A Tale of Two Companies

Why it is critical to involve front-line workers in operational decisions

It was the best of companies, it was the worst of companies…it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…?

Perhaps paraphrasing Charles Dickens’ opening in “A Tale of Two Cities” conveys an overly dramatic view, but I have noticed a stark contrast between organizations that trust their employees to make decisions and those that delegate from the top down.

A company that trusts its front-line employees implements systems that support an inclusive culture of collaboration, accountability and transparency.? A company that doesn’t trust its employees chooses systems that centralize decision-making, reporting and compliance activities, sometimes with tragic consequences.

I can’t say that one approach always produces better outcomes than the other, but there are performance limitations when organizations — or even different business units of the same company — exclude employees from direct participation in the conversation about creating safe and productive workplaces. Without their input, upper management may not have visibility into the incredible accumulated wealth of worker knowledge, instead assuming that leadership is adequately informed about conditions in the field. ?This leads to making decisions based on incomplete or outdated data.

Assumptions can lead to tragedy

On September 20, 2022, brothers Ben and Max Morrissey lost their lives in an explosion at the BP-Husky Toledo Refinery in Oregon, Ohio when a fire broke out at the refinery, leading to a significant explosion. Investigations revealed that, in the hours leading up to the explosion, BP supervisors chose to keep the plant operational while experiencing a series of malfunctions despite multiple alarms and employees raising concerns. This decision, made without taking seriously the input of the field employees, contributed to the catastrophic event.

The loss of Ben and Max Morrissey underscores the critical importance of involving frontline workers in operational decisions, especially in high-risk industries like oil refining. Their firsthand knowledge and experience are invaluable in identifying potential hazards and preventing such tragedies.

Employees need to believe their input matters

A second drawback of “managing from the top” stems from the impact on employee morale and initiative.? When employees don’t believe their input matters, they won’t provide input — even when they may have a front-row seat to the most valuable insights in the company.

One of the most striking examples is found in studies of armies during World War II, where notable differences in initiative were observed between U.S. and European troops, particularly in their operational strategies and command structures. The U.S. military often emphasized decentralized command, empowering lower-ranking officers and enlisted personnel to make decisions on the ground. This approach, known as “mission command,” allowed for greater flexibility and responsiveness during combat operations.

In contrast, European forces traditionally adhered to a more centralized command structure. Decisions were typically made by higher-ranking officers, with lower ranks expected to follow orders with less autonomy. This difference in command philosophy at times led to European forces executing missions inconsistently and with less flexibility when their troops had to adapt to rapidly changing battlefield conditions, while the U.S. troops could react more nimbly and prevail.

Empower your front-line employees

Actively engaging with employees and addressing their concerns is essential for maximizing a safer and more productive environment. Top-down management of EHS may result in great regulatory compliance and proactive safety performance, but truly collaborative performance and maximum effectiveness comes from stoking the initiative and harnessing the knowledge of all your workers.

With powerful EHS software from Sospes, you have the freedom to build a company-wide, proactive safety culture. Simple, easy-to-use, and seamlessly integrated across departments and systems, the Sospes platform ensures you can empower front-line employees and reduce workplace incidents by addressing potential hazards before they lead to accidents, or worse, preventable tragedies.

Our user-friendly mobile application enables employees to report workplace incidents, near-misses, safety observations, and more from any device, even offline.

Real-time reporting and dashboards with clear visualizations of complex data ensures management receives immediate alerts along with the ability to make informed decisions when a response is needed fast.

If you are ready to maximize your EHS performance, let’s talk. We can show you how engaged employees make safer and more productive workplaces — and deliver to your bottom line.