Imagine going to a professional baseball game, you arrive after it's started but with a quick glance at the scoreboard you know exactly what's going on. On the way to your seat and without asking anyone, you see the inning and the score. It also shows who is at bat, balls, strikes, outs, the number of hits, errors, runs by inning, even who's on deck. The information is organized in order of importance to a baseball fan. The same is true when you drive a car. The speedometer is the largest display because we check it the most, then comes the tachometer, gas gauge, oil pressure, battery and temperature. While most statistics are useful, a good scoreboard shows us what we need, when we need it.
Wouldn't it be useful to have a scoreboard that does the same thing at work? Most of us care about our jobs and want to know about actions and events that affect us personally and immediately followed by larger issues within our department and finally about things that will affect the company in the coming week, next month or next year.
At Magnatag we make specially designed magnetic whiteboard kits to show employees what's going on. Our customers have taught us there is a hierarchy to the information we need in the workplace. Here is a look at some of what we have learned about how 3 whiteboard safety signs engage and communicate to us.
This professional looking sign shows visitors and employees your company's safety record. When you see it on the wall in a lobby or entry way, it gives you the big picture without going into too much detail.
The SafetyCross® shown below engages people visually. The red, yellow, green magnet coloring is understood instinctively. The color grabs attention, green is good, yellow means caution, red is bad. It shows how often yellow and red 'events' happen and can be seen and understood at a glance from anywhere in the workplace. Production and safety managers tell us the idea of building a perfect green cross is reassuring and motivating for employees.
The human form of the HurtSpot® makes injuries really personal! The hands on nature of it invites people to participate in creating a safe work place. It encourages people to interact with the board and learn from the information shown on it. Putting it by a time clock or in a spot where employees can see and learn about injuries as they occur and how to prevent them has a direct effect on their behavior.
Our customers say well designed 'scoreboards' placed in the right locations have a strong motivational effect on people and help create a safer and more productive workplace. In future posts, we'll show more examples of whiteboard designs that improve communications, productivity and morale in manufacturing, healthcare, education and office environments.
Tom Shaw
Content Developer at @Magnatag | Son, Husband, and Father | #Tech Junkie | Classic Car aficionado | @Bengals Fan | Now in Western New York by way of Ohio