When small wins = big change

It’s not unusual for people to be averse to change. It can challenge us and make us feel uncomfortable, particularly when we’ve had the same habit for years. Change at work can be equally confronting.

But according to Marco Rindo, Work Health Safety and Compliance Manager at Carey’s Freight Lines, celebrating the small wins is the best way to get people on board.

“Safety can be a hard sell,” said Marco.

“Some people have been in our team for 20 or 30 years and change can be overwhelming.

“I’ve worked at Carey’s Freight Lines for five years now and have come to realise that small wins matter.

“By showing the positive outcome of the change you actually see increased engagement from workers.

“They want to become part of that change.”

Carey’s Freight Lines is a family owned company established in 1927.

It manages refrigerated freight, general freight and container transport across Brisbane, Sydney and Tamworth.

Four years ago, they implemented a consultation process, led by Marco, to manage the risks faced by their workers.

“It was a bit difficult at first to get support from all 120 workers, but Australia’s views on wellbeing at work are changing, which has created a big shift over the past four years,” said Marco.

Marco believes the trick is to show the small improvements, and to be transparent and honest with workers throughout the process.

He is now starting to see a different attitude emerge among workers .

“We recently installed electronic work diaries (EWDs) into our trucks to track driver’s hours,” Marco said.

“The EWDs allow us to monitor how long a driver has been working, and then send alerts to the driver and office staff when they need to take a break or stop working.

“They were hesitant at first, but now some won’t get in the truck without them.

“They know the EWDs are there to assist with our chain of responsibility obligations, keep them safe, and make sure they come home to their families.

“It was a big change, so we took it slow by installing the EWDs in a select few trucks.

“We listened to feedback from the drivers, sent our insights to workers via our newsletter and discussed them during consultation meetings.”

The EWDs are just one safety change Carey’s Freight Lines have undertaken over the years. Other changes have been smaller, but all contribute to the larger goal of improving the mental and physical health and wellbeing of their workers.

“We have a number of monthly meetings for different facets of the business with the first agenda item always being safety.

“Meeting minutes and newsletters are made accessible to all workers through our noticeboards, via email and uploaded to the trucks on board ‘iFace’.

“Our monthly newsletter has a dedicated section to health and safety.

“It keeps everyone up-to-date on the latest initiatives and gives us the opportunity to celebrate the little wins across departments.”