Workplace Safety: What Can HR Do?

Tips to ensure a safe working environment

Workplace safety has become a focal point in recent months, given the recent shootings at YouTube, the Capital Gazette Newspaper, and other places of employment. For many employees, especially those who work in HR, these incidents have brought up questions about whether their own organizations can ensure a safe working environment.
 

 

According to recent research from Next Concept Human Resource Association and Waggl, more than 6 out of 10 HR professionals are concerned about workplace safety in light of recent events regarding mass shootings and other types of violent behavior in public settings. The “Voice the Workplace” pulse was sent to thousands of people from organizations of all sizes, using Waggl’s crowdsourced listening platform from April 9-May 18, 2018. In mid-size corporations with 5,000-20,000 employees, 85% of participants expressed concern, in comparison with only 38% at large corporations with more than 20,000 employees.  
 
In aggregate, 61% of the participants also said that they were actively reviewing their safety policies. At non-profit organizations, the number was significantly higher, with 78% of respondents reporting that they were reviewing policies.
 
From this research, it’s clear that workplace safety has become a greater concern, given recent high-profile incidents. Where safety policies used to focus on fire drills and accident prevention, many HR professionals now find themselves in a climate where they need to look more carefully at security practices and procedures, including access to buildings and protocols for lock-downs. Some are also looking to invest more heavily in mental health and wellness programs in order to prevent incidents in the workplace.
 
NCHRA and Waggl also posed the open-ended question, “What, in your opinion, is the single most important thing employers can do to make the workplace safe from gun violence and other types of violent behavior?” Crowdsourced responses were distilled into a ranked list using Waggl’s real-time feedback platform. Here are the top four responses:
 

 
So, what can HR professionals do to help ensure a safe working environment? Eliminating conflict altogether doesn’t seem realistic, but it is possible to create the kind of healthy culture that handles conflict constructively. In order to do that, organizations need to take steps to make the workplace more human. Here are three steps that HR professionals can take:
 

1. Continually demonstrate that people are valued by acknowledging their contributions on an ongoing basis.
2. Encourage regular communication between management, departments, and team members. Listen and take action on the thoughts and opinions of employees.
3.Work toward peaceful conflict resolution by building consensus and alignment within the organization through transparent and inclusive decision making.

Kate Benediktsson currently serves as Chief Ignition Officer at Waggl. Fire-seeker and startup enthusiast, Kate is a full-range person with creativity and freedom as two of her core values. She is a creator of systems and efficiencies, and believes the key to successful business is a well-designed structure. Connect Kate Benediktsson Follow @azikate