Raines, M. (2011). Engaging Employees: Another Step

¶ … Raines, M. (2011). Engaging employees: another step in improving safety. Professional Safety, 56(4): pp. 36-34. Retrieved from: ProQuest Database. Major Thesis The article asserts that successful organizations involve employees at all levels in various aspects of the business and additionally value their input. To create a fully-encompassing corporate culture, employees must be involved and engaged and have the opportunity to provide input and changes to their workplace, providing a positive link between employee engagement, employee involvement and safety performance (Raines, 2011, p. 37).

While it is often difficult to continuously improve safety performance within an organization over time, the inclusion of employee engagement has been directly correlated with the changes being made in a more timely and effective manner. Raines notes that employee engagement is directly related to the amount of involvement that employees have in their work processes and activities (Lockwood, 1997, p.8). Therefore, employee involvement in safety is critical to ensuring that they become engaged in the safety aspects of their work and additionally in the organization's safety program.

Further, research has noted that companies who engage their employees experienced 62% fewer safety incidents than units with lower employee engagement (Harter, et al., 2006, p. 1).

How, then is an employee considered to be "engaged" within an organization, and therefore less likely to become involved in an incident of lapsed safety? Raines notes that in order for employees to feel truly engaged in the safety process, the organization for which these employees work must generate several factors in its standards and practices including: employee involvement, consideration of employee ideas, communication, positive feedback, and respect. Such notions seem simple enough to include, but the benefits that can be gained through their inclusion are significant.

Raines notes that in doing something as simple as asking employees for their opinions regarding work processes or equipment, rather than assessing from an outside perspective, safety lapses can be alleviated and avoided all-together. In assuring that employee opinions are valued and taken seriously, company higher-ups along with these employees are better adept at creating a work environment that is based on education, communication and skill, making the process a collaborative and therefore an "engaged" one.

Utility Raines' article proves exceptionally useful in assessing how employee health and safety can be both respected and ensured through the inclusion of simple steps that involve nothing but basic human courtesy and recognition. Rather than maintaining safety through a series of standards and practices in terms of operating procedures, Raines asserts that such practices must be used in unison with the basic values of communication and personal engagement.

So often in dealing with companies, human interaction is often overridden with technicalities and mandated standards in hopes of turning a profit and keeping things structured. However, this structured environment does not assure that employee health and safety remain at an optimum level.

In viewing the research set forth in Raines' article, including the aforementioned statistics, it can be seen that in including true employee engagement into the repertoire of any company's standards of operation, employees can continue to work in a manner than not only increases their personal health and safety, but increases their utility within the company as a whole. In bringing operations back to a personal-level, companies can easily apply the tactics discussed within this article in order to create safer environment for each employee on the company roster.

In being both cost-effective and efficient, there are virtually no obstacles nor reasons companies and organizations cannot put forth this type of engagement within their own operations respectively. Conclusion In assessing Megan Raines' article, it is becomes clear that employee engagement is most certainly correlated to the amount of involvement that employees have in their everyday work processes and activities.

As these employees are the individuals who must utilize such processes and procedures on a day-to-day basis, it is imperative that these individuals also maintain a strong sense of personal engagement with the roles that they play within an organization.