In business, they say that “It’s all about relationships.” The same holds true for safety. A relationship is the state of being connected. Relationships are a necessary element of an effective safety culture. Connectedness is required.
During a recent conversation with John Caupert, GEAPS Executive Director, he used a phrase that resonated with me. He said, “work isn’t hard, it just takes effort.” The same holds true with relationships. They are not hard to build or maintain, but they require effort.
I started my career in the grain industry when I was 26 years old.
Whether it was leading a training class, attending a managers meeting, or interacting with senior management, I was usually the youngest person in the room. While most were welcoming there were a fair number who just did not know what to think of me, a young guy with only 3 years of experience from a completely different industry.
Fast forward to today. I am now usually one of the older, if not the oldest person, in the room. Not much has changed. The same challenges exist. It is still all about building relationships. I rely on the same five strategies for connecting with others today that I did at 26.
The first strategy involves getting people involved. Sometimes this is referred to as collaboration or engagement. It is important that we are honest with ourselves. We cannot know it all. More heads are better than one. Soliciting feedback and input from our colleagues builds trust. Throughout my career,
I have witnessed employees at all levels of organizations resist safety efforts. There are two options in these instances, use the compliance hammer or include those who resist in the process. I have chosen to solicit feedback and included those who resist in the process. Valuing their input has improved our relationship and built trust.
The second strategy is what I refer to as conversation-based safety. It is difficult, if not impossible, to comprehend the challenges and hazards employees face without spending time in their work environment. Having conversations with employees on their turf builds trust. It is important to get in the field and talk to employees.
Simply ask them what routine or non-routine activities cause concern for their safety and the safety of others. Simple asking this simple question establishes a culture of concern rather than compliance. These conversations become easier with practice and over time establish open dialogue.
The third strategy is utilizing active listening. Active listening is listening with the intent to understand the other person fully, rather than listening to respond. Some of us hear, but we do not listen with the intent to understand. Understanding employees’ concerns coupled with acting on them further builds trust and enhances relationships.
The fourth strategy involves execution. Unfortunately, people will only remember the last thing that you did for them or did not do for them. It is important to act on employee concerns after engaging employees in conversation-based safety and actively listening. This is referred to as closing the loop.
The last strategy involves providing guidance feedback. It is similar to focusing on “the why.” I have found that employees are defensive when confronted. Consider an employee who is not wearing eye protection while using an angle grinder. There are those who will look the other way and those who will raise their voice demanding that they put their equipment on. This often results in a defensive employee.
Feedback focuses on context, action, and result. Guidance feedback focuses on these elements as well as the desired action and the desired result.
Here is an example of guidance feedback, “I noticed you were not wearing eye protection while using the angle grinder. This can result in shards of metal becoming embedded in your eye and loss of vision. I am concerned about your safety. Wearing eye protection will reduce the likelihood of an eye injury and protect your eyesight.” Guidance feedback tends to diffuse defensiveness. More importantly it reflects concern over compliance.
Building relationships with employees improves safety. Consider giving collaboration, conversation-based safety, active listening, feedback, or guidance feedback a try. I think you will find that any one or a combination of these strategies will establish trust and foster a safer work environment. Building relationships is not hard, it just takes effort.
Source: Joe Mlynek is president of Progressive Safety Services LLC, Gates Mills, OH: joe.mlynek@progressivesafety.us, and content creation expert for Safety Made Simple Inc., Olathe, KS; joe@safetymadesimple.com