Workplace Accidents Aren’t Usually a Surprise.
It’s said that workplace accidents stem from 99% known causes. “Yes, we knew that was dangerous” or “We knew that machine shorted out once in a while”, or “We knew that thing was a trip hazard, but we didn’t do anything about it”. When a culture of ‘not saying anything about it’ is allowed to grow in an organization, there can be some very serious safety implications. Unfortunately, workplace accidents are often the inciting incident that prompts a lot of companies to change culture.
What changes need to take place?
Remove the fear of reprisal so that pointing out the breakdowns becomes a normal behaviour. People get in the habit of reporting abnormal things that they find. There are some really great, practical ways to make this normal (for example, Andon stations are awesome. Any employee at any time can halt the line and alert management if/when they see something wrong or unsafe. So great.).
Flip the organizational pyramid.
Typically, we understand most workplace structures as a top-down, hierarchical food chain. The top dog is at the top, and the the people who are working with their hands on the product, doing the day-to-day work on the front lines are on the bottom. Does that make sense? Not in an environment that’s about empowerment.
The individuals that have the most ability to impact what the customer sees should be at the top of the pyramid. Management and leadership exist to support and empower the workers from below.
Your people want to do well.
The vast majority of the time, the people on your factory floor want to solve the problems that crop up. They want things to run well. They want to make a great product for the customer. They want to contribute to something meaningful; they want to understand how their work connects with the big picture.
Do people get crusty?
Do they become uncaring or malicious? Yes. It happens. Those people are the exception, not the rule. I think that sometimes people who’ve been taken advantage of or hurt wind up becoming protective of themselves. They become disappointed, and discourage – but I believe they still want to do good.
Empowered, engaged employees are win-win, both for the bottom line, and for the quality and enjoyment of life. Given the opportunity and encouragement, your employees will rise to the occasion.