When it comes to safety complacency in the workplace, it’s often the supervisor or department manager that copes with the impacts of this complacency. The first ‘line of defense’ some would say. Although you work amongst an extremely competent team, there are often a few small warning signs that could lead to disarray and complacency when it comes to safety in the workplace. An important factor of the working environment running smoothly, watch out for the signs you’re your team are running on autopilot after getting into a particularly rigorous routine.
Before you know it, anxiety, fatigue, and other factors may start to overcome your team. In that case, fix it where it’s happening: together. With a few adjustments to the way you run your team, these issues can be avoided or at least overcome.
So, how can you achieve this? It’s never as simple as reading a few bullet points, but here are four ways that can certainly help in the way you run and manage the team, ensuring workplace health and safety is never pushed to the sideline.
Involve the Whole Team
Ensure that everyone is on the lookout for minor hazards and warning signs that could lead to both minor or major accidents and incidents. From monotonous tasks, to fatigue and rushing through tasks without full attention, these are all things that are linked particularly to workplace safety complacency. If you feel that a team member or colleague runs the risk of causing or being a part of an accident or health scare, tell a superior.
Extensive Communication
Ensure that all processes and procedures are followed as they should be and if people aren’t aware of what they should be doing, communicate with them to give them a full idea. These kinds of processes address the majority of physical threats and accidents, but mental health and anxiety – not so much. Remind your team to take mental health days, enjoy time away from work on out of business hours, and to let you know if they’re anxious or worried about anything. Make sure that you build a relationship with your employees so that they can willingly admit when they’re suffering or having trouble focusing on tasks.
Set Achievable Targets
If you’re setting unachievable targets, you’re going to be left with a demotivated team falling flat of their targets as well as a positive mindset. Set achievable targets to your team and you’ll notice a huge difference in morale – nothing is as motivating as achieving your goals and succeeding for yourself and for your team! Setting up attainable targets builds motivation and momentum, ensuring that all attention is where it needs to be.
What next?
From corporate businesses to construction sites and retail stores – all workplaces find it hard to win the battle over workplace complacency. However, when you do, you’ll create a foolproof workplace, avoidant of all safety and compliance issues. Work together to notice the signs and eliminate it altogether.
We are offering WHS Committee training on our Elearning platform and onsite or online.
