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Latest News
June 28, 20230

Tips for Ensuring a Safe Workplace

Ensuring that your workplace is safe is an absolute must for any organization. By doing so, you are not only safeguarding your employees from potential hazards, but also fostering a positive work environment that enhances productivity and reduces the likelihood of accidents and injuries. Here are some practical workplace safety tips to help you improve safety measures in your own workplace.

The tips below are not all inclusive but rather are simple best practices to help you get started.

Establish a Safe Culture in the Workplace

Creating a safe workplace culture is essential for all organizations. The key to achieving this is to build an environment where everyone, from top management to frontline employees, values and prioritizes safety. Encouraging open communication channels, providing regular safety training, and setting clear protocols for reporting potential hazards or accidents are all important steps to take. By making safety a shared responsibility, you can develop a workplace where all employees actively contribute to maintaining a secure and hazard-free environment.

Conduct Regular Risk Assessments

Conducting regular risk assessments plays a crucial role in identifying potential hazards and preventing risks effectively. It is important to evaluate all aspects of the workplace, such as equipment, machinery, work processes, and environmental factors. By doing so, you can develop effective strategies to eliminate or reduce potential hazards. Make sure to conduct periodic risk assessments, especially when introducing new equipment or implementing changes to the work environment.

Provide Ongoing Employee Safety Training and Education

To ensure the safety of your employees, it’s important to provide them with proper training. Comprehensive safety training programs should be implemented, covering topics such as emergency procedures, equipment usage, handling hazardous materials, and ergonomic practices. When it comes to safety, avoid a one-and-done approach and offer ongoing training to ensure that employees are up-to-date with the latest safety best practices and regulatory requirements.

Supply Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal Protective Equipment is a crucial component of workplace safety. Assess the hazards present in the workplace and provide appropriate PPE to employees. Whether it’s safety helmets, goggles, gloves, or protective clothing, ensure that employees have access to the necessary gear and understand how to use it correctly. Regularly inspect and replace worn-out or damaged PPE to maintain its effectiveness. To maintain its effectiveness, conduct regular inspections and replace any worn-out or damaged PPE.

Promote Ergonomic Practices in the Workplace

Ergonomic hazards, such as repetitive strain injuries and musculoskeletal disorders, can significantly impact employee well-being. Educating employees on the importance of proper ergonomic practices, such as maintaining good posture, using ergonomic furniture, and taking regular breaks, can help reduce these risks. It is also a good idea to conduct ergonomic assessments to identify potential hazards and make necessary adjustments to workstations.

Encourage Reporting & Learning from Incidents:

To ensure a safe working environment, it’s vital to create a culture where employees feel comfortable reporting accidents, near-misses, or potential hazards without fear of retaliation. To begin, establish an incident reporting system, then investigate all incidents and near-misses thoroughly, taking appropriate corrective actions. By analyzing incidents, organizations can identify patterns, implement preventative measures, and continuously enhance safety in the workplace.

Workplace safety isn’t just a legal or ethical requirement – it’s also a strategic choice that can benefit both your organization and employees. By cultivating a safety-conscious culture, conducting routine risk assessments, offering relevant training, and enforcing necessary safety precautions consistently, you can establish a secure and productive work environment. Keep in mind, a safe workplace is a thriving workplace.

Looking for Some Support with Your Safety Program?

Manpower has an experienced Safety Manager who can come to your facility to help with risk assessments, training, plant tour to provide a full report of potential risks/hazards. Contact us today to learn more about leveraging our safety expertise for your gain!

 

Latest News
December 17, 20190

Back to Basics: Digital Communication in the Job Search

With more ways to apply for work now than ever before, it’s no surprise that some job seekers are left wondering about digital etiquette and best practices. If, like most people, you are conducting your job search online, check out Manpower’s tips to help enhance your results and land that next great opportunity:

Keep Your Emails and Messages Professional

Email is such a fast, convenient method of communication, and more and more employers are getting on board with accepting applications via social media as well. While these methods of communication may feel more casual in some ways, it’s important to recognize that all communication with a potential employer should be conducted professionally, regardless of whether it is occurring digitally or not. Avoid the use of emojis, unnecessary abbreviations, and of course, vulgar language. Maintaining a professional tone and ensuring proper spelling and punctuation will bring you one step closer to making a great first impression that leaves the company wanting to know more.

Be Mindful of Document Formats

When applying for work, try to send your resume in PDF format if possible, unless the company has specified a different preferred format. Depending on the word processing software you use, people may or not be able to access the documents you send them. Adobe Reader is standard software for most businesses, so sending a PDF will ensure that your application can be opened. Providing an accessible resume from the get-go will help speed up the process for you, because you won’t have to worry about emailing back and forth to provide alternative formats.

