Employee engagement is an essential requirement under the new Health and Safety at Work Act that was introduced in New Zealand earlier this year. Yet, for many in the construction industry, where technical skills are valued over management ability, knowing how to encourage and engage workers does not always come naturally.
Safety software can help workers improve their engagement with work duties as well as health and safety systems.
To help, here are two frequently asked questions that may improve your understanding of employee engagement in the construction industry.
Question 1 – Is participation and employee engagement the same thing?
When it comes to understanding employee engagement, it's essential to know what participation means as well. This is because engagement and participation are related undertakings and when one is worked on, the other can also be improved.
More specifically: Engagement is the involvement of employees in a businesses' everyday, as well as strategic, health and safety decisions. Participation, on the other hand, is the ways that workers draw attention to health and safety concerns, engage with the decision-making process and address issues by offering suggestions.
Meeting your duties involves a collaborative approach with your workers. What is a reasonable and practical course of action is dependent on the needs and perceptions of both you and your workers. Additionally, the size and nature of risks that are present in your business will impact what is deemed acceptable and satisfactory.
Question 2 – Should all workers be engaged?
The democratisation of health and safety aims to improve the opportunities for workers to engage with health and safety systems. As such, all workers of a business or undertaking must be able to access and participate in the improvement of the work site's health and safety. It does not matter if they are on-site builders, labourers or admin staff working behind the scenes, all workers have the right to reasonable participation opportunities.
However, when engaging with a specific health and safety risk or hazard, you only need to include workers who are, or are most likely to be, impacted by the matter.
While there are a number of ways improve workers engagement, one of the most effective is the use of a safety app. With quick and easy access to documentation, such as incident reports or a work site safety checklist, workers can access what they need when they want to. If you would like to know more, talk to the experts at SiteApp today.