Finn Partners Inc.

08/28/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/28/2024 23:06

Fortune 10 Internet Company: Creating a culture of safety with a campaign employees can’t ignore.

News and Insights

Fortune 10 Internet Company: Creating a culture of safety with a campaign employees can't ignore.

August 28, 2024

Data center employees are the unsung heroes of the internet. Twenty-four hours a day, they bring information to the world.

But safety hazards at data centers are everywhere. And standard safety-compliance messages can be easy for employees to tune out.

Our Fortune 10 internet services client needed a better way to grab their attention. "Our goal was to turn safety from mandate to mission," says Rod Alexander, senior partner for FINN Employee Engagement. "The vision was to grow an enduring culture of safety that employees themselves could own."

Our first task was to understand employees' jobs and work environment, to see safety challenges through their eyes and their lives. FINN's core team shadowed data center employees on-site, documenting experiences, behaviors and perceived barriers.

"Safety campaigns always have technical and analytical aspects, but employee empathy is essential to developing campaigns that reach their hearts," says FINN Creative Director Vanessa Duff. "You've got to understand what stresses them out and also what brings them joy."

Tapping employees' love of gaming and movies, our campaign turned common safety hazards into villains in a storytelling medium impossible to ignore: comics. Ergomaniac caused musculoskeletal injuries. Stepadder caused falls. Killerwatt wreaked electricity havoc.

Employees, on the other hand, were cast as superheroes empowered to defeat these arch enemies of safe and healthy workplaces. "We turned safety into a topic worth their time, something that felt like a reward, not a requirement," says Duff.

Saturating the data center's physical and digital environments with campaign elements transformed the workplace for employees. On-site monitors showed music videos. "Wanted" posters hung on walls. Interactive quizzes tested knowledge. Employees took comic books home, keeping safety top of mind outside of the work environment.

And the results?

  • Accidents trended down throughout the campaign.
  • Safety observation reports went up by over 450%.
  • Employee engagements with employee communication channels tripled.

Our client also asked employees for their safety suggestions. Hundreds of ideas poured in, which led to process improvements that are still in place today. More importantly, it showed employees their ideas mattered and empowered them to own the culture of safety-the ultimate goal.

FINN Employee Engagement is passionate about workplace safety because safety is a universal need. "If you're not safe in the work you do every day, nothing else matters," says Duff. "A company is only as strong as the health of their employees."

TAGS: Technology