Your Employees Are Your Lifeline: Here’s how to protect them
A safe workplace is one of the cornerstones of a successful business. From employee health and safety to regulatory compliance, there are myriad considerations involved in keeping your team safe and healthy.
Whether you’re an employer who has never considered workplace safety before or someone who just wants to ensure you’re doing all the right things, it’s important to understand the obligations placed on you by law and how they affect your business.
Here are a few tips on how to protect your employees:
Lay the groundwork: Be sensitive to employees’ needs
Employees have an array of personal needs that affect their wellbeing and productivity. It’s your responsibility to understand the issues that can impact your employees and take steps to protect their health & safety.
Be sensitive to employees’ needs, including providing them time for themselves to rest, access to the outdoors, nutritious meals and snacks, physical activities, opportunities for enjoyment and healthy connection among employees.
Prioritise a good work/life balance
Sometimes we forget to stop and realise that there are more important things in life than just working. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily work, projects, meetings, deadlines, etc. Prioritise a good work/life balance and help your employees achieve this because it can make a world of difference.
To remain competitive, businesses need highly engaged employees. Research shows that work/life balance is just as important for productivity as cash incentives. Improving work/life balance isn’t just good for business; it also lowers absenteeism and recruitment costs, helping cut business costs.
Provide tools for success
By providing employees with the training, health and safety information they need, you can encourage them to do their best work and ensure everyone is protected at work. Provide your employees with what they need to stay safe and do their jobs well.
Create clear and concise policies and procedures for your employees and provide the tools they need to be aware of their rights, stay healthy on the road and report workplace incidents—so you know what’s happening in your business.
Have proper insurance in place
Employer’s liability insurance is mandatory and protects your business in the event that any of your employees suffer an injury while working for you, injuries that may result in lawsuits. You risk having to pay for these lawsuits out of pocket if you don’t have liability insurance coverage. You may be forced out of business by litigation. Also, your employees will feel better knowing that there is a plan in place for their safety.
Prepare Good Health Plans
Every workplace is required by law to deal properly with health situations. By preparing a health and safety plan, you can ensure all your employees are aware of the steps they need to take in case of an emergency involving dangerous goods. There are different types of health plans you can provide for your employees.
Employers are responsible for their workers and must ensure the safety of their employees. These steps can help to ensure workers are safe in their place of employment. Employers can implement these measures to keep them healthy and prevent serious injuries in the workplace.
