Think about the kids who came from abusive homes vs. those who came from supportive homes where they knew they were loved.
It isn’t all peaches and cream, but they KNOW when they are loved and supported, and it shows in how they live their lives and in how they make decisions.
We hold our kids responsible when they fail but look at the number of posts on social media of parents celebrating their children’s success in even the most trivial matters. Sort of like thanking a worker for wearing their PPE even though it is a rule to do so.
Stopping and saying THANK YOU and CELEBRATING that employee’s decision to wear their PPE will have a far more positive influence on that worker’s future decision-making than whatever we say after they are injured.
As Dr. E Scott Geller says, treat your engagement with employees like a checkbook. Make a lot of deposits (positive reinforcement), so when the day comes, we have to make a correction (accountability); we are not bouncing checks.