Effective Time Management for Safety

Safety is an area that requires daily focus among many other important areas in need of leader attention and effort. You may be expected to conduct safety walkabouts, or to plan for and facilitate safety talks, to spend time coaching or mentoring staff for improved safety performance, to record and report on safety data or attend meetings with safety on the agenda. These are only some examples of safety-related tasks required of you. You have many other priority tasks that also need to be completed on a regular basis as well as the daily emergencies that seem to take over almost every moment of your shift. Where does a safety leader find the time to manage all responsibilities and duties effectively? Realistically speaking, there are only so many hours in a day!

This is where time management comes into play. Executives, middle managers and primarily frontline supervisors need to strategically plan to incorporate safety duties to fulfill all required responsibilities. Between the paperwork and the meetings and the face-to-face time with staff, among a plethora of other daily duties, if you “fly by the seat of your pants” without strategically managing your time, you’ll find that the day is gone before you know it and the paperwork didn’t get completed, the staff may not have received the time they required and you left too many tasks for tomorrow. Have you ever left lower-priority items on the bottom of the pile? What happens to those lower-priority items? Do they ever get completed? Do they ever get completed in a timely fashion? Often, this is what happens with safety duties: they get left at the bottom of the pile. The CCSA aims to provide you with a few time management tips to better plan for inclusion of your safety duties into daily operation so they don’t sit at the bottom of the never-ending pile.

Though time management requires individual preferences from person to person, consider making small changes to your schedule until you find the right balance among all your responsibilities and duties. The following suggestions include refinements that leaders may want to consider to better manage time:

Assess your “Open Door” Policy

Cutting back on “open door” time is a strategy that can help some individuals get a better handle on their time. While it is important for workers to know they have access to their supervisor when urgently needed, an unqualified “open door” policy can mean that the majority of supervisor-worker contact focuses on emergencies. Be sure to communicate to staff what qualifies as an emergency so your time is not inundated with unplanned-for situations.

Schedule daily face-to-face supervisory time

Instituting a policy of scheduled supervision time can work hand-in-hand with cutting back on your “open door” policy. If your staff is aware that you schedule time on a daily basis to supervise on the floor, then they can better prioritize their issues and plan to speak with you during your supervision time. When workers know their supervisor is committed to planned floor time, they begin to develop lists of questions, and can plan to be available for coaching as well as any other supervisor-led activities.

Remain Organized

A supervisor who works with a "messy" or cluttered desk spends, on average, 1 1/2 hours per day looking for things or being distracted by things. If you work five days a week, this amounts to a total of 7 1/2 hours! An orderly desk, filing system, and work area will help you be much more productive. The less time you spend digging for files and information, the more time you have for doing actual work. Plus, being surrounded by clutter will make you feel overwhelmed. Reduce your stress by focusing on the task at hand.

Avoid Procrastination

Don't procrastinate. Putting off or avoiding unpleasant and intimidating tasks is a huge time waster. Projects that are left to the last minute can quickly become a disaster. Set aside the time you need to complete an assignment and commit yourself to the task. If you need an additional incentive, announce to others that you will have the project done by a specific time. Public commitment is a great encourager. Also, remind yourself of how good it will feel to clean up your unfinished business. If these things don't work, consider the cost of the delay and the negative impact that may ensue because of it.

Don’t focus solely on perfectionism

Doing things right is important, but you're not perfect. Sometimes making tiny improvements to a project does nothing but stop you from moving on to your next assignment. Step back and consider the big picture before nit-picking your work. Ask yourself if it would be better to continue polishing or would the wise move be to just let it go and move on to something more important.

Remain Punctual

Do your best to always arrive for work on time. The same goes for meetings. Showing up late not only sets a bad example for your employees, it also makes you behind schedule right from the start. Make every effort to arrive five minutes early wherever you go.

Delegate tasks when necessary

As a leader with direct reports, it is your responsibility to make sure that the job gets done. To preserve your time, delegate assignments whenever possible. Doling out more responsibility to employees is the new trend in supervision. Most employees will appreciate your trust in them and respond accordingly. Delegate tasks responsibly by choosing the right employee for the assignment at hand. Be sure to offer specific instructions and proper training to ensure success. Most importantly, monitor the project and show your appreciation when an employee performs well.

Decline tasks when necessary

Never take on more than you can handle. Ensure that you are fulfilling the responsibilities that accompany your role, but be aware when out-of-scope tasks are asked of you and your team. Successful supervisors know when to say no. It may be hard to imagine turning down a request, but sometimes the best thing to do is to tactfully decline. When you are fully scheduled and given a request, explain to your supervisor why you don't have time to take on the assignment. Always remain professional, but point out why the assignment will prevent you from completing projects that are of a higher priority. Then, suggest alternatives, such as temporary help from another department. Your boss will probably appreciate your honesty.

Make time to Relax

Your work time is valuable, but so is your personal time. A good night's sleep is an escape from the pressures of work. Getting enough rest will leave you energized and give you the ability to tackle your assignments with vigor. Vacations can do the same thing. As a supervisor, you probably get vacation time or personal time. Utilize it. When you aren't at work, don't think about work. Give yourself a break!

Some general tips for better time management include:

Use time efficiently while remaining flexible. Try to not let circumstances control how time is spent.
Set attainable annual, monthly, and weekly goals.
Make daily “to do” lists identifying high priority items.
Avoid “anticipatory dread.” Supervisors sometimes think ahead to activities or tasks that they do not like and dwell on the negative feelings. This can blow things out of proportion.
Identify routine and special items to delegate.
Run organized meetings (ie: have an agenda, keep on time, and remain on task).
Group similar tasks together.
Break large tasks into smaller parts.
Identify and eliminate time-wasting activities.

Sources:

North Carolina’s Children’s Services Practice Notes. Time Management Tips for Supervisors. Vol. 13, No. 2. (2008). Retrieved from

Harris, Bailey. Time Management: A Supervisor’s Guide. (2005). Retrieved from

2013 Safety Leadership Actions Tool: Effective Time Management for Safety