Did you know that simply being kind to colleagues can have a positive impact on rail safety? asks Huw Gibson, Principal Human Factors Scientist at Trimetis.
Huw Gibson, Principal Human Factors Scientist at Trimetis, shares what the research and science tells us about the impact of incivility.
Before I came to the rail industry, I had a boss who I’m going to call Grumpy Bob. At his wake they even had a special ‘Grumpy Bob’ beer brewed for the occasion.
Bob’s grumpiness came out in various ways, like driving through a puddle to splash a pedestrian on his way to a meeting, responding to the question ‘Can you speak up Bob?’ with ‘Come and sit nearer the front’, or a roll of the eyes to a technical question. Bob was grumpy and rude in and outside work but was generally forgiven, as at work he was passionate about his role and could often turn his worldview to humour.
We’re human, so it’s expected that we won’t always be perfectly behaved and polite. It’s rare that we see this cross the line to something like bullying, but RED 63 does highlight how seriously we need to recognise and manage our attitude.
While, at first sight, rudeness might seem minor, work ongoing in the NHS has identified how it can have a negative impact on safety. In fact, the NHS is running a safety campaign called Civility Saves Lives, which recognises the importance of teamwork. It shows that something like one team member being rude to another can reduce the mental ‘bandwith’ of those involved and therefore the ability of the team to work effectively.
In a controlled medical study using a simulated operating room crisis, participants who experienced incivility were rated as having successful performance in 63% of cases, whereas those in the ‘civil’ condition achieved a much higher 91%.
A survey of office workers captured the significant impacts of incivility on the attitudes and behaviours of those who directly experience it and others in the team witness it. For example, of those who experienced incivility, 38% saw a drop in the quality of their work.
It’s likely that Civility Saves Lives could also be important to our industry too. Teamworking is central to the railway’s success, whether that be within staff teams at a depot, on a train or in a signal box—but also the interfaces between companies: between signallers, train drivers, operations and maintenance.
So, what should be done about it? The first step is to stop, recognise and think about it. From there, encourage people to talk about this topic and work out what can be done to make things better. A great place to start is civilitysaveslives.com, where you can find a TEDTalk from Chris Turner (a consultant in emergency medicine) and information on practical strategies, research studies and tools which could be tailored to the rail environment.
Healthcare workers recognise that civility saves lives and that incivility impacts on team performance. With teamwork essential to the success of the railway and with people under pressure, might now be the time to recognise the power of civility to running the railway? After all, manners cost nothing, you know, so be nice!
A survey of office workers captured the significant impacts of incivility on the attitudes and behaviours of those who directly experience it and others in the team witness it.
