3 Ways for Companies to Look at Health and Safety in the Round.

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Whether you are a creative business that delivers a completely autonomous approach to work, or you are a strict organisation that follows rules, regulations, and governance to the letter, there are two critical elements that will invariably have an impact on how your business performs: health and safety. As companies view health and safety as something that just needs to be adhered to rather than wholly embraced, they are missing out on some of the benefits that health and safety compliance can bring. 

It can increase productivity, and improve workplace satisfaction, and both of these components will feed into a far more understanding of company culture. Looking at the concept of health and safety should be done in the round. Here are some approaches to help you reinvigorate your thinking on this age-old subject:

Looking at It from the Ground Up

Companies that view health and safety as a major pain in their backside and see it as covering their entire business like a massive canopy full of red tape need to change their perspectives. Health and safety is something we should look at from the ground up and see how it can act as a foundation for every component of your business. 

A good example is in those little things that many people don’t necessarily give a second thought to. Whether it is plastic enclosures to guarantee a more safety-conscious attitude to work with electricity or showcasing how adequate signage can alert employees to hazards, we have to look at how the small things can make a bigger impact. Businesses that change their approach and understand the impact of every small decision will prosper.

Incorporating Greater Knowledge at the Ground Level

A business that takes care of those at the very bottom rungs of the ladder will have a far more supportive culture at its core, but in terms of health and safety, it also ensures that a business knows how to look after its employees on a skills-based level. Companies that have call centre staff can easily be accused of having an “us and them” approach to running a business. 

Those at the very bottom on the “factory line” side of things will easily feel like they’re not being supported. If you want to prioritise health and safety, you’ve got to ensure that your employees have the skills to conduct their work safely, but also give them something else alongside it. Because health and safety can be viewed as your responsibility rather than theirs, you’ve got to give them something that benefits them at the same time. 

In terms of knowledge, giving them extra access to training that benefits the business in a roundabout way is vital. A good example would be to incorporate soft skills training alongside health and safety. You should also get feedback from your employees to see what will help them do their job better, but also make them feel they have a great work-life balance. Skills are critical to every element of the business and if one person in a contact centre doesn’t feel like they can progress or only have one string to their bow, you need to look at diversifying their knowledge. 

In order to cover the rules and regulations, you need to adopt a Trojan horse approach. Perhaps incorporate skills swap sessions alongside training on seemingly dry subjects like health and safety, and this will make the bitter pill sweeter to swallow.

Allow Employees to Step Up

Health and safety is not just about putting a sign down if there’s a spillage, but it can be life or death. It’s essential to have appointed members of staff act as guides to dealing with physical problems in the workplace like slips, trips, and falls, but on the other end of the spectrum, there are things like fires and emergencies. 

If we are to give employees the opportunity to step up and show how they can really help in a life-or-death situation, this will increase their engagement but also give them a greater purpose beyond their job. We can’t expect jobs to be 100% stimulating all of the time and so when we look at health and safety in the round, allowing our employees to step up and to be the hero of the day, as it were, can improve employee engagement and give those employees a greater sense of satisfaction.

Health and safety is essential, but we can find ways to make it a far more engaging subject matter, for employees and employers.

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Like Minds is a global thought leadership platform delivering world class events on business development, knowledge and insight aimed at entrepreneurs and business leaders to engage, stimulate and empower them to become global businesses of the future. We also offer a bespoke service for corporate clients and training programmes under the Like Minds U brand. For more information please email bespoke@wearelikeminds.com