There are few things that can bring a team together as much as mutual success and wins. Winning boosts team spirit and shows workers that their efforts are doing something worthwhile. However, there’s a danger of celebrating too early or perceiving wins prematurely.
This blog will take a look at the challenges that can arise when you celebrate incident reporting results too early. It will also share the positive side of celebrating when the time is right.
Why You Shouldn't Celebrate Early
Celebration at work is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can have positive effects which we will discuss in the next section. On the other, early celebration can harm your reporting system and efforts down the line.
When you celebrate wins too early, this can send a false signal to your employees that they’ve done their part. Success has been achieved after all… However, incident reporting is not a once-off project. It requires consistent input and investment from your employees.
Once you’ve celebrated, there is a risk that things won't get done properly after that, which can set you back on your incident reporting aims. Celebrating victory too early gives a false sense of comfort. This may lead to excuses, sloppy management, missed deadlines, and perhaps even the failure of the overall changes introduced.
Instead, your reporting initiative’s early wins should be used as fuel for building momentum, not a signal of complete victory. To take a sports analogy, a game is not won in the first half. Superior teams have lost many matches by feeling too comfortable and dominating the first half of the game. Yet, they have been surprised by the constant resolve of the challenging team during the second half.
Play the long game and pace yourself!
But… Do Celebrate!
Essentially we’re saying the timing is everything. Of course, you should celebrate minor wins but the scale at which you do so must be different.
You can celebrate an increase in reports, for example, by just sharing the details in an announcement, thanking your team, and urging them to continue. This reminds them that their reports are valued but don’t signal a final victory. Ongoing wins like this must be brought to your team’s attention to keep them going.
For bigger wins, you can decide on suitable responses like incentives, promotions, team bonuses, etc. Knowing these are possible down the line can also motivate your employees to take reporting seriously.
If you get the timing right, these are the benefits your team gains from celebrating:
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Boosts teamwork
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Reinforces the aims of the reporting initiative
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Motivates and energises your workforce
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Increases employee morale and satisfaction
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Reiterates the value you place in their feedback
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Raises employee involvement and engagement
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Enhances workplace culture
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Emphasises the importance of incident reporting for workplace safety
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Prompts friendly competition
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Brings positive energy to the work environment
Final thoughts
Celebrating wins is a key part of uniting your workers under your vision for incident reporting. When they see gains, they realise that their input makes a difference. They also see their value as essential to workplace safety.
This has rolling effects on their motivation, feeling of worth at work, confidence, etc. Consequently, you may notice one or more of the benefits above. Just remember, it’s all in the timing!
If you're looking for a platform to collect more data to monitor your organisation's incident reporting practices, Falcony | Observe have you covered. You can find more information on our website or test out our 30-day free trial:
We are building the world's first operational involvement platform. Our mission is to make the process of finding, sharing, fixing and learning from issues and observations as easy as thinking about them and as rewarding as being remembered for them.
By doing this, we are making work more meaningful for all parties involved.
More information at falcony.io.
