As I type, I’m wondering if anyone even has the time to read this, given the end of year rush has arrived.
I’m sure most of you have received the end of year safety message or sent it out to your organisation. These emails are genuine and sent with the best of intentions, and for years the narrative hasn’t changed. “Statistics tell us this is a high risk time of year for incidents”, “we want everyone to go home to their loved ones for Christmas”.
Why, year after year, do we still get into the end of year rush and why are incidents still happening? I don’t have the answer, although I do have some tips and examples to help manage the emotions of the end of year rush, which will hopefully make your workplace safer, happier and healthier during the month of December.
1. Have conversations. Lots of them. The reach and impact of an email is limited, particularly if you aren’t out at the cold face engaging with those doing the work and those supervising the work. Set targets and/or increase targets around conversations for the month of December. The conversations should be a connection point with people to understand stress levels, personal perception of risk and risk taking and if any additional controls need to be put in place to mitigate risk.
2. Communicate and publicise the “end of year” milestones well in advance. Make sure the milestones are realistic and measurable. Know what your own personal and professional milestones are, your team’s milestones and your teammates’ personal and professional milestones. When a milestone is achieved, acknowledge this, recognise the work and thank those involved.
3. Ask people what they are most concerned about and where they see risk in a project. Ask how they believe the risk can be best managed and then work together to implement a suitable control .
4. Acknowledge that the end of year celebrations/holidays are not necessarily a “happy” time for some. This could be the first celebration without a loved one, or the silly season may bring on anxiety for others. Remember to promote Employee Assistance Programs and to check in with people every day during this busy period. Provide support and guidance to a level that you feel comfortable doing.
5. Be mindful that people may require flexible work arrangements due to family events and school holidays and have support mechanisms in place to accommodate this. Additionally, be alert to the fact that people may be fatigued, physically and/or mentally. With various corporate end of year events and personal functions, people are likely to be burning the candle at both ends. This should be taken into consideration when planning activities and considering resource requirements for the month. Without sounding cliché, refresh on the signs of fatigue and your organisation’s Policies.
6. Get creative and engaging with your end of year campaigns. Here are two examples of holiday campaigns that we have run at Probuild over the years (which I am very proud of): a construction safety advent calendar and holiday safety. The construction safety advent calendar was designed to enable personalised safety interactions and conversations to be had daily. On top of this, it was a light hearted way to have conversations about family rituals and traditions over the Christmas period, putting into perspective why we increase our focus and vigilance. The holiday safety poster campaign was a way to demonstrate to our employees that we care about them being safe over the break too, subtle reminders about what can go wrong on holidays. Ironically a construction supervisor fell off a jet ski and dislocated his shoulder. He called me and said “I should have paid more attention to the safety messages on the poster”.
Keep an eye on Instagram and LinkedIn where for the month of December we’ll be publishing safety tips! And from Inherboots, we wish you a happy – and safe - festive season!