Clean Up (or Secure) Your Social Media Profiles

You have a right to post what you want and talk about what you want on your personal social media profiles – but that doesn’t mean that highly controversial, raunchy, or explicit content doesn’t have the potential to negatively impact your professional reputation or affect a potential employer’s perception of your professionalism. When you are looking for work, it’s a good idea to clean up your profiles to avoid content that you wouldn’t want seen by a supervisor, coworker, or potential employer. If you’d rather not delete the content, simply adjust your privacy settings so that only your friends or people you give permission to can see what you share.

Prioritize Data Security

While advances in technology have enhanced our job search options in many ways, it has also opened us up to increased risk. Scammers may post illegitimate job opportunities or pretend to be a representative of an established company in attempts to phish for your personal data. Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself. When evaluating job advertisements that you’re considering applying to, be on the lookout for anything that doesn’t seem right – improper spelling or grammar, unofficial email addresses, or links that don’t appear to be affiliated with the company are common red flags.
Be cautious when responding to individuals that approach you about opportunities you did not apply for, and be sure to do some research and verify their legitimacy before providing any kind of information. If you’re not sure whether an opportunity is legitimate or not, reach out to the company directly using contact information provided on an official website – not the email or phone number provided by the person who reached out to you. Trust your instincts – if something doesn’t feel right or the facts aren’t adding up, do not respond, click suspicious links, or download any unexpected attachments.

When it comes to navigating the world of work – Manpower is here to help! 
Latest News
November 26, 20190

Back to Basics: Boundaries In The Workplace

Establishing healthy and professional boundaries in the world of work is a critical component to long-term success for both companies and employees. Having boundaries in place sets a strong foundation for a productive, safe, and respectful work environment for all.

In addition to respecting boundaries that the organization sets such as job limitations, where to park, off-limit areas, chain of command, and any general policy – it is also necessary to be mindful of interpersonal boundaries set by those we work with.

Recognize The Boundaries of Your Job

Some of the most important boundaries you have as an employee are those which your job description outlines. What this means is that it is important for all team members to (within reason) stay in our professional lanes. For example, unless you were hired to manage people, you need to refrain from acting like someone’s manager by questioning their whereabouts or level of performance. This also means when working as a team to effectively share the workload and not try to control it all.  A respectful work environment is one where we can all chip in and help others when appropriate or provide feedback as a way to support – but it also means that we need to be mindful of where those boundaries are and avoid crossing them.

Keep It Professional

One key to a successful and comfortable work environment for all is to speak and behave in a professional manner. The workplace is not an appropriate setting to ask intrusive & personal questions, tell insensitive or raunchy jokes, or engage in controversial conversations that are outside the scope of why you are there in the first place.  When engaging in friendly conversation with fellow staff, always keep it professional. If the conversation steers into a direction that you feel crosses the line, politely acknowledge that perhaps this is not something that you wish to discuss in the workplace.  Taking that approach allows you to clarify a boundary while also not putting the other person on the defensive.

Practice Good Time Management

Time in and of itself is a boundary. There is a set amount in a day and it is up to each person to make the most of it. Your work schedule is a finite amount of time that you are supposed to be dedicating to accomplishing your job duties. This means during those hours your work should be your number one focus. The first step in practicing good time management is to show up on time (every time) for your scheduled shift. While you are working limit distractions, focus on your work, and be respectful of other people’s time. Minutes matter, so work to be mindful of how you are spending yours and how you may be affecting others.

Review Your Employee Handbook

Your employee handbook is a tool for your long-term success at any company. Make sure you are taking the time to read through your employee handbook as soon as you receive it. Doing so will ensure that you are familiarizing yourself with any policies and boundaries your employer has set and expects you to follow. When reading through this employee guide, you should make special note of any rules being set and write down any questions that you may have so you can seek out clarity from your supervisor. Once you have read through the manual, be sure to put it somewhere that you will be able to access it later should you have any questions. Keep in mind that company policies will evolve over time and the company may update them and notify staff – be sure to read and save any updates you receive.

Be Prepared to Communicate

Unspoken or unclear boundaries do no one any favors. We are not suggesting that you have a list of personal boundaries that you cover with all of your co-workers, but you need to know what your boundaries are and be able to openly and honestly communicate them as needed. For example, let’s say you do not want to get caught up in workplace gossip or politics. If you find yourself in a conversation where gossip comes up, politely tell them you do not want to participate in that kind of discussion and try to steer the conversation in a more appropriate direction. If your attempts to redirect are unsuccessful, politely remove yourself from the discussion.

Setting boundaries and being prepared to address violations does not have to be confrontational. A best practice once you identify your boundaries is to ensure you follow them consistently. If you violate your own boundary by gossiping about another co-worker it will create confusion and conflict. Be confident, be respectful, and be consistent.

When it comes to navigating the world of work – Manpower is here to help!
Latest News
October 17, 20190

Hacking Work: Cooperation Video Tips

Everything can be hacked, even the workplace. Manpower is ready to help you hack the world of work with some simple tips to thrive that will keep you moving in the right direction professionally.

The world of work runs much more smoothly when everyone works together – which is why every hiring manager looks for people who are cooperative team players. But what does being a team player look like in the workforce? Here are a few quick video tips covering some essential practices.

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