Our actions and decisions at work have far-reaching consequences, no matter what our job title is. These consequences are not always negative. There are plenty of good outcomes that result from the decisions we make. Understanding this “Ripple Effect” idea is critical.
It is easy to forget that when you make a poor choice or an adverse event happens to you that it can have a significant effect on others. This impact on others is real, no matter how personal it may seem. For example, John Smith decides he is going to work at heights without fall protection since the task will only take a minute. He does so with the mindset of “well if I fall, it is my own fault.”
The problem is, if he does fall, he is not the only one affected. Yes, he is going to be injured or worse, but there are many more people who suffer the negative consequences if he is severely injured. The injury will hugely impact his family, but what about the less obvious impacted parties?
When any decision is made, or event happens, there are long-lasting ripple effects that impact others who we may not even realize are impacted. In this fall injury example, some other affected parties could be:
- His coworkers
- The company
- The job owner
- The company’s clients
- The community
Understanding the Ripple Effect is critical when it comes to knowing why you should choose to work safely. When you choose to take a shortcut, you are not the only one negatively impacted if something goes wrong. There will be long-lasting impacts after the injury occurs.
Work safe not only for your own sake but also for all of the other workers around you who depend on their employment to feed their families as well. One serious accident could change everything for the worse. On the other hand, one safe decision can save someone’s life.
Points to Ponder
- We depend on every single person in the organization to be successful as a whole.
- On any given day, we are as only as good as the individual who cares the least.
- Every decision can bring us closer or further away from our goals.
- The smallest action can have a huge impact- good or bad.
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