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Reprint from Utility Safety Magazine–
Building
a Complete Incentive Program Picture this-it's 4:00 on Friday afternoon. You're on the electric pole cutting cable and very behind schedule. It's one hour away from "Miller Time". What's going through your head? I have one hour left and three hours of work to finish. I'd better take it slow because if I have an accident I won't get that clock radio." OR, "I have one hour left and if I pick up the pace and really fly, maybe I'll get home by 5:30." The employee who thinks the latter is much easier to find, and there are a few obvious reasons why. First, at 4:00 p.m. on any day the incentive of winning a clock radio is easy to forget. Second, let's face it, a toaster, clock radio, logo'd jacket, or steak dinner will never motivate a behavioral change every day, 365 days a year. Merchandise alone is not reliable way to motivate employees to work safety. Don't get me wrong; the lure of a merchandise award is a great motivator. Companies have received better results from merchandise than from cash. But merchandise is most effective when used as a piece of a more comprehensive program campaign that includes three important components-frequent program reminders, creation of an environment, and confronting accident prevention. Pacific Gas, Coca-Cola, Exxon, Green River Electric, Elkhart Public Utility, 3M, and literally thousands of companies have used these three components in their programs, with great success.
Frequent Reminders RYDER Truck learned the value of a reminder. The district safety manager had a lofty goal, to reduce accidents by 50 percent from the previous year. He wanted to do this by boosting the operation's overall safety awareness. The previous year, Ryder had offered a merchandise award on a quarterly basis to employees without an accident or safety violation. This time around, RYDER changed its plan. The new program utilized point-revealing game cards that employees traded, collected, and later redeemed for a merchandise award of their choice offered in a catalog. The constant reminder worked. RYDER subsequently reduced its accidents by more than 58 percent from the previous year. Create an Environment A major division at Boise Cascade learned that creating an environment pays big dividends. Boise's team believes incentive programs that utilize a campaign approach including merchandise can enhance a solid safety program. Their program was based on employee involvement and encouraged workers and their supervisors to trade game cards and merchandise points. This created a fun camaraderie between the two groups. The program also incorporated posters, bulletin board announcements, and a grand prize. Boise Cascade ended the year with a 27.5 percent decrease in recordable injuries and the best incident rate in division history.
Confront the Issue of Accident Prevention International Paper made education a top priority. The company's behavior management team leader explained his situation this way: "In the past, safety at the plant level was reactive instead of proactive." International Paper then introduced a safety program with a behavior-based element. When an employee worked one month without a recordable injury, he/she received a game card. They would also receive a game card for attending for attending a monthly safety meeting. Game cards were given to employees who performed four safety observations each month, conducted a BJA (Behavioral Job Analysis), and did one extracurricular activity. International Paper experienced great success by aiming its incentive program in a proactive direction. The employee participation rose fivefold. By aiming the program in this direction, International Paper dramatically improved its incident rate, recording its lowest accident rate ever. ConclusionRealize that your program can and should do more that handing out free stuff. Remember these three things: Remind, Create, and Confront. In order for a program to be successful, it needs to have these three in balance. Now go home- it's 5:00! Reprint from Utility Safety Magazine. |
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