Heroes Among Us
Heroes are Among Us, Let them Be Active
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I write this in the midst of the CODIV-19 pandemic. What a difference a couple weeks make. Most of our lives were fully optimized lives full of activity; in fact, our lives were probably over-optimized and open to stress. A month later, many of us find ourselves living sequestered lives devoid of activity but still full of stress about the silent army of virus waiting out our doors.
Nowadays we are inundated with instructions on how to stay healthy. In most of these instructions we are to…literally… do nothing. Yup, we are to stay at home. We are to not gather in groups. We are to not touch our face. It is a bit maddening.
The reason social distancing instructions are maddening is that us humans, being animated animals, are ACTIVE creatures. Humans are built to act on our environment. We have very sophisticated brain systems, limbic and otherwise, that allow us to quickly adapt to our environment and act, you know, DO STUFF that make our lives better.
We are not passive creatures (until couch potato time). In fact, when we are passive, our bodies start breaking down (so get out and exercise).
This is a central premise of behavioral science. Behavior is an active phenomena, not passive. Behaviors are active… in order to survive and thrive in these times… we must be active.
Heroes Among Us
As this crisis emerges, we will experience many heroes among us. Certainly our health care workers, scientists and epidemiologists, and leaders will be among those who we thank for our survival. Many others will be doing many little things that make a difference, big and small, in so many people’s lives. Heck, the social distancing that all of us are practicing is not only to keep ourselves healthy but is primarily to maintain sickness at a manageable rate so our health care facilities can keep up with the critical cases. We are all heroes to some extent.
As we consider our heroes in this crises, we also must look at workers out there providing the food, fuel, staples, and other means for our lives. In the midst of this big scare, I personally know folks actively going out of their homes and laboring to make sure my family (and some of yours) will have access to food and staples (and toilet paper).
The grocery distribution industry has been very actively involved in behavioral safety teams in their warehouses and transportation. As the virus started becoming a national emergency, these companies are called upon to do extraordinary things for their communities. Certainly employees in the food distribution industry have learned important facts about the CODIV-19 virus outbreak and the steps the company will take. All of us by this point have gotten these messages from every company we’ve ever come into contact with — from our employer, airlines, insurance companies, shipping services… heck, I’ve even gotten them from my favorite restaurant and credit cards. These messages to employees certainly contain much of the same caring messages of concern for employee and family health, links to information and services, and policy statements.
After attending to the health of the employees in grocery distribution, certainly a big concern is warehouse security. Being a warehouse with all the food (and toilet paper) they had to secure their facility from outsiders. Unlocked doors, unauthorized visitors, customer dock vulnerabilities and similar security issues are additional behavioral challenges for large distribution volume.
Leadership messages will try to clarify required behaviors such as “Don’t ask your family members to come” and “Don’t leave doors unlocked”. Check out the messaging occurring at your facility at this time of crises. There are a lot of “Don’ts”.
With these messages, we are asking our people to be passive — to NOT do things. These dictates were very much like our common safety rules that tell employees NOT to do things (e.g., don’t step off the front of the hand truck while it is still in motion).
People are active. They don’t want to sit back and be passive. In fact, these particular set of heroes want to be ACTIVE in the face of our nation’s crisis. They need to be told what to DO, not what to NOT-do.
This professional workforce can actively engage in many ways to positively impact their own health and the safety of the region’s food supply.
Consider the competent supervision and empowered behavioral safety teams. They are on the front line, with the workforce, in the position to better articulate the active behaviors critically needed. Behavioral safety teams are in a position to listen to concerns and ideas confidentially, brainstorm pinpoints and engage the workforce to target the unique and particular behaviors that will make a difference in this new age.
Yup, use your behavioral safety process on this crisis!
Empower the workforce to pinpoint the active behaviors they can all engage in.
Here are some examples of what the warehouse may come up with:
Check warehouse doors when passing by to assure they are locked.
Wash hands for 20 seconds prior to going to the lunch room.
Ask your fellow employees how they are doing, if they are feeling well and if their family are well.
Go to lunch breaks at odd hours, sit 2 to a table.
Use a tissue on your finger to type in your employee IDs when getting your orders.
Wipe down surfaces of hand truck before getting on.
Once pinpointed, the behavioral safety teams have the means to promote these active behaviors through awareness, observation, and feedback.
I trust that we will see grocery distribution and other heroic operations venture beyond its current capabilities to teach us all how to actively participate in the fight against viruses and other societal threats.
Grocery distribution is already venturing beyond. Consider that each of their transportation drivers come in contact with up to numerous grocery retail stores a day. They not only protect themselves, but also have multiple daily opportunities to help our grocery store heroes consider their own active behaviors in their stores to support their own health as well as the health of the thousands of us that visit our grocery stores for our sustenance.
Let us not be passive in the midst of this crisis. Let’s use our behavioral principles to create an ACTIVE culture of heroes in our companies and communities.