How to Create a Worker Safety Hotline That Really Works

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Managers can move from a reactive to a proactive approach to workplace abuse with the help of a worker hotline. Four simple recommendations can be found in the research on dairy farms in Vermont.

1. Hotlines need to be accessible, at the times, in the languages, and through the mediums that workers prefer.
2. Hotlines need to institute serious protections against retaliation with immediate, biting penalties for non-compliance.
3. Workers need to see fast responses to concerns, and quick resolutions when they make valid complaints.
4. Informal complaint resolution can be more effective, faster, and better oriented to workers’ needs. Nevertheless, retaining the option of a formal process is essential to guarantee complaint process integrity.

A hotline that workers use to complain is one of the most popular ways to preserve worker safety. Too often, hotlines go unused because employees don't trust them, which is a lose-lose for employers and employees. Employers and employees need to keep themselves safe.