Commitment to Safety, Make it Tangible.

It’s one thing to say you are committed to safety. It’s another thing to show it. The masks you provide, the signage you deploy, the deep cleaning you have done to surfaces, all of this is evidence of your commitment.

There are other ways to communicate that commitment in ways that feel true. Let your team know all the thought and effort that went into preparing their environment to reopen successfully and how much their participation is crucial to keeping the workplace safe and productive. Show them how safety and productivity are interdependent. Make this connection explicit. An unsafe workplace will not be productive for long if infections appear and begin to spread. You will lose valuable workers for a time while they, hopefully, recover and fears will increase, coloring everything in a negative light.

Letting employees know that you see safety as integral to the bottom line shows how incentivized you really are to keeping them healthy. It’s not just lip service. This will go a long way in alleviating their concerns and anxiety. You will show you’re serious and they will respect that effort and hopefully reciprocate in their efforts to follow the new guidelines.