Innovating Canada
MySafeWork advocates for stronger communication, mentorship and safety cultures that protect young workers as they enter the workforce.
MySafeWork was founded from a deeply personal experience but has grown into a broader movement focused on preventing workplace deaths, injuries and harassment. What have you learned through that journey about what it truly takes to create a workplace culture where people feel empowered to speak up and put safety first?
Over the past two decades we have seen tremendous growth in the development of strong workplace cultures in corporations, unions and government. These organizations recognize the advantages of building safe workplace environments. Graduating students and parents are encouraged to consider career paths in the skilled trades. There is growing competition among industries to attract and retain more young skilled trades. Providing a safe environment is now an integral part of the big decision of where to work that every young graduate will make in the future.
There still remains a large gap of safety knowledge with small business operators. This unfortunately is where the majority of students in High Schools, Colleges and Universities still find their summer jobs or part-time work. It is not unusual to see young workers on rooftops without safety PPE or seeing young workers with burn marks on their hands and arms while working at a retail coffee shop. This is where today’s safety leaders can learn from experts in the environmental movement who encourage large corporations to pressure their contractors and suppliers to get in line with the laws of the province. Small companies listen and act to their big customers ‘requests. Protecting young workers should be a high priority for small business owners. We can do better.
Young and new workers can be particularly vulnerable when they enter the workforce, and workplace safety ultimately depends on more than policies and procedures. What do you believe employers, educators and workers need to do differently to build a stronger culture of safety?
As we speak to Canadian College and University students it is clear that they are asking for better communication and personal life coaches in their new workplaces. Students are searching for companies where there are more face-to-face discussions. Getting more texts and emails from a new boss is not what students want. Students are also pushing the safety standards higher by asking for personal life coaches rather than just workplace coaches. This has arisen due to the
increased mental and physical stresses that each young worker is carrying into the workplace. If young workers are distracted by their heavy burdens such as debt loads, they will not be as focused in the workplace. This may become a real safety issue. Personal coaching will help build leadership skills. Great organizations are now adding personal coaching to their workplace culture. They have also discovered that the retention of employees has greatly increased. We are all learning more about our needs and building a great future together in Canada!
Learn more at mysafework.com.
