How to Get Employees to Comply with Safety Guidelines
Posted June 26th, 2020
Even when a rule is put in place to keep employees safe, that doesn’t mean every worker will automatically comply. A team member’s desire to avoid injury alone may not be enough for them to be internally motivated to follow the guidelines. Often, there has to be more to the equation.
Luckily, there are things managers can do to promote safety practices in the workplace. If you need to get your employees to comply with safety guidelines, here are some tips that can help.
Have the Right Goal
A company’s core goal behind its safety initiatives can influence how employees react to the guidelines. If a business touts the cost-savings and productivity boosts as primary reasons for enhancing safety, that may not connect with employees. Those are concerns focused on the bottom line, not the workers’ well-being. As a result, some react poorly because it seems like the precautions have nothing to do with them.
If you want employees to comply with safety guidelines, you need to have the right goal driving the initiatives. Ideally, the purpose should be to keep employees safe and healthy. By approaching it from that perspective alone, your rules appear to come from a place of caring, not financial gain. As a result, employees may react more positively to the idea.
Cultivate a Safety Culture
Your company’s culture also influences how open workers are to complying with safety rules. If your culture isn’t safety-oriented, you could have issues getting employees to follow any guidelines.
For example, if those who report safety issues are chastised or ignored, it suggests that safety isn’t actually a priority. This will make employees complacent, frustrated, or bitter.
In contrast, if those who are safety conscious are rewarded and celebrated, it shows that the company values safe practices. This makes following the rules more enticing, leading to higher adoption rates.
Lead by Example
If company leaders aren’t following safety guidelines, employees won’t either. When those who define the rules don’t seem to believe in them, many workers will assume that they aren’t actually necessary. Essentially, when leaders present a mixed message, staff members typically default to what managers do instead of what they say.
For better safety guideline adoption rates, managers can’t just be champions of the idea; they have to let the principles guide their daily actions. That shows employees that everyone is being held to the same standard and creates a sense of consistency. As a result, most will mirror their manager’s approach, causing more workers to ultimately embrace the guidelines.
In the end, it can take time to convince employees to comply with safety rules. But, by following the tips above, you can make progress toward a safer workplace.
Contact Bayside Solutions Today
If you’d like to learn more about how you can promote rule-following, the professionals at Bayside Solutions can help. Contact us to speak with one of our employee management specialists today and see how our workplace safety expertise can benefit you.
