A new study from emergency communications provider AlertMedia finds that U.S. workers are more concerned than ever about their safety in the workplace.
The Austin-based company’s inaugural State of Employee Safety Report polled more than 2,000 full-time employed American workers 18 or older about their perceptions of workplace safety. The study found that 90% of respondents believe their company has an obligation to protect employees from unnecessary risk of harm when working or traveling on the company’s behalf, with 82% indicating that the obligation extends to remote workers.
“It’s clear that workplace safety has a powerful influence over organizations’ ability to attract and retain talent, and we hope employers use this data to inform their emergency preparedness plans, training efforts, and employee communication to demonstrate their commitment to safer working conditions for all,” said Alex Vaccaro, chief marketing officer for AlertMedia, in a release. “While health and safety have been top-of-mind for nearly every person, business, and community for the past two years, this research offers new evidence about what employees expect from their employers when working as well as how their perception of safety impacts numerous aspects of their lives.”
The report queried workers on their level of concern about a number of workplace issues, including:
- Navigating public health crises: 78%
- Cyberattacks: 65%
- Severe weather: 65%
- Crime: 61%
- Significant outages: 59%
- Workplace violence: 54%
The study also found that 89% of workers say workplace safety is more important than ever, but only 54% of respondents believe their safety is extremely important to their employer. Eighty-one percent say executive leadership cares about employee safety, but 64% say their employer’s emergency communication could be improved.
Safety training could also stand to be improved, the report found. Eighty-two percent of respondents said their employer offers safety training, but only 56% say they participate in training more than once per year. Employees who are not offered safety training are more than twice as likely to say they would not know what to do in a work emergency.
Almost all (97%) respondents said feeling safe is a major factor in choosing where to work. Asked how they would respond if their employer failed to communicate effectively about an emergency or other potentially dangerous event, 44% said they would feel unsafe and 58% said they would reconsider working there or seek employment elsewhere.
Visit here for more information and to download the full report.