When you run a business, you have myriad of responsibilities awaiting you each and every day.
With that in mind, one of your greatest tasks at hand is making sure your employees have a safe workplace environment with which to do their jobs in. Unfortunately, some offices and other work related buildings across Canada are not nearly as safe as they can and should be.
So, can you step back for a moment and assess how safe your workplace is?
Do workers ever come to you with complaints regarding the conditions they deal with on a regular basis? If so, have you addressed and/or acted upon them?
Unless you run a one-person show, you rely on your employees for so much.
That said just how safe is your work environment?
Providing Your Employees with a Healthy Workplace
So that you are able to maintain a healthy workplace day in and day out, keep these tips in mind:
- Safety around your office – For starters, look around your office to see if you have issues such as electrical cords sticking out, boxes that could easily tip over, poor lighting conditions, and piles of paperwork that could end up being fire hazards. Any and all of these matters could lead to injuries, some of which can turn out to be quite serious. It is also a good idea to have occasional fire drills, making sure employees know what to do in the event the real thing occurs;
- Group disability benefits – Whether you want to admit it or not, some of your employees will be injured or fall victim to serious illnesses each and every year. As a result, having group disability benefits for your employees is a great idea. With such benefits, you do two things. First, such a benefits plan is a great recruitment tool when you’re looking to hire new workers. Secondly, such benefits help those workers currently out of work who’ve been injured or suffered serious illnesses while under your employment. By giving them a monthly financial lifeline, you allow them to get by as they await to return to work;
- Keep sickness away – How many times have employees showed up for work, only to be sick as a dog? Yes, while you do not want workers falling behind on their workloads or taking advantage of sick days when they actually are not ill, coming into the office with germs galore is not good either. Especially in smaller offices, it can be quite easy to spread colds and the flu etc. from one worker to another. Before you know it, much of your team is under the weather. Encourage those with colds and the like to take a couple of days off to get better;
- Safety outside the workplace – Coming to and leaving the office should be a routine process for all employees. That said be sure your workplace surroundings are as safe as can be. Whether you own the office building or just rent it out, you want a parking lot that has proper lighting and other safety features in place. If you can afford it (or your landlord if you rent office space), having security on the grounds is a good idea.
Meet Regularly to Discuss Safety Efforts
Some business owners have regularly scheduled safety meetings with their teams, meetings that can prove quite productive.
While such meetings are not necessary on a weekly basis, think about having one a month (if you are not already doing so).
The meetings are great opportunities for department heads (and others choosing to speak up) to share their ideas on how to make the workplace even safer. It can also be an opportunity to discuss your current group disability benefits insurance offerings, allowing employees a chance to give their two cents on the plan they presently have.
At the end of the day, knowing just how safe your work environment is will prove one of your most important tasks.
About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.
