How safe are the working conditions throughout your company? It’s not just important to employees now — customers care, too.
There’s a seriously bad relationship between workplace safety and customer satisfaction, found a recent study by the National Safety Council, which was published in the Journal of Safety Research. The less safe it is for workers, the less satisfied customers are, researchers discovered
The study found that customers were less satisfied with the service they received from people and departments where employee injuries were high.
Odd correlation?
At first, it may seem like an odd correlation. But it points to a real issue for anyone providing service — from on-site technicians to contact center agents: If corners are cut that lead to injuries – from falls to carpal tunnel syndrome — people will likely cut corners when helping customers.
First and foremost, you want to keep employees safe. By doing that, you can build a culture of care and consciousness for employees and customers.
Follow these tips for a safer, more customer-satisfying workplace:
- Post safety processes and regulations that must be followed in all areas of your company when employees enter them. Remind employees of those processes at meetings and the reasons why they’re in place — even if your employees go to those areas once in a blue moon.
- Discipline people for not following safety guidelines. That will set a precedent that cutting corners of any kind is not acceptable.
- Tell customers about your safety record. Manufacturing facilities tout their days without accidents on websites, company billboards and in newsletters to customers. Let customers know what you do to keep employees safe.
Source: National Safety Council, www.nsc.org
