STEP 4
Tool 4B
Speaking Up in the Workplace
Establishing a culture where speaking up is a normal, expected, and encouraged behavior among everyone can grow workplace safety. Employees who build their skills to speak up and solve problems in healthy ways that maintain strong work relationships create greater opportunities for connection and cooperation among employees and greater commitment to the vision of safety in the organization. These important skills can also extend beyond the organization to their families, friends, and their community.
Speaking up when a person sees an unsafe behavior at work can be challenging; emotions can run high. And, speaking up is an essential, valuable skill. Creating the conditions where employees feel comfortable to speak up and are committed to safety for themselves and others is an important focus for leaders. Engaging employees about how to engage in a difficult conversation can help employees feel prepared and confident when a situation arises and increase the chances that the conversation will go smoothly.
Prompt:
We learned about the importance of speaking up and saying something when we see an unsafe behavior or situation. A conversation like this might feel difficult or stressful, but there are some strategies we can use to feel more prepared and confident to have a difficult conversation. Let’s talk about these strategies and practice together. First, I would like you to think about a situation in which you needed to speak up or have a difficult conversation with someone.
Ask:
Ask how your employees feel when faced with the situation of needing to speak up when they see someone engage in a potentially unsafe behavior like distracted driving.
“What feelings did you experience?” (Encourage them to name the multiple feelings that occur.)
“Does it feel different depending on whether you are speaking up with a co-worker or a boss/superior in our workplace? What are the differences?”
“Have you been in a situation where you spoke up and it didn’t go well? How did that feel?”
“How might you have done it differently to express your concerns?”
“Why is engaging in a conversation like that important?”
“What could be gained from engaging in a difficult conversation?”
Prompt:
Speaking up is important to protect each other and ensure everyone’s safety. Taking time to prepare mentally for a difficult conversation can help us to remain calm and increase our chances that the conversation will be productive. There are some ways we can prepare for a difficult conversation.
When speaking up to prevent distracted driving, demonstrate:
CARE – Be clear that the other person’s safety is important to you.
CALM – Don’t become angry or agitated. Be clear and assertive, but not aggressive.
CONFIDENCE – Speak directly with knowledge of the policy and what constitutes correct behavior. Practicing speaking up will increase the likelihood that employees do speak up.
Focusing on a culture of safety means you are caring, calm, and confident when you intervene. Concerned coworkers are key to a culture of safety in your workplace. When you notice a driver is not engaged, speak up.
Examples:
- What I see:
You are a passenger in a vehicle, and the driver reaches for their mobile phone.
- What I say:
Let me help you look for a spot to pull over. It will only take a moment to find a safe place, and then you can make the call, so you don’t have to talk while you are driving.
- What I see:
Your manager mentions that she is going to review a report on her commute, since she always gets stuck in stop-and-go traffic between work and home.
- What I say:
That report isn’t nearly as important as getting home safely. Please leave it here and take a few minutes to review it in the morning.
- What I see:
Your coworker joins a conference call from his mobile phone while he is driving.
- What I say:
Your input is important, but not as important as your safety. Why don’t you hang up and call back in when you arrive? Or, I’ll take notes, and we will review them when you’re back in the office.
- What I see:
Your department manager is running late and mentions that he plans to eat lunch on the road to get to his next appointment on time.
- What I say:
Eating while you’re driving just isn’t safe. You can eat here, and I’ll call your next appointment to tell them you’ll be there right away.
Speaking up doesn’t have to be complicated, and neither does responding. When someone speaks up, they do so with CARE, CALM, and CONFIDENCE. The response should be same:
acknowledge that it is done out of CARE for the individual and the organization,
remain CALM and resist becoming agitated or irritated, and
feel CONFIDENT that the intention is to comply with the policy and assures that everyone remains safe.
Conclusion:
You care about your work team and the safety in your department. Speaking up and engaging in difficult conversations is important for the safety of everyone at work. These important skills can also extend beyond the workplace to families, friends, and the community.
Washington Distracted Driving Law
In creating and implementing a workplace policy, it is important to understand current laws in Washington. In Washington, it is against the law to use your cell phone while you are driving.
Laws explicitly include both text-based communications and talking on the phone while driving without appropriate hands-free devices.
Washington also acknowledges that a wide variety of other behaviors could distract a driver and result in dangerously distracted driving. An officer can cite a driver for engaging in any activity not related to the actual operation of the motor vehicle in a manner that interferes with its safe operation. See: https://wadrivetozero.com/distracted-driving/ for more information about the laws.