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Communications and Safety Culture: I heard it through the grapevine.

Guest post by: James Simone

Article Overview: A grapevine scenario could be triggered post-accident, if appropriate information (status of the injured, corrective action planning, etc) is not given to staff on a timely basis.

Communications and Safety Culture: I heard it through the grapevine.

When I sat down to write about communication effectiveness and its impact on a safety culture, the Marvin Gaye version of this song came to mind! Poor old Marvin sang the blues about hearing bad news from a friend, who heard it from a friend.

...the dreaded grapevine.

The grapevine never ever has something good to say about anything or anyone. It is a dreadful place to hear anything about yourself or your company...and if you are a manager who has been mentioned on it, then I am writing today with a few tips to help you improve your communication skills to help you avoid the grapevine, and set your work unit straight on issues related to safety: strengthening your safety culture.

Grapevine situations happen only when there is a gap in information. Person A is unclear, asks Person B, who is equally unclear, but somewhat authoritative and friendly, who offers an opinion. Qualified or not, this opinion takes on a life of its own, as we have all experienced both personally and professionally.

Your role as a manager: do not react to the message - investigate root causes that might have triggered the unclarity in the first place.

The best communication practice for managers is to say what you do, and do what you say. This will build trust, satisfaction, commitment, and a sense that if data is missing, a direct-to-you line will clarify it quickly. Moreover, from a safety perspective, you will be seen to be reinforcing corporate policy and building the safety culture in your work group.

Grapevine scenarios happen when managers do not say, but do, thereby creating mixed signals, and gaps in information. Consider the turmoil and the instant rise of a grapevine, in the case of a well-meaning manager who initiates a new action or initiatives, but fails to inform others of it:

- Why is this action taking place?

- What is the organizational motivation for the action?

- Does this mean that other actions will no longer be taking place?

- What is my role in this new action?

- I manage the old action...am I still needed?

- Is this temporary or a new, full-time initiative?

- Where is the budget coming from?

A grapevine scenario could also be triggered post-accident, if appropriate information (status of the injured, corrective action planning, etc) is not given to staff on a timely basis. I have seen situations where, despite plenty of good activity taking place, staff did not know of it, and effectively hung the manager for being uncaring, not looking-out for staff, etc.

Avoid the grapevine, and be a more effective communicator, by:

1. Being aware of the grapevine potential, and being committed to heading it off early

2. Do what you say, and say what you do. Inform others. Anticipate questions. Answer questions. Be candid.

3. Act after informing.

4. Inform in grand style where appropriate, at least once in a while: stop work for a few minutes before lunch, deliver your announcement (and you will have effectively dominated the lunch-chatter of the day)

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Article Tags: communication, performance improvement, safety management



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