Don't Make Safety Boring and Expect Everyone to Be Excited by It

A recent post caught my attention in the health and safety professionals community I'm a part of. The post was from a safety professional seeking advice:

"We've had health and safety implemented for a few years now but are getting feedback that newsletters, emails, etc. should be "lighter’' and with more humour and fun to gain more buy-in from the floor. How do you do this? Seems hard as Health and Safety is a serious topic."

This sentiment resonated with me deeply. It's a common challenge many safety professionals struggle with: how do we maintain the seriousness of safety while making it engaging and enjoyable for everyone? My initial response was:

"While safety is a serious topic, you can also make it fun, more relevant and engaging for people so you get more buy-in. If your people give you feedback, you must listen to what they want/need. Safety is about them, not us, so you must ensure that your actions work for them. I also find that by making day-to-day safety a little more "lighthearted and fun," when you have to address a serious issue, the change in tone is more noticeable. There is a whole psychology around engagement, the way people take in, process and remember information. Part of that is making things fun, interesting, out of the ordinary, etc." Making Safety Engaging

The key takeaway here is that safety is indeed about the people it's designed to protect. It's about creating an environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and engaged. When employees suggest making safety communications lighter and more fun, they're not undermining the importance of safety—they're asking for content that resonates with them.

The Psychology of Engagement

Engagement is crucial in any communication, and safety is no exception. There is a significant body of research in psychology and neuroscience that tells us how people engage with and retain information. Here are a few key points:

• Variety and Novelty: Our brains are wired to notice changes and new things. Incorporating different formats and styles in safety communications—such as videos, infographics, or interactive quizzes—can capture attention better than plain text.
• Humour and Positivity: While safety is a serious subject, using humour appropriately can make messages more relatable and memorable. It can also lighten the mood and foster a more positive safety culture.
• Relevance and Relatability: Tailoring safety messages to be relevant to the specific work environment and relatable to the employees' daily experiences can enhance their impact. Real-life stories, examples, and testimonials can make safety concepts more tangible.

Listening and Adapting

Feedback from employees is invaluable. It reflects their needs and preferences, and addressing these can significantly improve engagement if employees find current safety communications too dry; it is an opportunity to innovate and try new approaches.

Balancing Fun and Seriousness

Balancing lightheartedness with the seriousness of safety can be a powerful strategy. By keeping day-to-day safety communications engaging and fun, you create a positive baseline. Then, when a serious issue arises, the shift in tone is more pronounced and impactful, reinforcing the gravity of the situation.

Learning from Marketing and Neuromarketing

As safety professionals, we can learn a lot from marketing and neuromarketing. These fields delve into the psychology of engagement, exploring how colour, font, and design can influence perceptions and behaviour.

• Colour Psychology: Different colours evoke different emotions and reactions. For instance, blue can convey trust and calm, while red can signal urgency and importance. Understanding and utilising colour psychology can make safety messages more impactful.
• Font and Design: The font choice and overall design aesthetics can significantly affect readability and engagement. Clean, modern fonts can make messages more approachable, while bold fonts can emphasise critical points.
• Visual Hierarchy: Marketers use visual hierarchy to guide the viewers' eyes through content in a specific order. Applying these principles can help ensure that the most critical safety information is seen and remembered.

Practical Tips for Engaging Safety Communications

• Know Your Audience: Understanding your audience and their preferences for receiving information is critical to ensuring inclusive and effective communications.
• Use Stories and Scenarios: Real-life stories or hypothetical but realistic scenarios can make safety concepts more relatable and memorable.
• Interactive Elements: To engage employees actively, incorporate quizzes, polls, gamification, and interactive content, for example.
• Visual Aids: Use infographics, videos, and images to break down complex information and make it more digestible. Do a video version or a podcast-style communication instead of sending out a standard written email or newsletter. Mix it up and keep it interesting.
• Humour and Fun: Don't shy away from light humour where appropriate. It can make the content more enjoyable, relatable, and memorable for all the right reasons.

Final Thoughts

Safety is a serious matter, but that doesn't mean it has to be dull. If it is, people will disengage, and instead of getting buy-in, we will get resistance.

By listening to employee feedback and incorporating elements of fun and engagement, we can create a safety culture that is both serious about protection and enjoyable to be a part of. Remember, safety is about the people we serve, and making it engaging for them is critical to getting their buy-in and commitment.

Let's embrace the challenge of making safety communications more engaging. After all, a little creativity can go a long way in keeping everyone safe and excited about safety.