Whether you are a safety culture ninja with a workplace that is completely up to speed with all the latest in safety legislation, boasting an armoury of awesome, slick systems ensuring your business and employees are in the best position possible to avoid serious accidents and injuries… or only just beginning the journey to safety greatness, the use of incentives to create a positive workplace culture can be tricky.
Business operators may be influenced or controlled by Boards or CFOs, who are looking at the dollars and cents of safety. Less time off, less injuries equals less impact on the bottom line. Of course, we all want to reduce injuries, but the danger in providing incentives purely for a prettier looking Board report is quite simply that less reports may be filed – not necessarily through workers or business operators being purposely misleading… but we are human beings, and just knowing that we may be being measured on something can simply lead to a subconscious shift in behaviour; in this case a slight leaning towards the wrong side of our decisions about what should ‘reasonably’ be reported.
On the other hand, do we hand out Freddo frogs and a happy hour voucher every time someone files an injury report for a paper cut? Perhaps not.
So where is the happy medium? Or more importantly, what is the right way to use incentives to create a healthy workplace safety culture.
The answer is in involvement and communication. It’s about promoting the common language or “code” we at aware365 are always hammering on about.
Some examples of behaviours that should be rewarded may include:
- Attendance and input at WH&S meetings
- Being involved in submissions to safety awards
- Suggestions or improvement in safety management
- Fast and effective resolution of safety issues
- 100% reporting of injuries and near misses
You will note that all the above focus on prevention of injury, and promotion and involvement of safety culture, i.e. they are all “pro-active” measures rather than “reactive”.
If incentives are based around promoting this positive communication, use of the systems in place and a conscious effort the shift in workplace culture will be such that prevention is at the core of workers’ and employer’s consciousness: the associated reduction in injuries will keep the Board and CFO happy and improve productivity, and employees empowered as valued members of the organisation contributing to a safer and more enjoyable workplace.
The type of incentives given in a workplace should always reflect the workplace culture. Unfortunately, well-meaning bosses can often provide incentives/rewards that may have the opposite impact to that intended and appear a little condescending to worker; not every burley construction worker wants a prettily packaged Ferrero Rocher four-pack, but most would appreciate a week’s worth of sandwich/coffee vouchers for a great local café. Think about things that you would appreciate as a worker.
Another tip is to always remember that safety is a team effort. Having a safety goals and associated rewards (eg an early Friday knock-off and BBQ at the end of every zero injury month) clearly displayed is just as important as your company’s other KPI’s displayed on the staff noticeboard.
Involve your workers and get feedback on your rewards program. And look forward to making every month a safe month.
Now that’s an incentive worth celebrating.