Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Turnberry

Matt Owens

Creating a safe work environment is an enormous responsibility.  From the perspective of a human resources professional, the topic of workplace safety itself is vast and takes on many forms encompassing everything from regulatory compliance to workers compensation.  But when it comes right down to it, it is so much more than policies and paperwork.  At its core, it's about people – the employees themselves. Their engagement in the corporate efforts to create workplace safety is the difference between success and failure. And when workplace safety efforts are successful, you will find your employees are more engaged in their work.

 At Turnberry, the real estate organization I work for, it is my responsibility as SVP of HR to coordinate the overall safety efforts along with our head of insurance and risk management. But it is the property safety & security and human resources leaders and the employees in every role throughout our organization who really pull through the execution. Without an engaged workforce driving workplace safety every day, we could not be successful. Creating a safe work environment cannot be dictated. It is intentionally built, prioritized, practiced and everyone must participate.

There are a number of intertwined initiatives that should be considered:

1. Leadership Commitment – it starts at the top.  In our case, the General Managers are the stewards working with the Safety & Security and HR Teams.  Our properties also have a safety committee that meets regularly to review prior accidents, hazards, and align on the upcoming training topics and needs of the property. 

2. Hazard Mitigation – completing the aforementioned safety audits and inspections for one, but fixing any physical issues: Drying spills, ensuring fire egress, a functioning life safety system, appropriate lock-out/tag-out procedures, etc.  Having your employees seeing the care for their environment lets them know you care.

3. Visible Security Presence – having frequent patrols, security teams being available upon a moment’s notice, escorting employees in a parking garage, etc. provides both a deterrent and protection (particularly important where you have a high volume of public and/or concerns with terrorist threats – in our case the third largest mall in the US). 

4. Accident Responsiveness – ensuring that genuine care and concern is exhibited prior to rushing the employees to get back to work.

5. Accountability – when employees perform tasks in an unsafe manner, or have complete disregard for performing tasks – what happens in correcting poor behavior?  A tool to aide in this is an investigation document completed by the employee and the leader (after the employee has been provided care and has returned to work).  This provides an immediate learning for the employee while also aiding the reduction of such incidents by discovering and removing the root cause. 6. 

6. Training and Education – this is where the rubber meets the road.  Pulling employees off the floor to train and educate them on safety is paramount.  It can be both in the details of how to perform their specific jobs safely but also training them on having a more wholistic mindset:

a. Anticipating hazards before they occur (ex. safe work environment to prevent slips, trips, and falls)

b. Having their eyes trained and open to the world around them in which they work (suspicious packages, human trafficking, harassment prevention, etc.).  If you see something, say something.

Having managers deliver or support the delivery of training in a positive and caring manager sends meaningful messages to the organization, encouraging mutual support to shared safety & security objectives.  This face-to-face time managers have with their employees also allows for an organic relationship to grow – it lets other concerns (either inside or outside of work) or career conversations to occur without being forced, thus strengthening the bond between manager and employee. 

Throughout my years in HR, I have observed time and time again that a safe workplace translates into an engaged workforce. When employees feel valued, listened to, and safe at work they contribute positively to the company and give their best efforts.  Organizations that focus on workplace safety not only reduce the risk of costly accidents and injuries, but show that they care, creating a motivated and loyal team.  This focus is a strategic decision that can have lasting effects on both employees and the organization. Workplace safety is an investment that pays many dividends.

Author Bio: 

Matt Owens is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Turnberry, a real estate company based in Aventura Florida with residential, commercial, retail, and hospitality divisions.  For more information visit (8) Matt Owens | LinkedIn or www.turnberry.com.