HOP 101: Why It's the Secret Sauce for Safety

So, you’ve stumbled upon this buzzword - HOP, or Human and Organizational Performance, and you’re wondering, “What the fudge is this?” Let’s break it down, no jargon, just straight talk. Imagine we're dissecting this over a cuppa, alright? Because I am absolutely not an expert on this. So this week...I am obsessed with explaining HOP to others.

What on Earth is HOP?

My very first engagement with HOP was through Brent Sutton and he scrambled my brain and essentially fed it to me...It was an interesting topic, logical and a lot of "why are we just not doing this all the time" moments.

So think of HOP as the cool new kid on the block who’s here to shake things up in the world of workplace safety. It’s like someone finally realised that blaming Joe for accidentally hitting the emergency stop wasn’t solving anything. Why? Because maybe the button was in a spot where it’s too easy to bump into.

HOP is all about getting to the bottom of why mistakes happen instead of playing the blame game. It’s about understanding that we’re all human and bound to slip up now and then. But, more importantly, it’s about making sure that when we do mess up, it doesn’t end in a catastrophe.

Why is HOP a Big Deal for Safety?

Alright, let’s talk about why HOP is your new best friend when it comes to safety:

1. It’s Got Your Back

HOP is like that friend who’s always looking out for you. It knows that people are going to make mistakes, so instead of getting mad, it asks, “How can we make things safer around here?” It’s all about prevention and making sure small slip-ups don’t turn into big problems.

2. No More Pointing Fingers

With HOP, there’s no “You had one job!” vibe. It’s not about blaming someone for messing up. It’s about figuring out why something went wrong and how the team can fix it. This means people aren’t scared to speak up when they see something risky because they know they won’t get thrown under the bus.

3. Learning from the Oopsy-Daisies

Every mistake, every “oopsy-daisy,” is a chance to learn with HOP. Instead of sweeping blunders under the rug, HOP encourages teams to dig into what went wrong and share lessons learned. It’s like turning every goof into a group project to improve safety.

Getting Started with HOP

Well lets start at the beginning, have you thought about buying the book and reading it? Highly recommend...

Educate Your Team

Begin with workshops or training sessions to introduce the basic concepts of HOP. Education is critical, as a deep understanding of HOP principles is essential for effective implementation.

Analyze Incidents with a New Lens

Start applying HOP principles by analyzing past incidents not to find fault but to understand systemic weaknesses. Encourage team discussions that focus on what the organization can learn from each event.

Implement Small Changes

Identify one or two small but impactful changes that can be made based on insights gained from your initial HOP analyses. Small wins can help build momentum and buy-in from the wider team.

Establish a Feedback Loop

Create mechanisms for continuous feedback on the changes implemented. This could be through regular meetings, suggestion boxes, or an open-door policy. Feedback is crucial for iterative improvement and for adjusting strategies as you learn what works.

Wrap-Up

Hopping onto the HOP train (see what I did there) means shifting gears to a more understanding and supportive way of dealing with workplace safety. It’s like finally recognising that to err is human, and rather than punishing mistakes, we can learn from them and make our workspaces safer and happier.

So there you have it, HOP 101, your beginner’s guide to changing how we think about mistakes and safety. Next time you catch yourself or someone else in a whoopsie, remember, it’s all part of the journey to a safer workplace. Cheers to making safety a team sport!