As health and safety professionals and leaders, we often focus on implementing regulations, providing proper training, and ensuring compliance with safety protocols. While these measures are absolutely essential, there is a powerful, yet often overlooked factor that can greatly influence the success of any safety initiative: emotions. Yes, you read that right – emotions.
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.”
– Dale Carnegie (1888 – 1955), American Writer and Lecturer
It is about the human mind and brain. The way we behave and others perceive us. In fact, it is applicable in both professional and personal life. If we are able to listen to people if we can touch deeply their hearts and minds, definitely we can influence people.
In this article I am breaking down the area of importance of inclusion of emotions in workplace safety, that I have learned and implemented through the course of my career.
Understanding emotions and human beings!
Emotions definitely affect and influence the individual. Anger, fear, love, etc. are different emotions. Our emotions can influence others and vice versa, both in the workplace and in our personal life. The fact is, emotions play a significant role in our daily lives, influencing our decisions, behaviors, and overall well-being. Just recall the promise that you have given to someone closer, last time, in which emotion you were then.
If we observed ourselves, we will realize that emotions play a critical role in how individuals perceive and respond to different scenarios. People are influenced by their emotions to make decisions, whether it is to follow safe practices or to take risks.
Why do emotions matter in workplace safety?
We know that emotions play a critical role in an individual’s decision-making process. This also happens at the workplace. For example; consider a scenario where a worker is faced with a task that poses a potential risk. Fear, a powerful emotion, can serve as a protective mechanism, urging the worker to take appropriate precautions and avoid unnecessary hazards as fear makes individuals more cautious and alert. On the other hand, complacency, stemming from overconfidence or a lack of emotional investment in safety, can lead to negligence and a higher likelihood of accidents. Similarly, positive emotions like a sense of responsibility or teamwork, pride, and recognition can motivate people to work together to create a safe environment.
Emotions of managers and supervisors also play a vital role in shaping the overall safety culture within an organization. If leaders exhibit indifference or prioritize profit and target over safety, their employees are more likely to adopt similar attitudes. Conversely, when managers prioritize safety and effectively communicate their emotional commitment to it, employees are more likely to embrace safe practices and prioritize their own and others’ well-being.
That means when we appeal to people’s emotions, we can tap into their deepest beliefs and values, and encourage them to take action based on these emotions. This approach can be a powerful tool in promoting workplace safety and preventing accidents.
A few thoughts from my experiences are shared here.
Use storytelling in your safety talks
Storytelling is a good method to grab attention and to influence people. Safety storytelling involves sharing real-life stories of safety incidents or close calls to create an emotional connection with employees and illustrate the potential consequences of unsafe behavior. These stories can help employees understand the human impact of safety incidents and motivate them to prioritize safety in their own actions. Try to speak or demonstrate with emotions so that those emotions are transferred to them easily.
Imagine while you are delivering a safety speech about eye protection, instead of saying this kind of eye protection you need to wear while working, you can share a case study of an accident that happened where someone suffered from an eye injury. Even a picture of the same can be shared with the audience. This will have more impact than having just displaying the bulletins or alerts on the notice board. While telling a story properly (of course good storytelling needs planning and practice), he/she may be imagining the characters in the story as themselves, subconsciously. Even they recall some situations they met with similar kinds of incidents or near-missed cases.
Engage them in the safety speeches
While delivering a speech to the workforce, about an unsafe condition or an act, ask them to share, if they had any similar experiences or witnessed something in their personal experiences. And if we give them a chance to share their experiences with the group, they will feel recognized and more connected. (Of course, we should let the person come out of his social fear). When employees feel valued and supported, they are more likely to follow instructions and report safety concerns and incidents, which can lead to a more proactive and responsive safety culture. This can ultimately lead to improved safety outcomes and a more positive work environment for all employees.
Break the conventional meeting practices
Normal safety briefs are held at the workplaces, where all parties will either be standing or sitting and the supervisor or the safety personnel will explain the relevant health and safety information. Try this next time; Plan and deliver the speech in a different place. It can be in your canteen or rest area and let all people sit and feel comfortable. When meetings are delivered in the same place or atmosphere, the thought perception of the people and the outcome will be the same. When we choose a different venue where people feels a difference and in a manner that inspires and feel recognition to them, there will be a change in perception and outcome.
Turn your anger and upsets into empathy and compassion.
We may often become upset and angry when someone made a mistake. And we may lose our emotional control. We may respond to the situation without considering the fact that mistakes are common and natural. Our reaction to that particular situation may leave an emotional wound that may put off the confidence of the person, instead of letting that person know, what was the mistake and what could have been the consequences.
Imagine someone is doing an unsafe activity that is a real threat to him. Instead of advising the rules and protocols, first, if we convince him of the potential consequences that could have happened, chances are great he will understand easily what disciplinary action can teach to him. It can be done by sharing a real-life story or something we have read across. After that, if we ask him what caused him to take a such risk, it will be more convincing to him. The message that we wanted to communicate will be effectively injected into his mind with this one attempt. And for the same result, we may require multiple attempts of a combination of different ways required, if we follow traditional methods.
Managers’ and frontline supervisor’s involvement
Effectively persuading individuals to adopt safe work practices requires appealing to their emotions rather than solely relying on logic and rules. By tapping into emotions such as empathy, pride, and a sense of purpose, organizations can instill a personal connection to safety. Employees are more likely to embrace safety measures when they understand the potential impact on their own well-being, the well-being of their colleagues, or the broader community.
Managers and supervisors also have a critical role to play in leveraging emotions for positive change. By creating an atmosphere of trust, support, and open communication, they can establish emotional connections with their teams. When leaders actively listen to employee concerns, empathize with their emotions, and respond with genuine care, they foster a sense of psychological safety, encouraging employees to voice safety-related issues and actively participate in safety initiatives.
Promoting positive feedback and recognition
Promoting positive feedback and recognition in the workplace is crucial when it comes to health and safety awareness. By offering recognition to employees who prioritize workplace safety, we can create a positive and collaborative environment that encourages others to do the same. When we celebrate successes and communicate the importance of preventing accidents, we can emotionally connect with our team and inspire them to make safety a top priority. By using positive feedback and recognition to influence behaviors, we can create a culture of safety that benefits everyone in the workplace.
Similarly, employees should feel comfortable speaking up about unsafe conditions. They should know that their concerns will be taken seriously and that they will not be punished for reporting unsafe conditions.
Encouraging mindfulness and stress management techniques
By encouraging employees to focus on the present moment and manage their emotions, they can avoid distractions and maintain a clear mind when performing their daily tasks. A professional and empathetic tone can help persuade employees to prioritize safety and take responsibility for their actions, ultimately creating a safer and healthier work environment.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, it is important to recognize the power of emotions when it comes to influencing people towards creating awareness and following safe practices in the organization. Tapping into the power of emotions such as empathy, pride, and a sense of purpose, organizations can foster a workplace environment where safety becomes a shared responsibility and accidents are minimized. And embracing the influence of emotions and integrating them into safety strategies, organizations can pave the way for a future where workplace accidents are minimized, employee well-being is prioritized, and a positive health and safety culture thrives. That said’ safety leaders and organizations should gain insights into the emotional climate surrounding safety. The questions you should ask are; Are employees motivated to prioritize safety? Are there any underlying negative emotions that hinder safety compliance? These insights will help you to tailor your safety initiatives and interventions more emotionally.
