[Barefoot]

I am going to a team meeting today that will be asking us for "mitigation strategies" for a particular type of incident we have and would like to reduce the number of. Fairly severe in this environment and we have a "target" of 4 and have already reached 9.
There are precursor indications that may or may not affect the chance of being involved in a severe incident.
(I can't mention the type of incident as it is very sepcific to my work and I am not allowed to publicly speak about our issues)

The point that I would like to make at this meeting is that our staff have low morale due to the way they are being managed (very poorly and very punitive, a big gap between staff and management, no relationships to make staff comfortable reporting anything) and that in order to make the incidents decrease, we should increase motivation for the job and the level of willingness to do a good job.

How do I word this in a way that doesn't alienate me from my managers and thus have me treated badly also?

Please help, I really want staff to be happy, but also cant work in a place that I am made feel unwelcome.

Thanks.

[SplashingRainbow...]

Could you go with the motivation angle - some people move towards things they like whilst other people move away from things they don't like? Therefore as a management team we need to make sure we have both types of motivators in place? I propose we consider the following ideas for motivating employees to report <whatever needs reporting>.

I don't think that's personal, is fairly objective, and allows you to suggest specific actions that can take plac.

Its important to realise you won't change mindsets and belief systems in a day (or probably even a year). Best you can do is improve systems as systems drive behaviours. Little improvements over time can have a big impact.

Good luck at your meeting today.

[fairyflossfart]

How do I word this in a way that doesn't alienate me from my managers and thus have me treated badly also?

Please help, I really want staff to be happy, but also cant work in a place that I am made feel unwelcome.

No suggestions, but good luck. Situations like this are never easy. In the workplace or outside it.

[dirtgirl]

You probably don't have the time, but it might have been helpful to dig up some some research that demonstrates the point you are making (ie. that a positive workplace culture can be effective in reducing workplace incidents.) If the incidents you are referring to are related to safety, you may find that the WorkSafe website could be helpful.

In terms of approaching this subject at your meeting, I would probably recommend putting a positive spin on things. Instead of pointing the finger at all the negative stuff that leads to said incidents, perhaps look for examples where positive, supportive behaviours were integral in avoiding an incident (the near misses). This will make your colleagues less defensive, and may prompt an honest discussion about how to encourage a more supportive culture.

Good luck.

[threelittlegems]

I would say something along the lines of it's really important that staff report incidents to management and suggest that they look at how often staff do actually report. Ie, without saying anything negative, bring it up in a neutral way and provide a solution by how they can evaluate the level of reporting back to management so that they can determine for themselves if it is an issue. After they determine it's a problem, hopefully someone will be smart enough to work out why.

Were you saying in your OP that if staff talked to management more about what they see, that the incidents would decrease?


This post has been edited by threelittlegems: 12/04/2012, 07:30 AM

[emmafg]

On train so don't have time for long response but I think as a first step you should raise privately rather then a group environment. I know as a manager getting asked awkward questions or tackling complicated and emotional issues unprepared in a group is difficult. As a manager I have to deal with that but a private heads up would probably be appreciated.

[SleepyJean]

Maybe you could just bring up that you feel there is a lack of staff engagement with their jobs that contributes and that if it was addressed, the situation may improve. Talk about some strategies for identifying why staff may not be engaged and how to address this. In a nutshell, don't put the 'cause of the problem' (i.e them) on the table, but just identify that there is a problem and let the managers do the work to find out why. Might be a bit easier if they discover, rather than have someone tell them, that they are the issue.

[Barefoot]

Meeting was cancelled.

The incident they are trying to stop is an accident, no one tries to do it, but it happens every so often. But more often lately, especially the staff under our section.

It is nothing anyone can report to avoid, it is an in the moment error of judgement.