How to Get Past Resistance and Change the Safety Culture

How to Get Past Resistance and Change the Safety Culture

To improve your company's safety culture, people need to change how they think about health and safety. While some team-members may want to stay the same, it can be hard to make progress.

Leadership is essential. Leaders need to show that they care about health and safety in a way that goes beyond meeting business goals. As a leader, you must always put health and safety first for the people working in your company.

Here's how to deal with resistance and build the best health and safety culture:

Identify Resistance

1. Fear of the Unknown: Changes are uncertain, making people worry about their job stability and future.

2. Loss of Control: Many workers don't like change because they fear losing control over the situation. Try to focus on delegating parts of your tasks and find out the best way to grow.

3. Loss of Comfort Zone: Many people in their comfort zone may not want to change because they don't understand why they should do more when they can do less. Try to stress the advantages of a better place to work.

How do I get past resistance?

1. Get the message out: Make clear that the safety mindset needs to change and how it will help everyone.

2. Involve Key Team Members: Ask them for their thoughts early in the planning process—and give them clear roles to make the change happen.

3. Offer Training and Support: Give your team the information and skills they need through rough training programs and ongoing support.

4. Talk about concerns openly: Make sure everyone on the team feels safe enough to talk and discuss worries without fear of being judged. Organize periodic stand-downs and reassure workers.

5. Lead by example: Show them that you are a good leader who wants the best for his workers and that change is inevitable if you want to drive the company toward excellence.

Then, make sure that you regularly update the broader team on the achievements, celebrate small wins by involving them, and thank your employees for all the efforts and hard work that they've accomplished.

Final Thoughts

HSEQ experts can help companies improve their safety culture by addressing resistance through clear communication, participation, training, support, empathy, and a leadership pledge. A well-thought-out plan can turn resistance into support, making the workplace safer, more efficient, and more productive.

At Technique Works, we help businesses improve and strengthen their health and safety programs by navigating the challenging world of cultural change.

Contact us here to find out how we can help you overcome resistance and achieve safety success.