The last couple of years have stretched the healthcare field to its limits. Many professionals may have felt unsafe for a number of reasons, some of which were ultimately out of any individual’s control. However, there are many ways to enforce security and safety in your facility. Learn more about how to make your employees feel safer in the workplace.
Provide PPE
Every healthcare professional knows just how crucial personal protective equipment is when interacting with patients. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, medical masks were commonplace.
Now that we know more about how the virus works, you can provide the right equipment to keep your staff as healthy as possible. You should stock up on gowns, gloves, and various masks, from simple medical masks to N95s. Encourage your employees to wear PPE even when they’re not interacting with patients; this practice helps keep staff from transmitting germs to one another.
Implement Higher Security
Unauthorized individuals also present a risk to your employees. While your patients’ family members may be under lots of stress, that’s no excuse for them to push past your staff and attempt to tamper with treatments.
Consider installing keyless security systems at entrances, exits, and more sensitive areas. When employees can use a proximity key fob to access the building, they’ll feel safer knowing that not just anybody can wander in.
Demystify Human Resources
Your facility’s HR department encourages healthy interactions between employees and discourages inappropriate or unsafe behavior. Some employees, however, hesitate to lodge complaints with HR out of fear that they’ll become “problem” employees.
Be transparent with your company’s HR policies and firmly outline what constitutes inappropriate workplace conduct. Emphasize an open-door policy and listen to every complaint with empathy. Your staff will feel safer at work knowing that they have some recourse if a coworker behaves inappropriately.
Workplace safety doesn’t begin and end with a simple mask. Ensure that your staff remains protected on all sides by boosting building security and enforcing HR guidelines regarding employee behavior. These ways to make your employees feel safer in the workplace will help them do their jobs brilliantly without undue worry.
