Rethinking OHS: The Millennial Approach to Workplace Safety
Be sure to recruit millennial employees to serve on communication committees to gain their perspectives, and ensure that your safety communication efforts hit the right notes. Millennials are looking for evidence that companies are committed to safety. They want clear evidence that their company has a culture of safety, and want to know what their employer is doing to keep them safe. This translates into new methods of communication and engagement building designed to meet these workers where they are.
Motivation to Perform Work Safely Must Change
As previously mentioned, technology is a key tool that millennials rely heavily on to revamp OHS. Additionally, the use of technology has become increasingly prevalent in promoting occupational health and safety in today’s world. Millennials, as tech-savvy individuals, are at the forefront of using digital tools to drive change in this arena. These tools not only raise awareness of the importance of workplace safety, but also help ensure safety protocols are followed and incidents are consistently recorded and addressed. In addition to using technology to promote safety, millennials are also advocating for workplace safety through their leadership positions in their organizations.
Conversations about workplace health and safety
Millennials value flexibility in their work, a high level of transparency, and a strong work-life balance. These priorities have helped change workplace expectations for employee responsibilities. While a typical 8 to 5 schedule was the norm even a decade ago, technology and employee preferences have created an increase in flexible work schedules, remote work, the gig economy, and the sharing economy. Millennials are drawn to workplaces with measurable benefits in addition to a salary, and flexibility is top among their concerns.
- In fact, many younger workers already use habit-forming apps (3) for fitness, sleep, mindfulness—and even learning new languages.
- Empowering and encouraging younger workers to participate actively in safety meetings and to lead safety committees will convert them into advocates for improving safety.
- They’re looking for training that’s flexible, relevant, and designed to support their day-to-day decisions—not just check a compliance box.
- Then communicate these policies in training programs, team meetings and employee evaluations to ensure everyone understands them.
- Whether workplace safety training is done in person or virtually, employers must deliver a uniform message.
- A key challenge will exist around creating approaches to engagement that are perceived as equitable across generations.
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And that disengagement matters—because nearly 90% of workplace incidents are linked to human error, not equipment failure. So if safety training is going to stick with us—and the generations following us—it needs to evolve, too. Consider developing infographic-style posters and social posts to help keep safety at the forefront of everyone’s mind and support training.
Establishing a Strong Safety Culture: Challenges and Solutions
Gen Z is stepping into a world filled with complex challenges, from climate change millennials and workplace safety to social injustice. They’re not just here to clock in and out—they want their work to have purpose. This generation’s commitment to improvement and their holistic view of safety make them a transformative force, not just in workplace safety but across the board.
Many safety-related apps allow employees to report incidents, access safety information, and receive notifications of potential hazards. This helps to ensure that employees are informed and aware of the risks in their workplace, and that they always have the information they need to stay safe. In-person training can follow video-based training, and lessons can be individualized by role and employees.
By 2034, Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha will make up 80% of the global workforce . It might seem that something as serious as safety shouldn’t be a game, but engaging millennials in creating a safer workplace is more effective when it’s a game. Challenge employees to identify potential safety issues and create a contest to see who can identify and solve the most safety issues.
Many are entering their 30s and 40s with mortgages, children, and financial responsibilities that make risk-taking harder. Li said young people like herself are using AI to save time and improve their work. Around 57% of Gen Zs are already using AI in their daily work for a variety of tasks, whether it’s content creation, data analysis, project management, or something else, and most view it positively, per Deloitte. Lanni said she also reached out to colleagues who seem overwhelmed or stressed, adding that Gen Z is more open about discussing mental well-being in the workplace. Gen Z workers are often more casual and comfortable in how they show up at work — sometimes literally. Some Gen Zers are deliberately signing up to professional networking events to try to bridge the gap and mingle in a structured environment, as CNBC previously reported.
Unlike the baby boomers, the millennial generation is inherently familiar with social media and other digital tools. You can leverage these skills by adding low-cost but highly effective programs to engage this workforce on these platforms. For example, you could use instant messaging, email, or social tools to promote worker safety. You could create workplace challenges that gamify safety by challenging employees to spot safety issues before they cause a problem. The millennial generation is rapidly emerging as a dominant force in the workplace, especially in the field of occupational health and safety (OHS).
Gen Z and the Future of Workplace Safety: Protecting the Next Generation of Workers
These tools raise awareness, ensure protocol adherence, and consistently address safety incidents. While no generation is perfect for any role, millennials’ unique skills and perspectives drive progress and innovation in workplace safety. Our data also found a disconnect between what workplace safety training involves and the scenarios that employees actually experience. For instance, many Gen-Z retail workers feel the training they receive doesn’t adequately prepare them for challenges like aggression from a customer or de-escalating conflict between customers themselves. When employees lack sufficient preparation, they’ll be less confident in handling unsafe situations.
Contrary to popular belief, both millennial and Gen Z employees care deeply about their work and want it to be meaningful. They may not hesitate to leave unapologetically when they find a job to be mundane or void of purpose. In fact, younger workers are often willing to sacrifice income and benefits for opportunities they find compelling. Roughly one-in-five 15- to 17-year-olds in 2018 (19 percent) report having worked at all during the prior calendar year, compared with 30 percent of millennial 15- to 17-year-olds in 2002. Almost half of early baby boomers (48 percent) in the same age group worked in 1968.
A Generation Ready to Lead Change
For example, manufacturing or retail businesses, which have a large in-person workforce, will have different safety concerns than companies that operate remotely. The Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted on April 28, 1971, when Baby Boomers—individuals born between 1946 and 1964—were just coming of age and entering the workplace. For older generations, workplace safety often meant a set of rules and regulations designed to prevent injury such as introducing PPE usage. This is the last line of defense and the least effective method of controlling a hazard. Clear, digestible protocols for hazardous environments with the bare minimum requirements were also enacted, but the manner in which the content was delivered was in its infancy. When it comes to employee engagement, I concluded that generational differences do exist between millennials and baby boomers.
- Coming of age post-Woodstock and pre-Reagan, Jonesers felt the squeeze between 60s idealism and 80s pragmatism.
- While a typical 8 to 5 schedule was the norm even a decade ago, technology and employee preferences have created an increase in flexible work schedules, remote work, the gig economy, and the sharing economy.
- While some older workers who have been working behind a desk for 25 years might scoff at the notion of “safety training,” in today’s world you simply cannot afford to ignore the risks.
- This leverages millennial and Gen Z workers’ comfort with technology and remote work by allowing them to complete training courses on their own schedule at their own pace.
Understanding the Multigenerational Workforce
Student loan assistance or professional development stipends appeal to Gen Z, while childcare support and long-term savings options resonate with millennials. By acknowledging the distinct motivations of each group, employers can design policies that foster inclusion rather than friction. Millennials, once seen as the job-hopping generation, are taking a different tack in 2025. Having lived through the 2008 financial crisis, the pandemic, and now an AI-driven disruption of roles, they are increasingly focused on security.
