The Role of Safety Management in Enhancing Employee Morale - Essay Example

? The role of Safety Management in enhancing employee morale Grade (5th, Nov. The role of Safety Management in enhancing employee morale Introduction The prevention of injuries and diseases to employees within an organization makes good business sense, considering that the good health and physical fitness of an employee translates to a productive employee, while also saving on the organizational costs in terms of the man-hour loss, caused by the absenteeism of the employee due to injuries and poor health (Lee, 2004). Additionally, through maintaining good safety standards, an organization is able to benefit financially, through saving pretty much expenditure on the hospital and other health bills that the unhealthy and injured employees will incur. Notwithstanding the losses incurred by the organization in case of unhealthy or injured employees, the supervisors are also held responsible for the safety, welfare and health of the workers who are directly under their supervision, and may be charged with the criminal liability of negligence, should it be found that the workers under their direct supervision were injured or contracted some health deficiencies due to the negligence of the supervisor, in failing to observe the safety standards required (Fink, 2004). This being the case, it becomes very important that the organization as a whole, as well as line supervisors, should adhere to the safety standards requirements, to avoid suffering the damages accrued from the injury or contraction of adverse health by the workers. Nevertheless, these are not the only benefits of good safety management within an organization. The safety standards observed by an organization within the workers job environment are directly related to the motivation and the consequent productivity of such workers (Planek, 2011). Therefore, this discussion seeks to analyze the role that safety management plays in enhancing the morale of the employee, and how that impacts on the overall productivity of the employees and the performance of an organization. Safety management and enhanced employee well-being Studies have shown that there is direct relationship between the safety status of employees working environment, and their well-being, inform of anxiety, depression and stress (HR Voice, 2009). Effective Safety Management within an organization ensures that the safety of the employees is given priority, through the realization that a healthy and motivated employee translates to higher productivity. However, whenever the Safety Management within an organization is poorly done, the employee working environment becomes hazardous and consequently a danger zone, where injuries, disease contraction and even death can occur (Gustin, 2008). The hazardous working environment on the other hand causes anxiety on the employees, since they are weary of the dangers that might happen to them anytime. Consequently, the productivity of the employees is reduced to a large extent, considering that the level of concentration on their job tasks is very low, since their focus is on how to avoid danger (Spector, 2008). When the state of mind of the employees is unsettled and their mind continuously fixed on the hazardous environment that might cause them harm, some form of stress subsequently develop, since the state of mind of the employees is unsettled, and their main focus is on the next bad thing that might happen to them (Fink, 2004). The findings of many studies have shown that stressed employees are poorly motivated, and thus their productivity and job performance levels are low. The whole scenario translates to a conclusion that the safety management of employees working environment is directly related to their levels of job performance and productivity. Therefore, poor safety management has the implication of producing a hazardous and unhealthy working environment for employees, which in turn causes the employees more anxiety, depression and stress, translating to an unsettled mind and poor state of mental health (Spector, 2008). The consequence of this is low morale for the employees. Therefore, good Safety Management enhances workers’ morale. Safety Management and Employer of Choice In the world of employment, nothing is attractive to a potential employee, than an organization that is reputable and responsible. Therefore, the ability of an organization to attract the best employees in the market is dependent on the reputation that the organization has within the market, as well as the remuneration and other employee benefit packages (Planek, 2011). Nevertheless, studies have shown that many highly qualified, trained and experienced employee will prefer an organization that offers a conducive environment for workers, with high safety standards and the observance of high degree of employee well-being ideals, as opposed to the organization that offers a high remuneration and benefit packages, yet with risky and poor working environment for the workers (Fink, 2004). Therefore, it is through the adherence of good Safety Management practices, that an organization is set on the path of being productive, through the attraction and acquisition of highly trained and experienced employees, since they are highly motivated by a safe and conducive working environment. The ability of an organization to attract the best employees in the market is directly related to the level of motivation and morale that the employees will display within the organization (Business Owners Toolkit, 2012). Additionally, through recruiting highly trained and qualified employees, an organization is able to boost the morale of the employees it already has, since they enjoy the reputation of the organization, as well as the presence of the highly trained and qualified staff, since it serve to show them that what they do is worth bigger and sharp brains, thus making them feel a part of the society that is making great contribution to the world (Fidderman & McDonnell, 2010). Therefore, Safety Management is directly related to the nature of the employees that an organization attracts, which impacts greatly on the employees’ motivation and morale. Safety Management and employee Appraisal and Promotion The aim of every employee working with any organization is that their contribution to the growth and expansion of the organization will be recognized and rewarded. This explains the essence of the employee appraisal programs that are employed by different organizations, to evaluate the performance of different employees in their respective tasks and report their performance (American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1994). The reported performance of an employee after the job appraisal determines whether an employee