One-on-One Communication
These are my thoughts on basic One-On-One Communication and this is the basic concepts of what I call Activity Based-Safety System and how I approach things with supervision.
Some of the successes of the Activity Based-Safety Safety System (ABSS) is to do regularly safety meeting with employees, 2-minute drill each day before the shift begins, weekly meetings to cover topics such as injuries in other facilities, what has happen in your plant and get other concerns on the table. Monthly meeting are used for compliance training. This is all good stuff and effective.
However, the draw back, is that not everyone will speak up in these meetings. This is where the one-on-one communication is effective. Use one-on-one meetings with employees to list concern and not react to just solving problems. These one-on-one meeting must be in the employee’s environment where they feel comfortable, i.e., production floor, their office, etc.
Supervision must be sincere in the interest about what the employee has to say. It may be hard for supervision to do, but it may even be harder for the employee to speak their mind if there is no trust. The end result is likely that with one-on-one discussions with employees, supervision will build better relationships.
What if you can’t get the employee to speak up? Your best bet is to keep working at your dialogue, without making the employee uncomfortable. Over time, the employee will confide in you. A smart way to end every one-on-one meeting is to casually but earnestly ask, “Is there anything else on your mind?” Then be willing to listen because, over time, you will be hearing more about what the employee is thinking. (more…)
