Personal Experience of Feeling Uncomfortable at Work
The working environment requires people to communicate with others, and often, communication can cause discomfort for employees due to a lack of mutual understanding or unhealthy power dynamics. However, the employees’ concerns with safety issues present a different type of discomfort, which the employer should promptly address.
My negative workplace safety experience happened when I got a part-time job in a small organization. Due to the work’s seasonal character, additional workers hired for a certain period were placed in an office without windows in a remote part of the workplace. While safety regulations allow offices with no windows, it was difficult for me to imagine what to do in case of a fire alarm since the location was far from the central and emergency entrances. Moreover, none of the temporary workers received safety training, even though the Occupational Health and Safety Administration requires employers to provide safety training for all workers.
Reaction After Reflection
Looking back at the experience, I understand that I would react differently in that situation if I had known more about occupational safety and health. Thus, I would report the lack of safety training to management on the first day of work. Furthermore, the information in the course allowed me to understand that it was a mistake for leadership to allocate a remote place without windows for temporary employees.
Response from Leader’s Perspective
In the place of the organization’s leader, I would give temporary employees a more convenient location to encourage their transition to a permanent position, leaving the remote part of the office for storage purposes. Furthermore, after becoming aware of the problem with the availability of emergency exits, I would prioritize safety training for all employees on their first day to ensure their safety. Therefore, becoming familiar with occupational safety and health allowed me to feel better equipped for dealing with such problems in the future because now I understand how employers, leaders, and workers perceive safety.