Occupational safety and health: A performance based approach to productivity (Part II)

THE focus of leadership should not be hinged only on the organisation’s vision, mission, objectives, strategy, and action. Most leaders think and believe these five components lead the organisation to success. Sadly, very few business leaders consider the welfare of the employees running their businesses while most overlook the fact that employee well-being determine whether the vision, mission and goals will be achieved at the workplace.

It’s not only about what must be done, but how you treat and value the worker. Occupational safety and health is a performance-based approach that organisations ought to maximise on for productivity to be realised.

Leadership quality in productivity Leading is the act of influencing people toward a desired direction to achieve intended outcomes. Good leadership that creates a favourable, high performance and high productivity organisational set-up involves influencing colleagues and subordinates to work willingly and enthusiastically towards achieving organisational goals.

Subordinates are likely to follow the direction of the leader because of the position of authority exhibited, but that does not necessarily denote good leadership.

People don’t only follow a leader, but they follow the vision in a leader. We believe that organisational productivity is realised when employees are motivated and willing to follow the leader’s vision and goals of the organisation.

An observational employee survey of various organisations across Zimbabwe indicates that the way employees execute directives from their leader is determined by their welfare or wellbeing at the workplace.

Happy, motivated and satisfied employees execute duties more efficiently and effectively than when they are stressed. Employees will support the organisation if they believe that the organisation will meet their personal needs.

Thus, quality productive leadership envisions occupational safety and health as part of their vision, mission and goals with an understanding that happy and motivated employees are likely to meet their KPIs, hence increasing organisational productivity. Remuneration

COVID-19 affected the cashflow in many organisations causing some companies, especially in the travel and tourism sector to slash salaries while thousands were retrenched in other organisations across the world.

With schools opening at all levels, demand for funds will raise drastically for employees and the rate of remuneration of employees will determine whether their morale will be high, normal or drastic.

Drastic remuneration can only produce drastic performance, thus the need for organisations to continuously review salaries according to the poverty datum line.

Staff development

Organisations must invest in maximising productivity through staff training to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and diversity of employee skills.

Employees often endure occupational stress when tasked to perform tasks and duties that are not in their field of experience and abilities. This most likely leads to poor performance of tasks and potential loss to the organisation.

COVID-19 coerced companies to innovate and adopt virtual business operations, thus the need for staff to be trained on how to use these virtual tools efficiently and effectively to prevent business operations from suffering.

Training and development is an integral part of productivity. It relieves unnecessary pressure on employees while increasing the confidence in task performance.

In view of COVID-19, 5Es of occupational safety and health must be applied and these are engineering, education, enforcement, enthusiasm cultivation and engagement.

Treatment

Harassment at workplace has proved to be a leading cause of low staff morale. Apart from the common sexual harassment, an observational survey in companies shows that harassment at work varies from sexual to abnormal workload, expecting unrealistic results, long working hours depriving them of quality time with their families.

In such a contemporary business world where competition is high, the quality of employees on board will determine the competitive advantage a business will have in the marketplace must invest in creating a happy and conducive working environment for employees.

Legislative provisions

Legislative provisions for safety and health management play a pivotal role to the employer, employee and in the work place environment.

These legislations protect human beings from work accidents such as chemical hazards, mechanical, electrical hazards, physical and psychological problems.

The workers must know their rights and laws that protect their rights at work. Some on these laws in Zimbabwe include the Accidents and Compensation Act (SI68 of 1990), The factories and Works act, and the Act governing COVID-19 (SI 83 of 2020) among others.

In addition, companies must employ the services of a qualified and competent occupational safety and health officer.

That saves the company from future accidents, legal liabilities and financial losses.

Occupational safety and health is a performance based approach that leads to great productive results if business leaders embrace its power and full potential.

Roseline Maideyi is a capacity building writer and speaker who aims to empower organisations through insightful writings and presentations. She writes in her own capacity. Jonah Nyoni is an author, trainer and speaker.