Recognize This! – Safety recognition programs – as opposed to traditional safety incentive programs – encourage the behaviors you desire with none of the negative unintended consequences.

Continuing this week’s theme of dissecting traditional employee milestone (years of service) and incentives (sales incentive programs), let’s look at safety incentives – a program in which poor design can cost people their lives.

In his UpstartHR blog, Ben Eubanks recently posted from a session on safety incentives at the HR Florida conference. The presenter certainly got the key message about safety incentives correct (as reported by Ben):

It’s the classic problem with workplace safety incentive programs, really.Too often, safety incentives focus on rewarding only the desired end result – fewer safety incidents. It’s easy to see how that only incents people to do two things – not report safety violations and not report situations that could lead to safety violations.

Rather, a successful safety incentives program shouldn’t be centered around incentives at all. Incentives set a pre-determined goal (no incidents) and reward when that is achieved. Instead, a safety recognition program would be structured on a company value of safety, such that anytime an employee behaves in a safe way, he or she would be recognized and rewarded for demonstrating that desired value of safety.

Two critical outcomes of centering safety around recognition, not incentives are:

1. More frequent reporting of unsafe or potentially unsafe conditions before a safety incident occurs
2. More accurate reporting of safety violations since such reporting would itself be recognized.

Instead of safety errors being swept under the rug, such situations would be brought to light so managers and employees together can develop safer working practices for all.

Have you seen a well intentioned safety incentives program deliver the opposite of desired results? Share your story in comments.