Yesterday, we reported the views of a safety expert who is concerned that safety incentives may motivate some workers to hide safety problems. Today, we present the views of another expert who believes that with the right approach incentives can work.
“To say that incentives don’t work is hogwash,” says Bill Sims, president of Bill Sims Behavior Change.
Sims says companies considering eliminating all rewards and incentives need to look first at executive compensation, which typically includes performance bonuses.
“You can cling to your dogma if you like, and you’ll get there without incentives, but I’m going to get there about five times faster!”
The approach Sims recommends blends appropriate incentives with traditional behavior-based feedback and observation. It’s a formula, he points out, that has been used by leading employers, including Coca-Cola, Fluor Construction, DuPont, and International Paper.
Sims says his goal is to tackle the safety problem with everything at his disposal. “We’ve examined the most successful behavior-based safety (BBS) processes from the big names. We’ve looked at their strengths and weaknesses.” He says he’s combined those elements with the best in incentive systems to create a unique hybrid.
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Hybrid Approach
“We help companies replace outdated lagging indicator incentive systems that cause people to hide behaviors with a next-generation approach that drives real behavior change,” says Sims.
“We’ve figured out (and have a patent pending on) systems and tools that allow you to complement a BBS observation program with tangible reinforcers in a way that doesn’t hide or contaminate data.”
An example is the “You did it right™” card. This is an on-the-spot reinforcer that provides positive, immediate feedback for employees being observed. The card acknowledges safe behavior and invites the recipient to cash the card in for an incentive that he or she chooses.
Sims and others say that giving an employee a choice in the incentive is an essential component in achieving success.
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Reinforce and Train for Safe Behavior
In addition to reinforcing or rewarding safe behavior, you also have to train for safe behavior. If employees don’t know the right thing to do, there’s a very good chance they won’t do it. And that means accidents and injuries.
Don’t take the risk. Especially when BLR has made training is so easy!
Our Safety Meeting Repros provides you with 50 completely turnkey safety meeting modules, each responsive to a key OSHA regulation, with trainee materials in reproducible form. Just check off the outline items as you proceed through the meeting and you won’t miss a single point of importance. Then follow up with the fully prepared quiz (with instantly available answers) and illustrated handouts that also come with each lesson. You’ve completed a full training cycle, with little more work than running a copier, at a cost equivalent of under $6 a session.
We don’t think you can appreciate how much this program can ease your training task without looking it over. We invite you to do so at no cost (we’ll even pay any return shipping) and no risk. Here’s how you can arrange a trial run, at our expense.