Solicit employee input

When 1 told my colleagues I was writing about how to celebrate. Josh Williams promptly responded, That s easy, a 100 bottle of cognac, a 6 cigar, and a special friend. 1 informed Josh 1 was not talking about that kind of celebration. It did occur to me, however, that 

When asking people how they would like to celebrate, challenge tiiem to think beyond tangible rewards. A discussion about material rewards puts the celebration in a payoff-for-behavior mode. This is not the purpose of a safety celebrahon. How you celebrate a safety milestone determines whether the occasion is meaningful and memorable or just another misguided but well-intentioned attempt to show management support. 

Consider, for example, the new employee who needs specific direction at first. Then, as he or she becomes familiar with the routine, more support than instruction is called for. Later, you decide to expand this individual s work assignment with no increase in financial compensation. This situation will likely benefit most with a coaching conversation whereby both direction and support are given, at least at first. 

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BCBSM conducted enterprise-wide surveys (macro-level work) and focus groups to ensure inclusion in the process and also widely communicated progress to all employees, soliciting their input at every major juncture. 

Obtain widespread acceptance and commitment. Inform all affected employees in advance of initiating the MOC system, solicit their input, and respect their perspectives and concerns. 

Plans and procedures help define job roles and expectations. The individuals in an organization that best understandtheir roles, know what is expected, and know how to improve it, are the ones performing them. Plans and procedvures empower employees to make decisions that positively affect the bottom-line results of the company. Once an issue or activity of the company has been determined to need a policy, employee input should be solicited throughout the development and implementation process. 

When practicing MBWA, listen more than talk. The purpose of MBWA is to learn what is happening within the organization and to solicit input and advice from others. That information is then acted on to improve the organization and the work of employees. 

When defining objectives, solicit input from as wide a range of employees as practical. Your ideas already may influence your managers and supervisors. Nonetheless, you will find that safety objectives are most effective when you discuss them with your supervisors and employees. At the least, secure their agreement and get employee buy-in. Employees who feel they have helped set objectives will be more motivated to achieve the stated task. 

If the employees had participated in the incident investigation, additional input might have been solicited at the time of the first incident, thereby preventing the second incident. In addition, there was no discussion of the injuries or near misses during the monthly safety meeting, indicating a failure to use the safety committee to address real, practical, and soluble issues. If the safety committee had addressed the root cause, they... 

Solicit input also from employees who are unable to attend area meetings. 

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