Get a demo

Beyond shortcuts

Why are businesses cutting corners with security and safety?

In many businesses, maintaining high standards in security, health, and safety is non-negotiable. However, the reality on the ground often paints a different picture: staff cutting corners, skipping protocols, or neglecting key measures.

This not only puts the business at risk but also jeopardises employee well-being and customer trust. But why does this happen? Let’s explore the underlying reasons and what can be done to address them.

01. Time pressures

In fast-paced work environments, employees are often tasked with completing a high volume of work within tight deadlines. Under such pressure, it’s tempting to bypass lengthy processes, protocols or checks to save time.

02. Lack of training, awareness and culture

When staff are not adequately trained, they may not fully understand the importance of certain procedures or how to carry them out effectively. Workplace culture plays a significant role in employee behaviour – If cutting corners is normalised or tacitly accepted by management, staff will likely follow suit.

03. Inadequate resources/budgets

When resources are scarce, staff often have to make do with what they have. This might mean working with insufficient equipment, outdated systems, understaffed teams or lack of allocated budgets.

04. Overconfidence or complacency

Over time, employees may become desensitised to the potential risks associated with their roles.

05. Poor communication

A breakdown in communication between management and staff can lead to confusion about policies or expectations.

06. Impact of climate change

The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events due to climate change pose new challenges for maintaining security, health, safety and disruption to operations.

07. Lack of intelligence in rising and evolving threats

Evolving threats, whether they stem from technological advancements, societal changes, or emerging risks, require constant monitoring and adaptation. The growing divide between political ideologies and the increase in civil unrest create unpredictable environments.

09. Lack of investment in technology

Many organisations fail to recognise how modern technology can streamline and enhance security, health, and safety protocols. In addition, old legacy software platforms often hinder the ability to provide a seamless experience and gather actionable analytics. These outdated systems frequently fail to integrate with other tools, leading to disconnected workflows and inefficiencies. Multiple systems that do not communicate with one another make it harder to monitor threats comprehensively, delaying responses to critical events.

10. Siloed departments

When departments like security, legal, and health & safety operate independently, inconsistencies and gaps can arise.

What are proactive organisations doing to address the problem?

01. Integrate or increase collaboration across departments

Creating a unified risk management team, department, group or committee in a business is essential for addressing overlapping responsibilities across security, health & safety, FM, legal and HR functions.

By integrating and enhancing collaboration across these departments, organisations can foster a cohesive strategy that minimises vulnerabilities, enhances communication, streamlines decision-making, promotes resource sharing, builds cross-functional expertise and importantly promotes resilience. This alignment is key to creating a safer, more secure, and compliant workplace.

02. Empower and equip teams

Combine comprehensive training, fostering a safety-first culture, and investing in necessary resources. Regular, hands-on training sessions should emphasise the importance of security, health, and safety measures.

Leadership must model compliance, reward adherence to protocols, and encourage open dialogue where employees feel comfortable reporting risks or shortages. Additionally, ensure teams have the tools, staffing, and equipment required to meet expectations without undue strain.

03. Leverage modern technology and intelligence:

Implement a critical event management & resilience platform like Zinc, to centralise operations, improve threat monitoring, and enhance response capabilities. Investing in these systems allows businesses to remain proactive and resilient against evolving challenges.

Modern solutions, like Zinc’s platform, enable real-time data collection, unified analytics, and streamlined operations. By implementing such technology, businesses can proactively adapt to challenges and foster a resilient operational framework.

Such platforms integrate modern tools, automated systems, and intelligence gathering into a cohesive solution. By implementing these systems, businesses can reduce reliance on manual processes, monitor threats in real-time, respond quickly to emergencies and simplify processes using automation to reduce the perceived burden of compliance while establishing clear communication channels for disseminating information about policies and updates.

This technology not only helps bridge gaps but also enables continuous adaptation to emerging threats through integrated research and monitoring tools. Staying ahead of trends ensures that protocols remain relevant and effective, safeguarding both the business and its people.

Beyond shortcuts:
Building a culture of compliance and collaboration.

While cutting corners may seem like a convenient solution in the short term, the long-term risks far outweigh the benefits. By understanding and addressing the root causes of this behaviour, organisations can build a safer, more secure, and more productive workplace. It’s a win-win scenario that protects not only the business but also the people who make it run.

Divider
  • Discover that the price of our software is
    surprisingly affordable.

    Request a demo today.

  • CONTACT US
Divider

Divider