Safety has become a hot-button issue in the workplace in recent years. The pandemic has created extreme conditions, but employers must always consider health and safety. By taking steps to create a healthy and safe workplace, you can reduce employee absences, increase productivity and increase employee engagement. There are a few things to consider.
Keep Communications Open
Your employees want to be aware of health and safety concerns at all times. It is important to keep the lines of communication open between employees and managers. If employees have questions or are concerned about health in the workplace, allow them to give feedback. It is important for management to keep the team up to date on any changes that are made.
Include Mental Health
When we talk about health and safety, we usually talk about physical aspects. You want to protect warehouse workers from injury and office workers from illness, but that's not the only consideration. Employees also want to know that you value their mental health, too. Provide resources for mental health and provide a solid program for family leave.
Reinforce With Regular Training
You must continually reinforce your safety measures through training to make them a priority. This should begin with the orientation of the new employee, but should continue with regular reinforcement throughout the employee's tenure in your organization.
Make Health and Safety a Focus of Your Culture
With all this in mind, it's important to make health and safety a focal point of your company culture. Your employees want to know that you see them as whole people and want to make sure they stay safe and healthy at work and at home. When you incorporate these values into your company's mindset, you create a more robust system for your employees to thrive.