This post is the second in a series about our new initiative, Mission First: Employee Safety. The purpose of this initiative is to re-frame the conversation about workplace safety to one about the important role of staff in pursuit of your mission and ultimately, reduce injuries by providing the resources and guidance to create a culture of safety within your organization. There are five key practices, and the second one we will focus on here is about Change.
In our first post on changing behavior to make your organization a safer place to work, we talked about appealing to the Rider – the analytical side of the brain. But, just like a rider trying to control an elephant, the emotional side of us has to be on board for any change initiative to work.
Here are some ways you can “motivate the elephant” – that is, get your employees emotionally engaged to change their behavior when it comes to creating a culture of safety:
Find the Feeling
Cost data and injury statistics aren’t enough to motivate change. You have to find the emotional button that would make employees want to change – empathy for their peers and members, fear of the worst case scenario, or passion to make things different.
Shrink the Change
Big changes can be intimidating, so break the change down into baby steps and essentially lower the bar. Concentrate on one facet of workplace safety at a time. For example, simply starting with incorporating monthly safety topics in your staff meetings, emails or newsletters can make your workplace safety initiative seem less overwhelming.
Grow Your People
Elephants need to feel empowered. Tying workplace safety to your mission can help drive the feeling of shared values and team spirit. Turn workplace safety into mission safety.
Have you tried to implement a major change within your organization or community? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below!
