For Evaluation and Corrective Action (Annex B.4.5), the National Standard on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace states, “Without monitoring and measuring, there is no way to determine if the interventions or strategies used are successful. This puts the initiatives at risk when another priority comes along. Without evidence of efficacy or plans for improvement, the approaches might be dropped or forgotten.” (See also clause 4.5.)
Evaluating outcomes related to the implementation of a Psychological Health and Safety Management System does not have to be difficult. What follows are some ideas for you to consider:
- Re-administering your original assessment of psychological health and safety in your organization and comparing baseline data to current measurements after 1 or 2 years can be one cost-effective way to measure some of the results.
- Timelines will be unique to each workplace, but an example could be:
- Year 1 – Commitment and planning
- Year 2 – Implementation of the plan
- Year 3 – Evaluation of outcomes
- Year 4 – Cycle begins again with continuation of successful strategies and the addition of corrective or improvement actions
- Remember that change takes time. Many strategies may take 2 or 3 years to have measurable results.
- Measures set during the planning stage should be reviewed, including:
- Achievements
- Challenges
- Quality of work
- Productivity
- Worker satisfaction
- Customer or client satisfaction
- Input, feedback and engagement
- Accountability measures
- Potential for long-term outcomes
- Also consider:
- What’s working well so that it is sustained
- Corrective actions that could improve results
- Developing a list of possible next steps
- Celebrating successes
- Evaluation planning for psychological health and safety
- Using the Standard sample Audit Tool | PDF to track progress
Once specific corrective action(s) and areas for improvement have been identified, begin planning to choose the most effective implementation strategies as part of the continual improvement process for your organization.