Along with the digital age benefits, a few phenomena emerge from the tension between the virtual world and life itself. The disturbing need for high availability, documentation, and sharing of every moment in life and invasion of privacy, are not trivial and much more problematic when they cause distractions while driving.
Using a cell phone increases the chance of an accident ten times
According to a report published by the Israeli National Road Safety Authority in 2018, using a mobile phone while driving increases ten times (!) The chance of a road accident. Add to that the fact that the most common workplace accidents in many industries are road accidents, and it is easy to understand why many companies and businesses incorporate technological monitoring tools in their vehicle fleets. These tools track employee driving patterns or smart systems, such as the SaverOne system, which can disable applications in the drivers’ phone that cause distraction and thus prevent road accidents in advance and reduce injury to workers and vehicle fleets.
Safety above all
Despite the advantage of such a system, employees often react hesitantly to implementing such a system in company vehicles, whether out of a threat to privacy or due to the very documentation of their driving patterns.
Indeed, employee safety comes first, and the organizations that implement such a system are doing well. However, it is not right to ignore the employees’ concerns, and this is where the information comes into the picture. Therefore, it is advisable to think and keep some principles in mind when presenting the move to the employees. Here are some tips to help you do it right.
• Do not ‘drop it’ and be honest
Even if you are a manager who likes to keep your cards close to your chest, when it comes to implementing a monitoring system or anti-distraction system in vehicles, we recommend sharing with employees ahead of time and not using the ‘discount’ method. Such a move can lead to suspicion, and that is why it is essential to be honest. Therefore, do not hide details about the system because they will research it themselves (today, you can find all the information on Google). If there is an aspect to running the system that may feel problematic, they should hear it from you. In this case, honesty is also the easy solution – after all, the system is primarily designed to save their lives.
You will probably come across questions such as: “Does the system have additional uses, and can it be used unfairly?”
The choice of the SaverOne system, unlike perhaps the monitoring systems available on the market, focuses mainly on preventing distractions while driving.
Even if this question is not asked directly by the employees, we recommend you flood this question as part of the dialogue. Let employees understand that you take their privacy seriously and try to address their concerns sincerely and honestly.
• Explain how the system works
Many of today’s workers are technologically oriented, and even if they are not, it is advisable to give them a demo presentation. It is possible to harness the company that supplies and implements the systems for such a presentation in many cases.
SaverOne, for example, offers complete guidance, including training and explanations for employees, so you will not have to deal with this challenge alone.
Once employees understand exactly how the system works and understand what it is doing and what it is ‘not doing’, they will be more open and feel part of the process. Even at the practical level of implementation, such training may help and prevent operational problems.
• The importance of positive reinforcements
One of the ways that can strengthen the understanding that the system’s advantages outweigh its disadvantages is that there can be competition between employees and rewards.
Experience shows that companies that we’re able to plan the process of implementing the system in the organization and did not skip the recommended steps received full cooperation from the employees and smooth implementation of the system.
