Keeping Positive in the Face of Change Regulations

In today’s world, new machinery and equipment is constantly being improved. It’s like the cars a fifty year old today drove when they were teenagers, there is a huge improvement in power and the technology the teenagers have in cars today. Today the increase in speed and vehicle performance is likely to result in a far greater injury than thirty years ago. Consequently new laws have been implemented for today’s new teenage drivers.

New regulations and ideas can raise hackles on the back of your neck when it means change is
forced upon you. For those people who have done something for twenty years and never had an accident or mishap the reason for change seems unnecessary. They are likely to dig their heels in and although some education about the new laws will be ‘forced’ upon them, there are some who are likely to continue their old habits behind ‘the bosses’ back.

This can cause disruption when some of the team implements the new safety measures and others ‘drag their feet’. Workplace safety is not just about individuals it is about team work and it is paramount that members realise the dependency they have on each other if a safety issues occurs. In effect their protection depends not only on themselves but on the ability of the other members.

Many people are happy to embrace change if they instigate it, as they have a logical reason for themselves. However, for the majority implementing something forced upon them and new takes time and teaching before it fully integrated into their daily work life.

If it is forced with a ‘You must do this’ style, people are less likely to enforce the new preventative regulations. One of the keys is providing valid reasons besides the fact it is a new law.

These can include safety to your health and safety to team members. In providing a supportive environment for proper safety measures, often reminding others what affect it would have on them and their team and how they are valued is another way to help ‘prompt the change’.

If someone feels they are important to their colleagues they are often happy to ‘go the extra mile’ to
help and support others which mean implementing the new safety measures. In essence it is about creating a win/win or ‘I’ll help you and you help me’, type of relationship

Then there is going beyond the work environment to tug at their thinking to motivate them to change their ideas about workplace safety or lack of it and how would it affect for their families. Sometimes this is finding a way to make them ‘rethink’ their actions and

reminding them of a few of the consequences if something happens to them and how it would affect others who depend on them and they love.

For those people who are analytical thinkers, explaining the technical improvements to the new equipment and updated technology can be their critical point in ‘understanding’ why this new law must be enforced. It is the ‘industrial or manufacturing’ reason which for logical thinkers needs to be communicated. Albeit, too much technical information to the wrong group will have the opposite affect.

Another ‘trigger’ and the reason for implementation may be because it provides an opportunity for career, salary increases or opportunities in the future. If people can grasp ‘what’s in it for me’ and that is their motivational trigger, they are more likely to initiate change.

Then again there is the person or who embraces the new safety regulations but gets bullied by others about implementation. This can also occur with a new employee who followed the new law changes on their previous job, but on the new one they do not.

Eventually these people could either ‘give in’ to the bullying and not implement it or become ostracized by others or leave for another new job.

Notwithstanding, for any of this to be communicated to team members it’s essential that the correct training and communication is implemented. Essentially this is getting ‘buy in’ from anyone who is affected by the change so they feel motivated to ‘want’ to make change for themselves. Everyone has different reasons and the great manager and team players who have repoirie amongst themselves will achieve more quickly.

Dealing with these situations successfully requires self-knowledge, skills, understanding of situations and confidence. Learning and understanding these can be imperative to success.
If you want the edge on dealing with difficult people and tricky situations, upgrade your expertise with some key strategies, through learning about yourself and the other person.

I recall one company who wondered why the new safety strategies were not implemented. They organised a survey from an outside company who discovered a high percentage of employees could not understand or read English properly. This resulted in them unable to read the manuals after the training. Unwilling to explain their situation because of fear of job loss, this problem had been overlooked. The company’s solution was they started to have English classes on the job and the safety improved.

Another reason for lack of implementation is the style the training is presented. People have different ways of learning, some are hands on, some readers and some listeners. Too much knowledge at once is another challenge. A full day training may suit the budget, but remembering and recall of that vital safety information in time of need, is reduced.

Along with this is the ‘supervising or coaching’ of the knowledge. Few people can recall everything they were told in a half morning session and how to use a new piece of equipment. Far greater results will achievement when a series of sessions are implemented to train. Essentially there are four steps in coaching, whereas often one session is given and people are expected to be experts. An ‘unrealistic’ approach for achieving good results.

Understanding that ‘change’ is a process is a start to motivating and implementation of preventative safety measures.

Janice Davies is The Attitude Specialist, who teaches people to be positive and empower themselves. As a Professional Speaker, Success Coach and author Janice educates people at conferences, workshops and through books. Janice is the founder of the global movement International Self Esteem annual awareness day and features in the new True Happiness DVD.

Janice has an online products featuring about attitude, goals, stress, happiness, relationships and more. Visit http://www.attitudespecialist.co.nz for other complimentary articles and tips.

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