The Safety Second
Since everyone is working remotely, our internal safety committee feels irrelevant. No one even knows who the members are...
As a workers’ compensation insurance company, Montana State Fund has a long-standing commitment to workplace safety. Everyone at the company knew who to turn to for help with potential safety hazards. However, with the shift to a hybrid work model in 2020, the definition of ‘workplace’ had undergone a critical change. The safety committee faced a new challenge: ensuring employee safety in a mix of home and office environments.
STRATEGY
The shift to a hybrid work model presented a new challenge: communicating vital safety information to employees scattered between home offices and the physical workplace. Traditional safety training methods, focused on in-person workshops, were no longer effective. The challenge was to develop a campaign that would resonate with a geographically dispersed workforce.
Data-Driven Decisions
To identify the most effective communication channels, I analyzed employee engagement with internal resources. Our monthly internal newsletter boasted an impressive 80% employee engagement rate, and a majority of employees indicated a preference for short video content.
Armed with this data, I presented my findings to the safety committee. Collectively, we decided to launch a monthly internal safety video campaign. These short videos, around one minute in length, would be embedded within the company newsletter and also distributed via a separate email link for those who might miss the newsletter.
Guiding Principles for Success
Several key principles guided our approach to ensure the campaign’s effectiveness:
- Short & Engaging: We understood that employees are busy, so videos needed to be concise and engaging – ideally under a minute.
- Humanizing Safety: Each month’s video would star a different member of the safety committee, putting a human face on safety initiatives.
- Personal Connection: Video topics wouldn’t be generic. A small team would select each month’s focus, ensuring it resonated with the featured committee member on a personal level.
- Resourceful Execution: Since the campaign wasn’t budgeted, we leveraged existing resources creatively. Fortunately, we had a team of enthusiastic volunteers willing to participate, along with access to a decent camera, lapel microphones, and a green screen. Stock images were also utilized to enhance the visuals.
CREATIVE SAMPLES
Video Sample
This is a sample safety second video.
Email Sample
This is a sample of an email that would be sent to employees notifying of the safety second video.
Webpage Sample
This is a sample of the webpage where the safety second video was housed.
RESULTS
The Safety Second campaign proved to be a resounding success, running for 18 months and allowing all safety committee members to participate in two videos each. With an average of 265 views per video, the campaign achieved significant employee engagement, especially considering Montana State Fund’s 280-person workforce.
The campaign also fostered a stronger connection between employees and the safety committee. I consistently received positive feedback, with employees noting they enjoyed getting to know the safety committee members on a personal level.
The Safety Second campaign's success was further validated by its recognition. In 2023, it was awarded 1st place for Excellence in Internal Communication from the American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds.
MY ROLE
Project Management
Lead monthly brainstorming sessions with the topic planning group and featured star to choose engaging video topics. My role included shaping the creative vision, managing scheduling, and coordinating locations for filming.
Email Design
Crafted monthly eblasts announcing the video releases to Montana State Fund employees.
Writing
Collaborated with both the star and the topic planning group to write scripts, ensuring they stayed concise and engaging, around the one-minute mark for optimal impact.
Web Content Management
Crafted web pages on the internal site for easy employee access to videos, while also overseeing and managing all web content for a seamless user experience.
Videography & Production
Partnered with the star to film engaging videos, providing support to alleviate any nerves. Depending on the topic and location, video shoots took place in-person on-site, against a green screen, or utilizing virtual meeting platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Postproduction & Animation
Edited video clips and audio, ensuring a polished production. Curated assets for audio fx and animations, contributing to the overall quality and impact.
SOFTWARE USED
Adobe After Effects
Animation & Green Screen Removal
Adobe Audition
Audio Editing
Adobe Dreamweaver
Web Content Management
Adobe Illustrator
Asset Creation
Adobe InDesign
Email & Asset Creation
Adobe Photoshop
Image Editing
Adobe Premiere Pro
Production
Microsoft Teams
Occassional Filming
TechSmith Snagit
Screen Recording
Zoom
Occassional Filming
SOFT SKILLS USED