How new workplace safety technology is redefining the hybrid workplace

These technologies are helping transform how businesses define and build cultures of safety in their workforce. Whilst there are the new challenges of hybrid work, many of the solutions are coming in the form of new workplace technologies that are enabling management teams to still keep staff safe, through greater connectivity, accessibility, and transparency.  

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What is workplace health and safety?

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Work safety, occupational health and safety, staff wellbeing; whatever you call it, protecting your staff’s mental, physical, and social health at work is important. It involves managing the risks to the health and safety of everyone in your workplace; staff, clients, visitors, and suppliers alike.  

How we support and manage staff safety has transitioned dramatically with the introduction of new workplace safety technology. Whilst some jobs are inherently more physically or psychologically stressful than others, every role has a level of risk attached. The best way to address known risks is to ensure anyone entering the profession is aware and prepared, with training to handle the situation, and to be as safe as possible. Working safety technology helps support and upskill this training consistently over time.

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The difference between physical and psychological safety at work

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Traditionally, people associate occupational health and safety measures with physical health. Physical issues are more easily spotted, as effects of physical ill-health are much more visible. Comparatively, psychological health issues can be hidden, and you may not know something is wrong emotionally or with someone's mental health until there’s a tipping point and it’s too late. In the past, there has also been a layer of stigma in the workforce regarding mental health which prevented people from reaching out for help from their workplaces.  

As the pandemic forcibly transitioned many industries to a hybrid work model, psychological wellbeing suddenly became the focus of many workplaces. Isolation, the lack of separation between home and work, job insecurity, and shifting professional guidelines were all causes for concern around mental health, and many workplaces needed to find ways to keep their teams connected and mentally well. Emotional safety took the spotlight, and that dated stigma took a back seat as organizations encouraged transparency, with the help of technology to remain connected.    

Workplace safety technology helped people stay in the loop the way they would be in the office, and offered mental health resources to support their unexpected new hybrid model. The pandemic transitioned how we spoke about mental health at work - for many workplaces, it was their first time having to address it so deeply on a professional level. Management had to find ways to upskill their knowledge of emotional wellbeing, and workplace safety technology helped support this.  

Physical and psychological safety are equally important in a safe workplace, both deeply affecting your teams happiness and productivity.

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How to ensure safety in the workplace

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So we’re aware we need to continuously support safety in the workplace, but how do you build a strong culture of safety?

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Processes

Ensuring there are written processes outlined for maintaining safety elements in the workplace is crucial for setting a safety framework in the workplace. They create a single source of truth for the business, and ensures responses to issues are consistent, and that ongoing efforts are measurable. Having these processes be both clear and easily accessible will assist in ensuring staff understand and follow the processes.

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Transparency

Being transparent with staff about the expectations around their safety and wellbeing, along with the safety nets put in place by the business, will help ensure they feel confident to look after themselves whilst working, knowing they’re supported by the wider business. This might include reminding them about health and safety resources, like Employee Assistance Programs, or by providing detailed resources around office ergonomics for their home office; anything that supports them to support themselves. Transparency also refers to honest conversions around safety, and any concerns people have around physical or psychological safety whilst working.

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Accessibility

Ensuring your staff are able to access important safety information quickly is key to preparing your team for any safety issues that may arise. Workplace management technology like Nura Space helps locate first aid staff in case of a medical emergency, offering a safety net and additional layer of confidence in the face of a crisis. For hybrid teams, accessibility to resources is absolutely crucial, as everything should be able to be accessed whether staff are in the office or at home. Nura Space has notification functionality that can remind people to take movement breaks and has best practice ergonomic resources available. As long as staff have access to the app, they can be engaged with your organization's health and safety resources.

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Who is responsible for safety in the workplace
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The short answer is ‘everyone’. The long answer is that leaders are responsible for putting processes and resources in place to support the safety and wellbeing of their teams, and staff in general are responsible for following those guidelines, and looking after their own individual safety as well as they can.

Workplace safety technology can help people remain accountable for their health and safety, whilst giving leadership teams a platform to support this. Providing resources or gentle reminders through connective technology is a great way to show staff you genuinely care about their health and safety.

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Why is workplace safety important?

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All workers deserve a safe and protected work environment, so they can do their jobs well, confident in the knowledge their wellbeing is being looked after. Everyone should leave for work in the morning knowing they’ll be returning home safely, and no one wants to be the person calling the family to explain that due to health and safety oversights, their loved one has been injured, or worse.

Workplace health and safety procedures protect staff’s physical, mental, and social wellbeing whilst they’re working. There are many reasons workplace safety is important, but here are our top 10..

