Written by LetsBuild
Last updated October 18, 2023
This is the most common question you get from QHSE managers or companies initiating a change on their QHSE system: how do we get everyone in the company involved in the quality and HSE (health, safety and environment) programs? Obviously, there is no single answer.
We set out a guideline here for the digitalisation of your QHSE system and it’s an excerpt from one of our ebooks. Digitising your QHSE system is not an option—it is a cultural shift that is radically changing the industry and making the construction world more competitive and more agile. It’s high time to invest as the risks of struggling to go digital are too high. But how do you go about starting your company’s shift?
Prioritising your employees’ experience is the main key to breaking through an old culture changing their minds to welcome a new one. Here are four tips to engage your employees and influence QHSE digitalisation from the bottom up:
1. Align Your Vision and Values with Your Employees
Remind your employees of your company values and communicate how a digital transformation of your QHSE aligns with them. Having a clear company vision speaks to your employees’ own sets of values and creates for a smoother transition. This alignment of values increases productivity and sparks innovation, which are very important especially when organisational change is involved. When your employees are connected to your values, they grow invested in their work. They are more likely to cross over personal barriers to change and would be inclined to commit to your company’s QHSE initiatives.
2. Promote a Narrative for Adoption
Tech brands advocating for their software solutions always have a sales slogan or a tagline. It’s a simple concept: a catchphrase that embodies their products or what their company stands for, clear and concise in one statement. In the case of a digital QHSE change, it’s highly important that everyone in the company is aware and agrees with the vision and goals for that change. Your tagline should become your internal brand narrative from the beginning until the end, and should spread like wildfire among your employees.
3. Grow with Your Learning Curve
The QHSE digitalisation journey is a complicated one. Most employees may lose interest before you even begin. That’s why training and educating your employees about the long-term construction benefits of going digital is a critical part of creating excitement . Encourage consistent communication to ensure all your employees are feeling challenged and supported.
4. Start Slow and Finish Strong
While in the process of digital transformation in your QHSE processes, expect to face constant pressures. It is natural to want to cut corners or push ahead but these can be costly mistakes. Instead, challenge yourself and your team. Put a plan together with measurable goals and make sure to hold yourself and your teams accountable. If you have to make changes, revise purposefully. Avoid isolating issues and decisions but instead, inspire and implement a 360-degree feedback. You and your teams will be on your way to a fresh and cohesive thinking and collaboration.
When you migrate your QHSE system to a reliable construction management software, it would completely transform how you work. Digitising your paper-based QHSE workflow, for example, your field reports during site inspections, would save you copious of valuable hours. Getting the entire company to adopt a digitalisation mindset for your new QHSE operations is very crucial and tends to be the most difficult part. Since it’s an organisation-wide tweak, it would affect the company’s culture and require a lot of people to change their thinking and relationships with technology.
If you need more help in getting your whole team to get involved, we have more tips in our ebook, 6 Keys to Staying Competitive, which you can download for free today.