qualifies for the other benefits offered by the organization to employees, which may include salary increment, increased benefit, and promotion to a higher job level. Therefore, whenever the safety of an employee in the workplace is guaranteed, the employee is in a better position to work hard and thus earn high scores during the appraisal, since their motivations are high. However, whenever the safety standards within the working environment of an employee are not adequately adhered to, thus leaving employees prone to safety and health risks and hazards, the employee may not realize their full potential, since their mental state is not conducive for the job performance, owing to anxiety, stress and depression, which hampers the employees concentration in their tasks, resulting to poor tasks performance (Fink, 2004). The appraisal of such an employee would definitely indicate low scores, and thus hinder them from being promoted, or from enjoying salary and benefits increment. The failure to get promoted or to have the work of an employee recognized and rewarded, even after many years of working with the organization, will leave the employee demoralized, while also making the relationship of the employee with the organization turn soar (Reese, 2009). Therefore, Safety management determines the welfare of the employees, and thus determines their appraisal and promotion, which in turn translates to high employee motivation and morale. Safety Management and Trust A work environment that an employee can trust is the fundamental principle of employee motivation and morale boosting. The trustworthiness of a working environment highly depends on the level of risks and hazards associated with the work environment (Fidderman & McDonnell, 2010). Therefore, the type of the Safety Management program applied by an organization determines how the employees are able to trust their working environment, which then boosts their confidence in the workplace, so that they feel comfortable whenever they are performing their job tasks. The comfort and the confidence prevailing in the work place is a vital factor that determines the level of motivation of the employees. The enhancement of a work environment is not complete, without ensuring that the environment in which the individuals are working is safe (HR Voice, 2009). Therefore, offering safety incentives is one of the major ways of ensuring that the behavior and attitude of the employees are geared towards adhering to the safety standards that an organization has set. Where the employees are participants in the Safety Management programs of the organization, they get to learn the essential safety precaution measures, thus developing a complete trust towards their working environment, since they have been able to interact with it productively (Business Owners Toolkit, 2012). After developing a trust for their environment, workers feel confident and more comfortable and therefore, they trust in their working environment. Through trust, the motivation and the morale of the workers are boosted, which in turn improves the performance and the productivity of the employees (HR Voice, 2009). Therefore, simply put, Safety Management is an essential aspect of enhancing trust in the work environment for the employees, and consequently their level of performance and delivery in their job tasks. Safety Management and Employees Behavior According to safety experts, majority of accidents and injuries in the work environment are contributed by the unsafe behaviors of the employees, as opposed to the environment in which they work being unsafe (Gustin, 2008). The behavioral tendencies of the employees that manifest unsafe characteristics are an indication of a far deeper problem, than just the superficial behavior of the employee. The unsafe behavior of the employee is contributed to, by the attitude that the employees have, either towards their job tasks, or towards the organization as a whole, and the working environment (American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1994). The focus of the Safety Management programs should therefore be more on the behavioral tendencies of the employee, as opposed to making the environment safer. It is the way the employees act and react that informs the cause of their behavioral attitude towards the safety measures and precautions that the organization has put in place. Whenever the employees seem to show unsafe behavioral tendencies towards safety measures established by an organization, it indicates that they are poorly motivated and their morale is low (Roughton & Mercurio, 2002). Thus, there exist a mutual relationship between the levels of motivation and morale in employees, and safety management practices employed by an organization. The Safety Management programs should therefore be geared towards eliminating issues that causes the employs stress and anxiety, which in turn causes them to react by adopting and portraying unsafe safety behaviors (Spector, 2008). To effectively curb injuries, grievances, and health hazards within an organization, the fundamental aspect is to focus on the issues that cause the employees stress and eliminating them. References American Institute of Chemical Engineers. (1994). Guidelines for Implementing Process Safety Management Systems. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Business Owners Toolkit. (May 24, 2012). Is Your Employee Morale Suffering? http://www.bizfilings.com/toolkit/sbg/office-hr/managing-the-workplace/employee-morale-issues-tactics.aspx Fidderman, H. & McDonnell, K. (May 21, 2010). Worker involvement in health and safety: what works? Fink, N. (2004).The High Cost of Low Morale: How to Address Low Morale in the Workplace through Servant Leadership. The Leading Edge. http://www.roberts.edu/Academics/AcademicDivisions/BusinessManagement/msl/Community/Journal/TheHighCostofLowMorale.htm Gustin, J. F. (2008). Safety management: A guide for facility managers. Lilburn, Ga: Fairmont Press. HR Voice. (May 1, 2009). Safety Makes Cents – The Supervisor’s Role. Work Safe BC Magazine 7, 2. Lee, D. (January 19, 2004). Are You Really Serious About Improving Morale? The Employment Times. http://www.humannatureatwork.com/employee-morale-article-2.htm Planek, T. W. (2011). “Safety Promotion.“ Occupational Health and Safety. Reese, C. D. (2009). Occupational health and safety management: A practical approach. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Roughton, J. E., & Mercurio, J. J. (2002). Developing an effective safety culture: A leadership approach. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann. Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). Spector, P. E. (2008). Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Research and Practice, (6th ed.). Wiley: USA. Read More