Your team needs an empathetic leader during a crisis

Empathic is an important trade for leaders and especially during crisis. Following is an article of posted on SmartBrief.com

In these challenging times, many of my coaching clients are feeling deeply concerned about how to motivate and inspire their people. “How can I motivate someone who is immersed in fear and uncertainty?” they ask. In my coaching sessions, I’m working to help them effectively guide their people when they need a strong leader most.

During times of crisis, showing empathy for your staff and the broader world will help you pull together as a team and feel capable of moving through this challenging time together. Empathy helps you relate to one another on a personal level, showing you care deeply about each other as human beings. Thus, successfully navigating a crisis together can dramatically enhance trust and unity.

1. Practice emotional attunement

Frequently consider how your employees, coworkers and leaders are handling the current situation. How are they feeling? Take note of their body language, tone of voice and facial expressions. Make yourself more available to them by using open body language and eye contact. You’ll soon have a stronger grasp of how others feel at any given time, strengthening your relationships and enhancing your ability to lead your people.  Read More»

10 tips for starting a workplace safety and health program

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Photo: PeopleImages/iStockphoto

Does your workplace lack a safety and health program? If you’re looking to create one, OSHA offers 10 tips to get you going.

  1. Make safety and health a core value. Ensure workers know that having them go home safely each night is the way you do business. Let them know their health is a top concern, and make it clear that any hazards will be taken seriously and addressed.
  2. Show workers your organization cares about their safety by making safety part of daily interactions with employees.
  3. Create a well-communicated, simple reporting system workers can use to report injuries, illnesses or incidents, such as near misses. Workers need to know that they won’t be retaliated against, so include an option to make the process anonymous.
  4. Educate workers on identifying and controlling potential hazards.
  5. Regularly conduct inspections with workers, and ask them to help identify issues that concern them regarding safety.
  6. Make workers part of the safety process by asking them for hazard control ideas. “Provide them time during work hours, if necessary, to research solutions,” OSHA advises.
  7. Have workers choose, implement and evaluate hazard control solutions.
  8. Determine foreseeable emergency situations that may arise, and have a plan in place on how to handle them. Display procedure signs in visible areas of the workplace.
  9. Before making significant changes, consult with employees about potential safety and health issues.
  10. Always aim for improvement. “Set aside a regular time to discuss safety and health issues, with the goal of identifying ways to improve the program,” OSHA recommends.

Third Annual Safe + Sound Week set for Aug. 12-18

OSHA, NIOSH and a number of safety organizations – including the National Safety Council – are teaming up for the third annual Safe + Sound Week, set for Aug. 12-18.

This year’s event is designed to “celebrate the successes of businesses that have implemented safety and health programs in the workplace.” Employers of all sizes and from all industries that seek to recognize their commitment to the safety of workers, customers, the public and supply chain partners are encouraged to participate.