Safe Employees Are Productive Employees

Many business leaders believe that safety protocols slow things down, but the research actually shows the opposite. Safe workplaces tend to be the most productive because staff there feel like they have a real runway to be autonomous while also being protected by the firm at large. When employees feel secure, they tend to work faster and make fewer errors. There is less staff turnover, and they will stay with the company for longer.

Here’s a quick breakdown of why safe employees are productive employees:

There’s less downtime

You’ll notice that when employees feel and are safe, productivity increases. There’s less downtime because they’re being protected by the systems you’ve developed in your company to reduce the risk of injuries.

Think about what happens during actual downtimes. You have to stop operations to investigate the incident and see what went wrong. Then you have to repair or replace any damaged machinery, fill out compliance paperwork for internal purposes, and manage insurance claims. This takes hours away from your official business goals, preventing your firm from being as laser-focused as it might want to be.

Now compare this to when your employees are safe and you don’t have to go through issues like this at all.

There’s the psychology of psychological safety

On top of this, there’s the psychology of psychological safety. Google first outlined this concept over 10 years ago, and it has since become a standard feature of analysis in multiple industries.

When employees feel safe to come forward with the problems or issues that they face, they’re much more likely to stay with a company for longer and develop a sense of loyalty. When you think about it, psychological safety makes sense. Constant hyper-vigilance about physical hazards strains employees’ mental energy; however, when workers trust their equipment and training, they’re more likely to proceed with confidence and focus on the task at hand.

Companies like A1S Group install systems that improve physical safety in offices regularly. For example, you might want to think about adding fire curtains or a sprinkler system to your offices just to keep people safe. It can also help to line exit routes with LED strip lighting so that people can see where they’re going even if rooms and corridors are filled with smoke.

Smooth operations by standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Interestingly, another way to make employees feel safe is to provide them with standard operating procedures (SOPs). When operations are smooth and tasks feel the same every time, it reduces the risk of unforeseen outcomes. SOPs were originally implemented to make operations more efficient, but it turns out that the same practice also makes them safer. When people follow the same sequences, they know which page everyone is on. Quality stabilizes, and bottlenecks reduce.

Improved morale and retention

Finally, safe employees are productive employees because of improved morale and retention. High turnover is a real productivity killer because you’re constantly having to train people up, but when employees feel safe, that problem reduces significantly.