Putting Your People First is More Than Safety

Safety posters adorn the walls of most of our shops & job sites, yet putting people-first isn’t just about safety. It’s about caring for the whole person.

A lot of your folks feel like their supervisors care about their “safety”, simply because they don’t want their workers’ comp to go up, or because they don’t want the job to get behind. This understandably does not make them feel valued. Putting people first in your leadership is about understanding your employees’ lives and genuinely caring about them, beyond your business goals. Your workers need to understand that you actually care about their safety because you care about them as a person. Putting people first is more than just injury issues and safety.

What if a worker has an important event in their life, like their kid’s baseball game or graduation? Do you know about it? Do you make sure they leave in time? Do you let a job get behind because you insist they go?  No right or wrong answers specifically, but you need to know where your culture stands on these issues. Then you have to continuously build what you want your culture to be.

‍

Examples of People-First Leadership in Action

You and/or your managers (depending on the size of your company) actively get to know each team member. You understand and care about what is important to them, and look for ways to support them. You are willing for a job to go over-budget to keep folks safe. You treat safety as a foundational element instead of a poster.  Your team feels like they are personally valued.

‍

Starter Questions:

Do you invest proper focus, time and money into safety training?

Do you and/or your managers know your workers’ families and lives?

Do you understand what is valuable/important to your workers?

Do they feel you are here to help them, beyond just as a boss?

‍