-To-Know Information Wallchart

Safety posters motivate your employees to maintain a safe, clean and productive work environment.

Don’t let your company contribute to the workplace injury statistics. Keep your workers safe by putting up workplace safety posters around your jobsite. Remember to follow these tips to make the most out of your posters. (more…)

Safety scoreboards: A great way to track safety in your workplace

by emedco

Everyone wants to create and maintain a safe workplace – we understand it’s important. To accomplish this, many companies have formal systems in place to track workplace injuries and accidents.

The problem is that  oftentimes the tools we use to track workplace accidents and information about the incidents are not available to all employees. While the small details may not need to be shared, it’s important that all employees are made aware that an accident has occurred and  reminded of any safety information that could have prevented that injury.

One way to communicate this information to employees is with safety scoreboards.

You may or may not be familiar with safety scoreboards, so I’ll explain. A safety scoreboard is a device used to publicly display safety and performance statistics or information in your workplace. It is a visual and immediate way to inform employees of information like consecutive days without an accident or progress toward production goals. You can also use the moving message boards featured on some scoreboard to communicate specific safety messages.

Scoreboards can come in all shapes and sizes and have a varying number of features. Depending on your needs, you can choose an electronic scoreboard that has features like working lights to indicate safety status; a counter that displays safety statistics like accidents or units produced; and/or moving message boards with your company’s safety information. If you don’t need all of those features, you can choose a write-on or dial-a-day scoreboard that allows you to manually track safety information.

(Note: If you purchase an electronic scoreboard it is always good to ensure it is UL listed.)

Some scoreboard suppliers will even let you customize a scoreboard with your own personalized message, features and tracking devices. So take some time and think about what safety goals or information you want your employees to focus on. Then, choose a scoreboard most appropriate for your workplace. You have lots of options.

Posted by Christie