Communication and Engagement
For the Fleet Safety Management System to be effective the organisation will need to engage with all members of staff to get their ‘buy-in’ and commitment to the programme, and the changes that might be necessary. If the organisation employs contractors, it is important to engage with them to share in what the organisation is doing and what is expected of contract service providers.
Engagement comes from consistent internal communications, and the creation of multi-departmental operational teams which are ultimately responsible for the organisation’s Fleet Safety Management System.
Internal Communication and Engagement
Successful improvement in fleet safety performance relies heavily on peoples’ individual actions and behaviours. To encourage engagement in Fleet Safety Management, the organisation should start by preparing a communications plan, which needs to:
• Create awareness of the Fleet Safety Management System.
• Help everyone understand what is required of them.
• Build acceptance.
• Gain commitment.
To really achieve acceptance and commitment managers and supervisors must be personally and deeply involved in the process. It will take time and effort to do, however, this is essential to realise the benefits and long term sustainability of a strong fleet safety culture and performance in the organisation.
Communication needs to be a continuous process to constantly keep staff appraised of progress with the programme and to constantly remind staff of the importance of fleet safety and their personal driving standards and behaviours.
There are many ways of engaging and communicating with staff using both direct and indirect channels of communication. Some examples are provided below:
• Direct communications:
- Workshops for managers and implementation teams
- Staff briefing sessions
- Driver training
- Staff induction courses
• Indirect communication:
Placing fleet safety information in other documents or media:
- Safety manuals
- Driver handbooks
- Driver passports
- Organisational newsletters
Placing fleet safety awareness information on:
- Notice boards
- Posters
- Websites
- Emails
Operational engagement within the organisation
At the operating level, a useful starting point is to establish a fleet safety team (FST) from among multi-departmental key stakeholder groups in the organisation. This team will provide the energy, expertise and organisational connections to assist in the development of a fleet safety strategy and associated systems, controls and procedures. The team will ultimately help to ensure the effective implementation and operation of the Fleet Safety Management System.
The FST will also help facilitate communication across all groups in the organisation at all levels from drivers to supervisors to managers and through the top-level executive body. This will help ensure awareness and understanding of roles and responsibilities, as well as providing a conduit for sharing of information up and down the management chain.
The FST are best placed to identify what the organisation needs to work on, and provide the appropriate expertise from within the organisation to develop the strategy and action plan to deliver the desired outcome.
Their responsibilities will include:
• Carrying out the fleet safety risk assessment
• Reviewing existing fleet management systems and controls
• Analysis of fleet safety performance
• Identification of best practices from within the organisation and externally
• Making proposals and recommendations for improvement
• Developing the strategy to implement the approved Fleet Safety Management System
• Providing tools to support the organisation
• Acting as a resource to assist with implementation
• Reviewing and monitoring progress
• Supporting ongoing communication and engagement activities
Prior to any changes being implemented, both the driving forces for accepting the change, and the restraining forces for opposing the change need to be identified. Identifying these key factors allows strategies to be implemented to maximise the effects of the driving forces while minimising the effects of the restraining forces. For example, plans can be made to maximise staff acceptance by heightening the driving force of ownership through encouraging employee participation in the change process.
