Creating a Culture of Safety in the Workplace
Build a culture of safety the right way
Protecting employees and the office work space takes more than alarm systems and video cameras. A true culture of safety is a collective effort and should reflect a shared sense of expectations that respects the psychological diversity and professional boundaries of the entire workforce.
Creating that type of culture isn’t easy and takes careful consideration and planning. It can include many elements: a code of conduct that clearly defines what appropriate behavior looks like, a transparent system of accountability, clear processes for reporting and evaluation, regular safety assessments, and more.
Here are some ideas to keep in mind when building a culture of safety in your workplace.
Why prioritizing a culture of safety is good for business
Your workforce’s physical safety and surroundings are important: no business can thrive if employees feel unsafe or if the office is vulnerable to outside threats. But deciding on common values that fit your workplace is just as crucial and can help ensure a safe, productive, and respectful environment for everyone.
Installing a fire alarm system has a clear benefit—detecting fires—while the upside of investing in a culture of safety may be harder to initially see.
Here are ways your business can see a payoff from prioritizing a broader safety culture:
- Boosts employee satisfaction and performance: In any pressure scenario—driving a car, playing sports, taking a test—the more confident and comfortable you feel, the better you will perform. Employees who feel supported and trust the support systems in place will be more satisfied at work and will do better work.
- Helps productivity: It follows then that establishing a respectful workplace culture helps improve overall productivity. An office full of unhappy, resentful, or nervous people will probably not reach their full potential, and neither will the staff as a whole.
- Fewer legal concerns: Working hard to establish a culture of fairness and respect can cut down on legal issues that can plague a workplace. Having clear standards and a consistent process for reporting, reviewing, and resolving any issues that arise makes it easier to focus on doing good work, not resolving legal matters.
- Reputation matters: Your success has a ceiling if your reputation is suspect. Build a positive environment where people enjoy coming to work and your reputation—both inside and outside the organization—will thrive.
How to start building a safety culture
Prioritizing a culture of safety is a big decision and demands a thoughtful plan of action. The first steps can be overwhelming, but remember it’s an investment in the health of your entire organization.
Here are some tips for putting the culture you want in place.
- Conduct a needs assessment to establish priorities: It’s impossible to design a successful plan without gathering and analyzing information first. Performing a needs assessment can provide perspective on the exact areas that need to be focused on, and those areas may end up surprising you.
- Get critical input from employees: A big part of any safety plan must be driven by the needs and perspectives of staff. What’s a bigger concern for people: leaving a dark parking lot at night or the unsatisfying and vague process for incident reporting? Hearing directly from them on what safety looks and feels like will provide key insight on what to prioritize going forward.
- Communicate clearly throughout the process: Be openly communicative throughout, so everyone knows what is being worked on, why, and when the next step or deadline is. People will buy in to a plan when they feel included and involved.
Ways to implement and troubleshoot your plan
Once you have a plan based on critical needs and employee feedback, you can begin putting it into action.
Here are things to consider as you implement your safety plan:
- Have an easily accessible resource guide: Every element of the plan—from code of conduct to a reporting process—should be easily available to all employees. If anyone wants to check on a particular standard or procedure they should know exactly where to find it.
- Establish regular trainings: New protocols need to be reinforced with dynamic training. A consistent training schedule keeps the material fresh for staff and helps new safety priorities take root.
- Analyze outcomes and make adjustments: No plan is perfect right away. Be proactive by evaluating what is working and what needs to be tweaked and make changes along the way. Creating a plan is the beginning: maintaining and improving it then becomes the goal.
Create a strong culture of safety by combining strong security with an intentional set of common values, giving your employees peace of mind to do great work. For support finding the security technology and services that best fit your needs, Bay Alarm is here to help.
Contact us today to learn more about the support services we provide.
Start a conversation with a Bay Alarm security expert.
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