Health & safety professionals have one central focus. Ensuring that workers remain safe throughout the day.
And it’s hard to argue there’s a more important function in any business.
Today is World Day for Safety & Health at Work. An opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the crucial contribution that health & safety teams make in the workplace.
But, too often, the contribution that these teams make is limited to the immediate results of their work. Learning Management Systems. Risk Matrixes. Plant Pre-Start Forms. And statistics around days of zero harm.
What many companies miss is the bigger role that a strong HSEQ system plays in supporting and ensuring workplace success.
No matter your business, everything that’s done is aimed at helping your organisation reach its full potential. And a key driver in achieving this success in employee motivation.
An unmotivated workforce often results in behaviour that is counter-productive to business success. Higher rates of absenteeism. Lower levels of productivity. And a lack of adherence to crucial safety procedures and policies.
Not only does this decrease output, but it can also decrease the safety of your workplace. Increasing the likelihood of costly business incidents and devastating employee injuries.
Highly motivated workforces, on the other hand, are much better equipped to help your organisation reach its full potential. Employees turn up inspired to go to work. Will go above and beyond to ensure that jobs get done to the best of their ability. And, when it comes to safety, will often proactively look for improvements or refinements to create a proactive safety culture.
But why am I so focused on motivation? We’re in the health & safety business. Isn’t employee motivation the domain of HR?
The HR team is definitely getting marked on employee motivation, but what most businesses don’t realise is that the biggest impact on that level of motivation comes from the health & safety team.
The health & safety team drives how safe employees feel at work. And no matter what work the HR team does, if an employee feels unsafe at work they are going to feel like the organisation doesn’t care about their wellbeing – and therefore put less care into the work they do.
If employees feel safe at work, then the organisation has built an incredible foundation to foster their ongoing motivation. Employees will feel that the organisation cares about their overall safety and is going above and beyond to ensure that they return home in the same manner they arrived – and then the employee is more likely to want to give their all during the day and support the organisation towards their goals.
This World Day for Safety & Health at Work, make sure you recognise the important role you play in - not only ensuring that your employees are safe – but also ensuring that your business has the right foundations to reach its full potential.
