How to Keep Staff Safe at Work

August 11 2022 - Maintaining the safety of staff is just a part of the duty of care in a company. HR are the people in charge of most procedures pertaining to staff safety; however, they are not the be all and end all and lots of companies often fall short in areas that really need to be a priority. This article talks about how to keep staff safe at work and why it is important above all else.

Building Security Importance

First and foremost, workers have the right to feel safe entering and exiting their work day. Regardless of the location of the business premises, everyone should be able to leave and arrive in a secure manner without being harassed or feeling afraid. So, what kind of things make staff feel happy and at ease? There are lots of routes companies take to ensure everything is locked up and protected. As explained here by Mobius, the importance of keeping your business premises secure is integral to a successful work environment.

Mental Health and Well-Being

Make sure to protect staff mental health and well-being by providing company socials, staff incentives, and a comprehensive HR department that is trained in dealing with mental health in the workplace.

Work Dress Codes

Work dress codes, while not welcomed by everyone, actually have some positive points in their favor. They are not a uniform like in a school as such, but more of an expectation on how staff members should dress while in the workplace. This is often casually smart and just protects employees from ridicule, makes the brand consistent, and deters anyone from taking away from this image.

Harassment Issues

Issues with harassment are, unfortunately, still a thing in the workplace. This can be anything from race issues to sexual harassment. Regardless of label or type, harassment of any form must be dealt with promptly and legally to protect the victim involved and find a fast route forward out of harm’s way. Any worker found to be violating codes of practice in this arena will most likely be terminated, and that is the company’s best way of protecting its other members of staff from abusive behavior.

But it is not just staff to staff violence that is an issue; many people in customer facing roles also face verbal and sometimes physical abuse from customers too. So, what can companies do to combat this?

1. Hire a security guard to keep the peace and deter crimes such as this (and others).
2. Have clear visual policies around the store for customers to see and take note of regarding expectations around conduct.
3. Train staff in conflict resolution and in how to de-escalate potentially violent situations. Also, teach staff how to ask for help. A store code that only employees are privy to is a good idea so that there is a way to communicate in these types of situations without causing further provocation.

A Clean Work Space

Keeping your staff safe from physical illness is also important. The risk of viruses and other disease transmission is much higher in a poorly maintained and unhygienic environment. Implementing and employing proper cleaning practices alongside professional cleaning services is the best way to minimise the risk of infection transference within the workplace.

Alongside this, ensuring that staff is not penalised for taking days off when they are sick will also foster a much healthier ethos within the business of not spreading diseases from one another for the sake of showing your face in the office. People can still work from home in a lot of industries, so if they are poorly this should be encouraged above all else.

Proper Health and Safety Procedures

Above all, all companies regardless of size or stature, or purpose, must adhere to proper health and safety standards as set out by local legislation and governing bodies. This is just non-negotiable. Many businesses are shut down or forced to cease trading if they are found to be in violation of any health and safety standards or breaching staff rights. So, get these right or else you may not have a business to run. These rules are there to make sure everything is done to protect workers and visitors to any workplace and will vary depending on what the area of commerce is.

Keeping staff safe is a multifaceted venture. Many factors and considerations influence the capacity of a workplace to implement security protocols for workers that suit everyone. However, that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t try to cater to the many and the few too.

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