Right now, the world is full of many threats to one’s physical health and wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed just how vulnerable so many aspects of modern society are. One big event can completely reorient people’s perspectives on safety.
That certainly extends to the workplace.
In today’s climate, any business that wants to thrive has to make safety a central tenet of its mission. In a new piece for Security Magazine, Kelly Johnstone writes about the importance of emphasizing “duty of care” in the workplace.
The term refers to “the moral and legal obligations of employers to their employees, contractors, volunteers, and related family members in maintaining their well-being, security, and safety when in the workplace,” Johnstone writes. She points to the fact that 75% of organizations surveyed in the International SOS 2024 Risk Outlook Report said that the corporate world can “expect an increase in duty of care expectations from their employees this year.”
Essentially, employees want to know they are in a safe environment.
Companies can institute a duty of care-friendly environment through a multi-pronged approach:
Leadership has to commit — Given that a company’s leadership establishes a baseline tone for a business’s identity, Johnstone emphasizes that managers have to lead by example. This involves setting aside resources to improve safety protocols and holding people within a given company accountable if they violate the firm’s established code of conduct.
Perform risk assessments and audits— All companies and firms have to perform risk assessments to establish the biggest potential vulnerabilities and threats their employees face. Once the major physical security risks are defined, protocols have to be established. Johnstone adds that regular reviews and audits should become the norm to ensure that standards are upheld.
Train the team — A company can perform all of the needed risk assessments and put in place thoughtful leadership but nothing could ever be secure without proper staff and employee training. All businesses should offer employees education in hazard recognition and emergency response procedures. “It’s also important to encourage ongoing learning and skill development or enable effective handling of diverse situations and ensure duty of care is a priority of all employees, not just leaders within the organization,” Johnstone adds.
Open up lines of communication — Staff at all levels of leadership and employment have to have clear lines of communication throughout a company. This entails creating lines of communication like anonymous reporting systems and individual team member reviews. If employees are calling out specific physical security threats that they are either experiencing or are wary of, management must be receptive and listen to feedback.
Institute support programming at your company — A good leader in today’s modern office must institute support programs that can foster positive mental and physical health. This could mean putting in place wellness programs, team building activities, and having counseling and mental health services readily available on campus. This can prevent burnout and boost morale.
For Johnstone’s complete recommendations, head to the link here.