Workplace safety has evolved into much more than maintaining a physically safe environment. It also involves psychosocial safety and psychological safety. But how do you manage all the risk factors without overspending or over-accommodating? Keep reading for the answers you need.
A Look at Workplace Safety – Redefined
Let’s consider the 3 components, or types of, safety.
Physical safety
We often rely on organizations like OSHA for physical safety standards – such as how to use equipment and tools properly and keeping a clear walkway throughout a worksite. Physical safety can also include proper techniques like lifting with your legs and not back, staying hydrated and nourished and having ergonomic workspaces. It’s all the elements that can affect your physical well-being in the workplace.
Psychological safety
Psychological safety refers to the connections between things, feelings and experiences and your mind and mental health.
Psychosocial safety
Psychosocial safety involves the connections between your mental health (your psychological health) and your social environment. Psychosocial hazards are things that can cause stress, anxiety, depression and burnout.
This reflects why BreakWell takes an 8-pillar approach to workplace well-being because if you are constantly feeling stress from circumstances or cultural issues, your mental health will suffer. This stress can manifest physically in high blood pressure, weight gain or a plethora of other symptoms. This in turn can impact job performance, employee engagement and employee retention.
The Negative Impact Poor Workplace Safety Can Have on Your Company
Higher employee turnover
Consider this statistic from a December 2022 article in the Harvard Business Review.
Today, people are 10 times more likely to quit their jobs because of toxic work cultures — rather than compensation or work-life balance — and three in four people say that their boss is the most stressful part of their jobs.
Decreased productivity
According to a Gallup article, 50% of U.S. workers are “quiet quitters”, meaning they do the minimum work required, are psychologically detached from their jobs and don’t show much employee engagement.
So even if your employee retention isn’t suffering yet, your employees’ productivity might be quietly on a fast decline.
The costs of increased incidents
If your company is not upholding safety standards or is contributing to poor mental health and burnout, ramifications and healthcare costs will damage your employees, your bottom line and your company’s reputation.
Loss of credibility
Word about what it’s like to work in your company gets around and will inevitably impact your ability to hire quality employees.
These are just a few of the symptoms that lackluster workplace safety can cause.
How to Create Workplace Safety That Uplifts Employees and Your Profitability
This is not about coddling, letting everyone be right or accommodating everyone’s requests. And it might seem expensive or time-consuming to cover all the workplace safety factors that will optimize your profitability. But with the right steps and help in place, it is possible and proven to work!
Consider these opportunities to elevate workplace safety and therefore employee happiness.
Physical
•Develop and practice an emergency action plan.
•Post instructions about security procedures.
•Post policies about zero tolerance for violence, bullying or harassment.
•Communicate regularly and openly about health guidelines and safety measures.
•Offer CPR training.
Psychosocial
•Put practices in place to regularly recognize employees’ work or character. Customize the recognition to the individuals (not everyone likes public praise).
•Encourage employees to praise their peers.
•Eradicate the blame game and make it about correcting the process (or if needed, address the employee at fault in private but not public).
•Make employees’ roles clear to one another to foster quality outputs and outcomes.
•Show your support on a more personal level by having non-work-related conversations with employees too.
•Lead by example to encourage inclusion and equity – and educate about it.
Psychological
•Allow employees to make and admit a few mistakes without feeling bad about them. Ask them what they learned.
•Accept and appreciate differences in your employees’ communication and work styles.
•Provide opportunities for professional and personal growth through webinars, training or other events. (more on this here)
•Let employees feel safe and valued when they ask questions.
When you get honest feedback from your employees, you will know which areas you need to work on immediately, while still incorporating all 3 components of workplace safety.
BreakWell helps you do that. We will interview employees and leaders, assess the real versus perceived state of workplace safety and develop a program that will improve both! Our goal is to help you create a culture that prioritizes and rewards safety. We partner with experts who offer safety workshops, training and events that help your employees feel protected physically, mentally and socially while at work – or even away from work.
When you boost your workplace safety provisions, your entire team will be more engaged, motivated and happy to work with you. They will be healthier and more productive, and everyone can reap the benefits of increased profitability. All because they feel safe.