Part 4:
Growing employee engagement in OH&S
In an ideal world, safety leadership comes from the top. ISO 45001 declares that top management are responsible for “developing, leading and promoting a culture in the organization that supports the intended outcomes of the OH&S management system.”
But if they don’t, does that mean you should do nothing? And if they do lead, what is your role in supporting that process?
Other managers will use the workers as the excuse – they just don’t want to participate. Is that true? Or have they stopped participating because they felt no one was listening? Or worse, because they feared what would happen if someone listened?
ISO 45001 (Clause 5.4) suggests that barriers to participation include “failure to respond to worker inputs or suggestions, language or literacy barriers, reprisals or threats of reprisals.”
If workers can raise concerns or make suggestions when it’s convenient for them, perhaps they will participate more. If they get great feedback as a result of their participation, perhaps they will continue to participate.
Option 1
Shorten the communication path between the people who witness the difficulties on a daily basis, and those who are in a position to do something about it.
Result
The decision-makers and frontline staff communicate directly.
Option 2
Invite employee representatives to management meetings.
Result
Can delay information sharing if everything is saved up for the monthly safety meeting.
Option 3
Have “trained observers” who are taught to make observations.
Result
“I’m not a trained observer” could be a great excuse for apathy, leaving it to someone else.
4.1 Tips to growing engagement
1. Listening to your employees
Feedback from your employees is vital to growing your safety engagement. Getting honest feedback can be tricky – just because your checklists are coming back with no problems doesn’t mean that there aren’t any. In a work setting, you may be told what you want to hear. Informal meetings may work better – talk about what is important to your employee, don’t talk at them.
2. Act on the feedback that you receive
Don’t just collect employee feedback and let it sit there. You have to listen AND take action. You can start with small changes (barring any urgent safety issues), showing employees that they are being listened to. It can be seemingly minor things that annoy people – ill fitting PPE, old or out-of-date equipment, unclear or contradictory safety processes. Tackling these issues can start to show managements receptiveness to employee feedback.
3. Building trust
You need to explain to your employees the reason behind your information gathering. Let them know that it is alright for there to be problems. You need to communicate effectively with your employees about when you are gathering information, what the benefits for them are, and listen to their reactions. If employees fear blame or backlash, they will not engage. Beliefs are hard to change – your success is dependent on how you effectively communicate, and how senior management displays leadership and accountability.
4. Technology
Technology can be a fantastic support to employee engagement in health and safety. The scope of safety technology is constantly changing, with wearable and mobile technology making massive advancements. A place where mobile technology is particularly useful is in mobile hazard spotting and incident reporting.