No matter what job you do, you find that most workers will tell you that job satisfaction is as important as pay.
The reward of hard work could be seeing a product being made, or a building opening (I made / built that), or for medical staff seeing a patient get better or have dignity.
Care workers helping give their clients a value in life. Teachers seeing children learn and develop due to how and what they taught them.
For me, a safety and health professional, the same applies. The difference we make can be difficult to quantify, but we do. Every day my aim is to improve in some way, the health, safety or welfare of at least one worker, through the advice and support I give.
Earlier this week, a photographer. Working for one of my clients was complaining of some lower back pain. Spending just half an hour with her, I made several adjustments to her two workstations, and gave her some ideas to try out. By the end of the week, it was obvious her improved set up was helping her. She emailed me:
“Thank you very much again for all your help; the adjustments to my desk set up are already helping massively!”
This is what gives me job satisfaction. It’s why I love my job.
It isn't just individuals I enjoy helping but whole businesses. Seeing a safety culture change for the better over time provides a benefit for all workers within that company. One client wrote:
“His ability to quickly build a strong rapport with our entire team and explain concepts in a manner they understand has gone a long way in helping us change our safety culture. He has ploughed through a mass of work and delivered tailored products to support our business.”
Another wrote:
“Kevin brought a wealth of knowledge, experience, diligence and gravitas to the role he took on within our company. His passion and commitment to H&S was obvious from the first meeting and became even more apparent over the time we worked with him. Always pragmatic, he managed to find the balance between our H&S requirements and the practical constraints of an operational workshop and office . His approach was friendly and collaborative and he quickly won the respect of all our team and worked hard to engender an atmosphere of openness and transparency.”
Doing a good job and seeing changes being made for the better by both individuals and companies gives me the buzz to continue to make a difference.
