Safety Concern – Info HR

Jul02

We have employees clocking in early. As a concrete company, our concern is an employee getting hurt when they shouldn’t have been there. How should we handle this?

Employers are permitted to adopt policies restricting employees from working prior to their actual start time. Many employers do this in an effort to manage payroll costs. In your case, there is a concern that additional employees in the workplace may jeopardize safety.

Inform employees that they are no longer permitted to start working prior to their scheduled start time without prior approval. Explain that due to the nature of work performed, it’s imperative that the only employees in the workplace be the ones who are scheduled to be there. You can even add a statement attesting your commitment to a safe workplace and the new policy helps you achieve this.

Send a memo to all employees in same manner you would normally communicate new policies, i.e. email, mail, staff meetings etc… It’s also good practice to post the memo at each time clock and in common areas frequented by employees like a break room and. Discussing the new policy during a staff meeting will also ensure employees are aware of it and any questions can be answered.

Remember to address any issues with employees who violate the new policy. At first, verbal warnings to remind employees about the new policy is sufficient. However, repeat offenders should be disciplined in accordance with established disciplinary procedures.

HTH!