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1. Reducing workplace stress

Knowing you are working in a safe environment that is good for your health is key to reducing workplace anxiety and stress, and introducing health and safety measures can help your staff support their own health and wellbeing. For example, empowering staff to have an ergonomic desk set up, both at home and in the office, will positively contribute to their physical health in the long term. Nura Space offers wellbeing tools, such as notifications reminding people to move, and ergonomic training materials in-app to support hybrid workforces, whether they’re at home or in the office. These tools help maintain a healthy work life balance, which relieves pressure, and happier, unstressed staff produce a higher quality of work and remain in roles longer.

Stressed employees have 60% higher levels of absenteeism and are much less effective when they are at work. Even more worrying, when employees are highly stressed but still present at work (presenteeism) can cut an employee’s productivity by up to 77%. With employee stress levels having risen 20% in the last three decades, and with 90% of workers identifying they feel stressed at work, with a third of those saying that stress is either high or unsustainably high, it’s clear that helping staff destress and balance their mental load is necessary.  Basically, anything that can help reduce stress levels benefits everyone.

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2. Knowing your surroundings

Employees tend to not take note of surrounding safety features, or to memorize staff who will lead in an emergency, like first aid qualified staff. This is why the Nura Space platform has mapping that shows where staff are located for the day, and contact information for safety leaders such as First Aid Officers and Fire Wardens. Let the technology worry about remembering safety information, so your staff can focus on their day and access the information easily as required.

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3. Save lives

Occupational health and safety helps save lives. For example, staff knowing where to find exits in an emergency can be the difference between if they return home at the end of the day or not. Exits should be clear of obstruction and easily locatable. The Nura Space mapping will show where the emergency exits are, so people can find their quickest and safest escape route, even if they’re in a part of the building they’re not as familiar with. Proper safety equipment and protocols are essential to protecting staff.

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4. Ensures equipment is used appropriately

Ensuring there is training around equipment makes a huge difference to staff safety at work. Whether it’s a power drill or a paper guillotine, staff being appropriately trained and knowing not to take risky shortcuts is important. Whilst climbing up on a wobbly chair to change an office lightbulb may seem to be the easiest solution, providing appropriate resources, like a stepping stool, or hiring a qualified professional, will protect staff and set good safety precedents moving forward.

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5. Helps staff staying alert

Encouraging staff to be aware of potential hazards in the workplace is all well and good, but sometimes a little reminder can help. Nura Space offers a notification feature to send company announcements or reminders in the app, helping keep staff connected and alert to what’s happening around them. This mental connection to the workplace is beneficial in that people feel more ‘in the loop’ even when remote, and the notification heads up lets people move safely around the office, with the knowledge to appropriately navigate potential safety issues.

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6. Lets staff know they’re valued

Health and safety initiatives and processes show that businesses actually care about their staff. That could be shown by offering healthy snacks in the break room, by providing mental health resources and support, or by having ongoing safety training opportunities. Nura Space’s workplace management technology offers a combination of workplace analytics and wellbeing functions to understand and best support your team.

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7. Protect long term health

We’ve all been guilty of finding ourselves hunched over at our desk, squinting at the screen in a dark room. Encouraging things like good lighting and a proper ergonomic set up amongst your staff will ensure they can keep their bodies healthy as time goes on.

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8. Become a more attractive place to work

When job seeking, potential candidates are more likely to look to employers who emphasize and promote safe workplaces. In some industries, workplace safety was a top consideration for candidates considering job offers. Building and maintaining a culture of safety at work is an important part of your employer brand, and implementing workplace safety technology is a great way to support this.

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9. Reduce the costs of injury and workers compensation

In the worst case scenario that someone does get injured at work, businesses may be liable to pay compensation, along with paying for staff to cover the role, and any other legal costs associated. From 2019-2020 there were 120,355 serious Australian Workers Compensation claims, with the main cause of injury being body stress from repetitive and strenuous work.

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10. Improve staff productivity

Staff who feel safe and valued will be happier at work, and happier staff are more productive - in fact, more specifically, they’re around 13% more productive. Teams thrive in safe environments, physically, mentally, and socially. Psychologically safe workplaces foster environments where friendships and connections can be formed, and physically safe workplaces ensure staff can work confidently and safely. Good workplaces encourage and support all forms of safety at work.

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New workplace technology designed with safety in mind

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As safety is so important to the employee experience, any workplace management system you implement should be designed with an embedded safety element. Nura Space shows where staff are located, making it easier to locate and contact the on-site First Aid Office or Fire Warden. The platform also maps emergency exits, so staff can see their best escape route in an emergency, and has the ability to create notifications for emergency contact staff of scheduled services to ensure an on-site presence.  

These features, and the platforms many others, have been built by industry expert insights, to best protect and lead successful, safe teams. This technology helps to redefine what wellness can be in hybrid workplaces. If you’d like to learn more about how the Nura Space technology can help support your team, we’d love to talk to you.

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