Whether you work at a supermarket, an auto body shop, or a hospital, one thing is for sure: slip-resistant shoes can make a world of difference in terms of keeping you safe on the job. Slip, trip, and fall hazards can be a real pain on multiple levels, and they can lead to serious falls, injuries, and lawsuits that cost you and your business a lot of time and money. Don't worry, though--there are plenty of things you can do to protect your employees’ safety and your business’ reputation!
Setting up your employees for success and safety:
It’s incredibly important as a business owner to make sure your workers are dressing for safety. Depending on the industry, specific safety gear may be required. For example, supermarket cashiers might not need safety glasses to ensure supermarket workplace accident prevention, but auto-body shop workers do. Make sure you're up to speed on best practices for safety in your specific industry and share that knowledge with your staff.
But there is one great unifier across all industries:
Everyone needs shoes, and everyone wants to be protected from slips, trips, and falls.
And this brings us to slip-resistant footwear. It can be a bit tricky to get your employees to comply with safety footwear policy for many reasons, but it's well worth the effort—both for their safety and for your bottom line.
Why some of your employees might not want Slip-Resistant footwear:
Some factors that make the adoption of wearing slip-resistant shoes can be—to some—a prohibitive cost. For someone working in a quick service restaurant role, a pair of $100 shoes can be a steep up-front price to pay. But there’s a solution that can get both the employee in a pair of slip-resistant shoes that also gives you peace of mind that the chance for an employee injury by an avoidable slip or fall will be reduced.
How you can make sure all your employees are wearing the proper slip-resistant footwear:
The process of getting your employees into proper slip-resistant shoes as fast as possible can be streamlined by implementing a Payroll Deduction Plan (PDP) for these essential shoes. But first, you might be asking yourself – what is a Payroll Deduction Plan?
Payroll Deduction Plans – A quick explainer:
Payroll Deductions Plans are set up between you and a company that sells slip-resistant footwear, enabling you to show a variety of shoe options to your employees, that allows employees to deduct the cost of safety footwear from their paycheck through payroll integration. Once an order is placed, you choose the frequency of installment payments to cover the cost of their footwear deducted from their paycheck(s). This can help ease the friction of getting employees properly outfitted for safety by having the option to pay over time, and you reduce your exposure to the associated cost of medical bills or worker’s compensation claims due to avoidable slip, trip, or fall injuries.
While the avoidance of injuries is a key driver in providing employees with safety footwear, there are quite a few added benefits of a Payroll Deduction Plan that will help to build a safety culture at your place of business…and here are some of those reasons:
PDP helps keep the message of safety front and center: With all the information your new employees must take in, slip-resistant shoes might slip their minds. By including them in a payroll deduction plan, you'll give them a regular reminder that safety in the workplace is important and that you’ll provide the necessary support to keep them safe and equipped with the proper slip-resistant footwear.
PDP takes the decision-making off their plate: There are a ton of options out there when it comes to slip-resistant shoes. Working with a reputable company that produces high-quality footwear options, like Shoes For Crews, gives your employees the freedom to choose the shoes that work best for them. (You can also select limited styles the employee can pick to meet any dress code requirements at your place of business.
PDP makes it easier on everyone's wallet: With a Payroll Deduction Plan, your employees can spread out the payments for their shoes, making it easier to commit to safety. Plus, you won't have to worry about anyone not being able to afford the shoes they need.
PDPs show your commitment to safety: By collaborating with a safety footwear provider like Shoes For Crews that offers payroll deduction plans, you'll send a clear message: you're serious and committed to keeping your employees safe. That builds loyalty with your employees and shows you care about the work they do and their safety, long- and short-term.
So, what are you waiting for? Reach out to Shoes For Crews and get in touch with one of our Safety Footwear experts today to get your payroll deduction plan in place.
Both your employees and your bottom line will thank you for it!