Any business owner should flinch at the idea of one of their employees getting hurt in the workplace or succumbing to online cybercriminals. Keeping your business safe, both physically and online ensures that your employees won’t be at risk of bringing financial strain to the company. After all, both an IT failure and a physical accident could both cost your business a substantial amount. Below are a few ways to keep your company operating as a safe environment for everyone who works there.
Risk assessment
A simple risk assessment could be invaluable to your company, particularly if you’ve never invested in one. In fact, the ‘investment’ of a risk assessment may be more to do with time than money. Doing an inspection of your business and assessing what could pose a threat to your employees can be completely free. This is an important phase to carry out, as you could find some unsuspecting hazards that were just waiting to cause problems.
Make structural hazards obvious
If you have found any hazards upon your inspection of the company, it is important to make these obvious to your employees. Some physical hazards such as low-hanging door frames and dark steps may not be fixable. Therefore, it is your responsibility as a company to make these obvious to those who work for you. Using photoluminescent films and laminating services to make signs is the best way of drawing attention to these areas.
Don’t be naive
It’s understandable to be defensive as a business owner, insofar as you couldn’t bear to imagine something bad happening within your company. However, you should not be proactively defensive or dismissive. Having the attitude of ‘it could never happen here’ is potentially very damaging.
Establish a plan
What if the worst were to happen? What would you do in the instance of harassment? What happens if your computer systems are out for a day? In order to protect both your company and its employees, you will need to establish an action plan and a chain of command. Remember, too, that in order to protect your employees you should have someone each person can turn to who isn’t their line manager.
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Education
In order to help your employees be proactive against danger, you will need to educate them. You should have basic, short courses for the following dangers and incidents.
- Health and Safety: what potential physical dangers could affect their wellbeing?
- Cybercrime: how to not be a victim of fraud or cybercriminals
- First aid: how to save someone in the event of an accident or incident
- Harassment: how to identify threats from other colleagues
The more aware employees are of these potential dangers, the more well-equipped they are to deal with them. Leaving them in ignorance allows for situations to spiral or get worse.
The most important approach towards keeping your employees safe is to educate and inform them. Dangers should be made visible, whether they are physical or virtual.
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