Social Dialogue as an Effective Means of Ensuring Safety Culture

Context: Why Social Dialogue is the Foundation of Safety Culture

Creating an effective safety system is impossible without the involvement and engagement of the employees themselves. If an employee does not receive feedback from management and has no opportunity to speak openly about problems, any administrative measures (orders, penalties) will only work partially. In this webinar, Pavel Mitrokhin, Head of Environment and Occupational Safety at Setas Cosmetics (Oriflame Cosmetics), discusses practical tools for building a social dialogue that help not only comply with legislation but also form a healthy working atmosphere.

Feedback Tools: From the "Red Box" to the HSE Committee

Using his company as an example, the speaker shows how various communication channels with employees work. The key principle is accessibility and mandatory feedback.

• HSE Committee. Quarterly meetings involving top management and employee representatives. This is a platform where implemented initiatives and plans are discussed, and employees can directly ask questions to the CEO.
• "Red Box" and Email. Anonymous channels for collecting suggestions and complaints. It is important that every appeal is reviewed and specific measures are taken (for example, installing additional fans or replacing PPE with more comfortable ones).
• Dialogue during Three-Tier Control. During inspections of production sites involving management, direct communication with employees takes place, which allows identifying non-obvious problems and solving them promptly.
• Annual Electronic Surveys. Anonymous questionnaires to assess employees' attitudes toward the company and collect suggestions for improvement.

Non-Financial Motivation and Engagement

The presentation details the approach to non-financial motivation, which plays no less a role than financial rewards. Engagement is built on three components: the intellectual, emotional, and physical state of the employee.

• Sports and Wellness Activities. Regular yoga classes, table tennis tournaments, master classes on disease prevention and stress management. This helps reduce tension and improve the physical well-being of employees.
• Training and Development. Free courses in public speaking, foreign languages, master classes on creating presentations and negotiating.
• Corporate Events. Trips to theaters, excursions, family days, and traditional Swedish holidays. Such activities contribute to team building and increased loyalty.
• "Breakfast with the CEO". Informal meetings of distinguished employees with management, where work issues can be discussed in a comfortable environment.

Principles of Effective Communication

The speaker emphasizes that for a successful dialogue, several basic rules must be followed:

• Purposefulness and Fact-Based Approach. Communication should have a specific goal and be based on objective data, without threats or manipulation.
• Sincerity and Engagement. The manager must demonstrate real interest in the employee's problem, without being distracted by extraneous things (e.g., a phone) during the conversation.
• Completeness. After each discussion, it is important to make sure that the parties understood each other correctly and agreed on the next steps.

What You Will Learn from This Webinar:

• How to organize the work of the HSE Committee without formalism?
• Which channels for collecting employee feedback are the most effective?
• How does non-financial motivation affect the level of safety culture?
• How to properly build a dialogue with employees during audits and inspections?
• What activities help reduce stress levels and increase staff engagement?