How's Your Safety Recognition Program Going? That Good, Huh?

I have to admit this. I have no data whatsoever on the topic.  The trouble is, few people have ANY data on this topic.  We go on gut instinct.  We go on correlating better practices with better results. We go on what we've learned over our careers.  So, here's what I have learned...

Program Seeds of Success

Make the recognition effort important and lasting by tying it to the organization's strategy and have a metric reviewed at senior levels. If the senior leaders don't care about the effort, why should anyone else?

Celebrate with non‐monetary recognition. Money tends to screw up the programs. Hand written notes, genuine "thank you" messages and symbols work really well.  Maximize recognition over reward.  Think lunch with the head of the division, personal thank you cards, walls of recognition, etc. Emphasize personal conversations in the work place (Go to Gemba!). 

Chances are, your organization has already been successful using recognition programs. Don't re-invent the wheel. Mirror existing recognition processes that are already successful. Partner with your HR team.

Whatever you do, keep it easy to administer, measure, verify and recognize your safety heroes. Use visual management to track specific positive behaviors that you want to embed in the organization. 

Remember that people don't like to be recognized in the same ways.  Some relish public recognitions. Others prefer a one-on-one conversation. Consider company or department wide goals so that all employees can be recognized for success. This can be a celebration when x% employee participation in a safety behavior program, or a celebration when we all achieve embedding of a specific behavior. 

Lastly, carefully consider any negative consequences that may develop as a result of the recognition program. Apply countermeasures to minimize those negative consequences.  You don't want to chill reporting of near misses and incidents and you don't want to be like that video from MAD TV (Google mad tv safety pizza). 

Pitfalls to Avoid

Don't create competition amongst participants. There doesn't need to be winners and losers in safety.  

Never tie the program directly to injury reductions. Instead, focus on better or safer design, improved guarding, or positive behaviors. Be prepared to manage the employee reactions of “I’ve tried it before and no one listened, so why would they listen now?”

Don't make the reward so large it becomes coveted. These programs tend to drive the wrong behaviors, regardless of intent.

King for a Day

So, if I were king for a day, and after focusing on world peace, food for all and equal rights for everyone, I'd get around to chartering a team to design the safety recognition program with the following boundaries:

Goal: Improve design of our work environment that will result in fewer injuries and reduced operational risk AND maintain or improve operational efficiency

- Boundaries: Program with a 'sunset clause' when we pause and re-evalaute the efforts. Sorry folks, nothing lasts forever.

- Sponsorship: Senior line leader to sponsor/champion the effort

- Participation: Open to all employees, maybe even temporary employees (watch out for co-employment issues!)

- Review: Must engage local leadership for evaluation of ideas

- Recognize both the submission of ideas, the planned implementation and the actual implementation of successful idea (as a colleague once said, in the game of ideation, we give 2 points for ideas, 8 points for plans and 90 points for implementation!!!)

- Rewards: Monetary recognition should be minimized. Non‐monetary recognition should be maximized (evaluate what already works at your company)

- Participation: Easy submission of ideas (draw on a napkin, submit photo and state the benefits and costs). Maximize employee involvement in submission review and recommendations with quick feedback on idea and disposition to the employee originator.

Shining Examples

I'll always remember a food manufacturer that I worked for. They wanted to rewards cost savings ideas. It was part of a strategy to reduce cost by 2% annually. Employees submitted ideas and plans. If the plans were successful, they received a Lucite encased $2 bill with a letter from the division president. The effort was seen as critical to reducing cost year over year.  The two dollar bills were displayed proudly and prominently. How can you take these concepts and apply them to safety?

Horrible Warnings

Similarly, I recall an aircraft manufacturer that had a goal to reduce worker’s compensation costs that were in the tens of millions of dollars. They translated those costs into sales volume ( a good idea). It clearly stated how many aircraft need to be sold to pay for worker's comp. costs. They then used a lottery method for recognition with one high value prize. It was a car given every quarter, including a "true up" for taxes.  One manager ‘winning’ the lottery ruined the program, as employees saw that this effort was "just another way to reward management."

What have you learned about recognition processes? I don't pretend to have all the answers!