Patrick W. Saltmarsh Corporate Safety Director J. Derenzo Companies
Unacceptable Employee Behavior
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“When you don’t respond to bad behavior, you get more of it.” ~ Carly Fiorina
s Safety Managers, we naturally expect safe working behavior from each member of our company, regardless of their position. We fully expect that our employees work safely and adhere to all applicable safety standards while at work. But in the real world of construction, what happens when an employee (or group) is cutting corners “just trying to get the job done?” Unfortunately, one rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel. One unsafe, corner-cutting, employee can contaminate the entire workplace. All of the good work to build up your business can be undone by one lazy employee who you allow to keep working for you. Too dramatic? Not at all. Negative, lazy, unsafe employees are detremental to your company, whether they are working on a jobsite, at a desk in the office, or sitting in an executive’s chair. One unsafe employee turns into two, into four and so on. Eventually, your work crews take on an atmosphere of unsafe, corner cutting work practices that will lead your company down an unpleasant path that is ultimately bad for business. Good, safety conscious employees do not like being around unsafe work practices, and they won’t put up with it. If you do not address it, your best people will migrate elsewhere and you risk your company becoming known as a corner-cutting company. Jobsite Foreman/Supervisors play a critical role in the safety performance of any organization. These front line supervisors are the interface between AUGUST, 2020
J. Derenzo Co. backfilling while working around a lot of moving pieces.
workers’ behavior (safe or unsafe) and getting the job done. As such, they are the single biggest influencer on good employee behavior and performance. Employers must make this known, by outlining and documenting behavioral expectations as part of an employees’ daily jobsite performance. What to do: • Be clear on what is acceptable and what is not. Create and distribute these expectations to your staff, and enforce them rigorously. • Have a process for complaints and suggestions. All employees need this pipeline for their voice. continued on page 35
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