Most culture change requires people to adopt new behaviours, but helping people change habits isn’t easy – and this is often why change programmes don’t succeed.

HSE teams around the globe focus on enabling the same core behaviours; to keep everyone safe and well at work, we need our people to:

• report hazards
• follow safety procedures
• actively participate in safety meetings
• use personal protective equipment
• proactively identify potential risks
• speak up about safety concerns
• support colleagues in maintaining safe practices
• stop work if they feel unsafe

If we can get all of this working smoothly, we can enable a positive safety culture within the workplace.

So why is changing habits so difficult?

Neuroscience has shown that as we become familiar with tasks, they become ingrained in our neural pathways. Our brains create shortcuts – and our responses often happen automatically without conscious thought.

Our brains are wired to repeat familiar actions, words, and thoughts – and specific environmental cues trigger these. This can make it hard to override them consciously, but being aware of this means you’re better prepared to break old habits and create newer, better ones.

We find that leaders who understand their crucial role in influencing culture may still find it hard to unconsciously; but when, how and what they say and do (for example, during safety walks) can effect real change, which means that new behaviours and habits are required of them as well.

To help, we’ve created some tips for changing habits and building the culture you want:

• Make it as easy as possible: behaviour change is hard. Make it as easy as possible for the people to make the change and sustain it.
• Break big goals into smaller, manageable steps: this makes the change process less daunting and increases the sense of accomplishment – rewarding our brains! Equip people to work out what their first, smallest step will be to get started. Crucially, don’t forget to monitor your progress.
• Involve people in the conversation as much as possible: we know that people are much more likely to be committed to a goal they’ve bought in to, so including them in the conversation is key, and where possible giving them autonomy.
• Focus on the three stages of habit: cue-routine-reward. ie ‘I hear the seatbelt reminder when I get in the car, I fasten my seat-belt, I know I’m safer’.
• Establish a routine: consistency is critical to behaviour change. Establishing a routine, or linking new habits to an existing routine, helps support behaviour change.
• Identify triggers and obstacles: recognising triggers that lead to undesired behaviour and anticipating obstacles can help individuals devise strategies to overcome them.
• Use positive reinforcement: rewarding oneself for making progress reinforces the new behaviour and increases motivation.
• Find social support: support from colleagues can significantly improve the likelihood of successful behaviour change. Sharing goals and progress with others can create a sense of accountability and encouragement.
• Focus on the benefits: shifting the focus from the sacrifices to the benefits of the new behaviour can increase motivation and commitment. Using story-telling techniques to share success will reinforce this further.

If you’d like to hear more about how we can help you to bring about culture change and positively impact your safety culture, get in touch.