Steve: when employees don’t ask for help
Steve is a relatively seasoned worker at his delivery job. He has encountered an issue but is unsure about asking for help.
Steve's been in the delivery business for 2 years now, he started training a year or two out of high school. He's recently graduated to making deliveries on his own since getting his full truck license.
Steve's been delivering for a while now but recently he's been having to deliver a specific item. It requires special handling and he was instructed how to do it as a trainee driver but cannot remember all the details.
Why is Steve's
story important?
Employees need different kinds of resources and support at various stages of their employment.
As well as induction its important to have more opportunities for employees to be able to ask questions and check in with their employer.
Good communication and trust between staff and bosses is key to creating a safe workplace.
It allows both employer and employee to solve problems before they happen.
The facts are clear: as well as benefiting employees, a mentally healthy workplace is also better for your bottom line.
What can you do?
Incorporate communication and 'what-to-do' scenarios into your Induction and Onboarding Procedure for the company;
Make sure the policy you have and the values you want for your business are part of your induction process for new employees. Review how you handle various scenarios and lines of communications with your workers
Encourage and dedicate time to discuss with your employees what is expected of them but also what they are entitled to.
This can include information about the day-to-day details of their role, conversations about payment and leave, as well as well as outlining who they contact for assistance.
- Guide for New Starters (PDF)
Check in with employees periodically.
Make sure you check in with employees so you can form lines of communication and also provide employees with a space to share any concerns or help they require. If you have to correct a worker, ensure it is not a punishment, rather ensure this helps them to learn the right way:
Supervision/Monthly catch-up Template.
Review the employee lifecycle content to see how you can better support your employees at various stages of their employment.