When your employees go to work, they have a set of expectations. These include getting paid, having a fair break and feeling safe in the workplace.
Safety comes in many forms. This could be feeling safe from criminal activity or any health and safety violations. It is assumed that these expectations will be met. When they are, you’ll find their working ability will be elevated. They’ll be more confident and, more importantly, will care about the work they do.
If they don’t feel safe, however, a completely different story could ensue. Read on to learn the importance of making sure your staff feel safe at work.
Free from crime
Between April 2020 and March 2021, 38% of business premises were victims of crime, with theft being the most common. Other forms included assaults/threats and burglary. Each of these is a reason to be scared for employees. However, there are steps you can take to mitigate the possibility of your staff falling victim to such crimes:
- Put up CCTV internally externally.
- Ensure employees have a well-lit car park nearby.
- Put shutters on windows and doors.
- Place all cash in a safe when locking up at night.
- Install an alarm system.
While these features will reduce the chances of crime affecting your business, you should prepare for the worst. To do this, ensure you have the right insurance in place for your business. For example, a beauty salon business will require salon insurance.
Health and safety hazards
There is an expectation that you will get home from work safe and injury-free every day. However, there were 400,000 non-fatal injuries in workplaces in 2020/21. Some will have been accidents, but some will have had blame apportioned to them.
Basic health and safety issues may have contributed to these injuries. Examples of these include:
- Hazardous substances like asbestos.
- Noise and sound exposure.
- Slips, trips and falls.
- Tools and equipment errors.
- Extreme temperatures.
As the leader of the workplace, you have a duty of care for the safety of your employees. When you cut corners, you invite health and safety issues as well as dangerous crimes. Take the correct steps and ensure your staff feel safe and confident when they step into the workplace. If you don’t, you may start to see a lot of staff handing in resignation letters.