Are you looking for better ways to maintain safety?
Work-related injuries and diseases lead to 2.3 million fatalities every year. Meanwhile, occupational accidents are at a whopping 340 million.
As employers, you’re responsible for the safety and health of your employees. How do you ensure a safe environment for them? It’s through setting safety policies.
However, these policies are only effective if employees follow them. You need to learn how to enforce rules properly. Read on for some tips on how to promote compliance in the workplace.
Document Your Policies
Any policy you want to establish should be in your employee handbook for documentation purposes. It allows every employee to access them easily. It allows them to review their responsibilities and their rights.
It also serves as a compliance tool, helping you if an employee violates company policy. Remember, it’s a living document you must maintain and update regularly. Notify all employees whenever you make changes.
Train Your Employees
Having proper documentation isn’t enough. Host training regularly and every time you update your policy. It helps them stay aware and less prone to mistakes.
During training sessions, ensure the employees don’t only understand the “how” as in how to comply with the business rules and regulations. They must also understand the “why” behind every company policy.
Determine Any Barriers to Compliance
Are you having trouble enforcing rules?
First, look into why your employees aren’t compliant even with proper training and education. It’s not always due to ignorance or rebelliousness.
Force of habit can be a hindrance to complying. Use reminders and other compliance solutions to ensure employees are more mindful of your new guidelines.
Take a Positive Approach to Enforce Rules
A culture of compliance flourishes with positive approaches. Tell people what they should do rather instead of what they shouldn’t do.
If you enforce rules that always say “no” or “do not,” your employees might have a harder time accepting them. After all, no one likes someone telling them “no” over and over again.
For better compliance, use positive language to enforce proper behaviors. Say, “use the red lever” instead of “don’t use the blue lever.” Don’t forget to give the reason.
Consider a Reward System
In the same vein, use positive reinforcement rather than punishments. Instead of punishing an employee with a deduction for not attending a seminar, you can increase attendance with incentives like coupons or free lunch and dinner.
Small reward systems like these make compliance more interesting and enjoyable. People will be more active in participating in workplace compliance measures.
Ensure Workplace Compliance Today
As you can see, workplace compliance doesn’t only involve telling everyone what to do. To enforce rules properly, ensure they can and will follow them.
Remember, the rules affect real human beings. Listening to your employees will also help improve compliance.
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