Many managers throughout history have seen that if they shine a quantitative spotlight on their business performance it often provides the nudge they need to start seeing the results they desire. In simpler terms, measuring results and talking about those results often produces behaviors that lead to improved results.
The old adage you get what you measure gets its old-adage status because there is at least a modicum of truth in it. Many managers throughout history have seen that if they shine a quantitative spotlight on their business performance it often provides the nudge they need to start seeing the results they desire. In simpler terms, measuring results and talking about those results often produces behaviors that lead to improved results.
Why is that? Most managers would probably credit it with a combination of awareness and accountability. Our team members can actually see how they are doing and know that their performance will be on display.
On the other hand, in a world where there are many competing (and often conflicting) agendas, it can be difficult for workers, especially those nearer the front lines of the workplace, to understand the priority. So, for as much as we would like to credit awareness and accountability for the improvement in performance for measured results, we must also throw clarity into the mix. Measuring and elevating the discussion on a particular business process or topic demonstrates that it is important to leaders and the organization in a real and tangible way.
Creating this clarity is effective. One area that has been clarified and emphasized for many industries in recent years is the safety arena. Organizations have invested in improving their approach to Physical Safety through training, processes and positions. It seems like the results are following the investment.
Physical Safety is actually one of twelve factors that make up the Meaningful Employment Environment (MEE) Framework at TrailPath Workplace Solutions. This framework is used to help organizations understand where they are on their MEE journey, and we have assessed multiple organizations with thousands of participants to date to understand trends among these factors. By far, the highest scoring factor that we have seen is Physical Safety. Learn more about MEE, download The New Workforce Expedition white paper.
Across all surveyed data, 64% of respondents confirmed “safety as a priority” in their organizations with the highest level of agreement. In fact, 86% of respondents gave it a favorable score. This is a small, but significant, example that the trend of organizations to clarify and prioritize safety in their workplace actually does reach and impact their team members.
However, as previously stated, Physical Safety is but one of twelve critical factors. To set team members up to Thrive, we need to prioritize more of the right things. One such thing is building trust between team members and their leaders. Our assessment includes a survey question that asks team members if they would trust their leaders enough to be honest with them and let them know how they are feeling at work. Across this same set of thousands of responses, only 40% of respondents confirmed this with the highest level of agreement and only 67% gave it a favorable score. That’s a significant difference.
What does this mean? First off, it means that the push for physically safe work environments has paid off in these organizations. It also means that there is a big gap in how team members view Physical Safety and trusting relationships in the workplace today. Can you imagine if trusting relationships had the roughly 20% higher score that Physical Safety has in these organizations? How many team members that are simply surviving at work today could be seen, understood, and saved to continue meaningful careers with their organizations if building these trusting relationships was a priority?
The fact that there are potentially eleven other critical areas that organizations really need to clarify (and measure) to build a Meaningful Employment Environment is both exciting and intimidating. Honestly, it might seem overwhelming. So, how can we tackle such a grand undertaking? Well, another adage applies here: How do you eat a whole elephant: one bite at a time. Or, in this case, we clarify and prioritize the path to a Meaningful Employment Environment one factor at a time. Let us help!
About the Author:
Clint McCrystal is a leader in product development for TrailPath Workplace Solutions, a people and organizational development company. TWS offers a disciplined learning and business management system focused on building Meaningful Employment Environments where both people and organizations thrive. Prior to joining the TWS team, Clint developed people and processes as an operator, instructor, and consultant for multiple supply chain companies.
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