How to Motivate Employees to Work Safely and Sustainably
“I’ve noticed that some employees in my team often cut corners and violate safety procedures. I’ve pointed this out and have now become quite repetitive. How can I put a stop to this without just creating a bad atmosphere? I want to be clear about the safety policy without demotivating the team.”
Does this challenge sound familiar to you? You're not alone!
Motivation in the workplace is an issue that many find tricky to handle. As a leader, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and become a nagging “policeman.” Here are three principles to help you provide feedback on a daily basis without causing your employees to lose motivation.
1. Focus on reinforcing safe behaviours
If you highlight and reinforce specific safe behaviours, you increase the likelihood that your employee will act safely because they want to—not because they have to. To boost motivation and voluntary performance, you can use this rule of thumb: give five times as much positive feedback as corrective feedback. If your employees feel confident that you recognize their positive contributions, your corrective feedback will be more effective when you do provide it.
2. Active listening to understand the reasons behind behaviours
Risk behaviours always occur for a reason, such as time pressure, unclear procedures, or the perception that safety measures are unnecessary. By asking questions and listening first—and then correcting—you can identify the causes and create the right conditions for safe behaviours to increase and become sustainable in your team.
3. Provide constructive feedback in the right way
Feedback is often too general and focuses on attitudes or traits. This makes the feedback vague and difficult to understand.
A good tip is to describe the specific behaviour you don’t want to see and explain what behaviour you want them to exhibit instead. Explain why it’s important so that the reason is clear. This makes the feedback easy to understand and easier to accept.
Example:
“I want you to always use fall protection when working at heights—it reduces the risk of accidents and shows our new colleagues how we do things here.”
“I noticed you were working without fall protection. Why was that?”
Boost Motivation and Engagement in Everyday Life
Getting employees to follow safety procedures without coming across as that nagging boss can feel like a difficult balancing act. But it’s not about raising your voice—it’s about communicating more effectively. When we highlight what works and show that we notice and appreciate safe behaviour, the motivation to do the right thing grows. By listening with curiosity to why someone might be taking a shortcut, rather than immediately correcting them, we open the door to genuine dialogue and real change. And when it’s time to give feedback, keep it specific, clear, and connect it to why it actually matters. That way, you’re not only building a safer workplace but also fostering stronger trust within the team.