Rules and Attitudes
Rules work. Even if we call them procedures they work. Well, most of the time. Which brings to mind the question of why they don't always work.
The answer is people.
That is particularly true when we ask people to do things differently. Let's look at display screen equipment (DSE) as an example. DSE has all the elements that should make the rules for use easy to follow. There is little, if anything, difficult about DSE. It also has all the elements for why people don't always follow the rules.
So what do I mean? DSE use usually has rules for posture, time limits on use, arrangement of the work area and so on that are easy to comply with.
The problem is that the conditions that DSE can cause such as bad backs, tendonitis etc are way off in the future. That is where people are very poor at complying with rules. If the perceived damage is months or years away people will have a tendency to not want to change what they are doing. They will nod and agree during training session and then go back to work and do what they have always done.
Sound familiar? That is true of many other workplace activities, whether it is manual handling, putting the guard down on a machine, not hitting someone with a fire extinguisher and many other simple rules.
There are some way around the problem though. First is the introduction of a rule saying 'Do this...' That part is simple. The second is more difficult. The rule has to be enforced.
That can be tricky because it can create cognitive dissonance. The thought that "This is the way I have been comfortable with doing this but that other way is the way they want me to do it."
The "comfortable" way often wins, particularly when no one is looking. So, you need to find away around people doing what is comfortable or the way they have always done things. The disciplinary process in businesses can work. That is an unfortunate fact as many of us don't like reaching for the ruler to rap people's knuckles.
Then again, there is the power of social norms. If the business can get the message over that "This is the way we do things" that can be very effective.
In fact, social norms can be more effective than either warning of future health conditions or a rule on its own. Social norms can convert the rule into something the employee wants to do and in turn that can overcome that pesky cognitive dissonance we mentioned earlier.
So how can you create a social norm? You can brief people on the subject and get them to sign to say they will comply. You can have notices or videos on site of people doing the task correctly (preferably actual people who work on the site). Overall, you are aiming for something that reinforces the message "This is our business and we do things this way. We don't drop our standards just because other businesses do."
Getting the communication right can be a key element of creating that social norm. That will be the subject of another article coming soon.