This document summarizes a presentation given at the Perth Safety Conference on managing toxic employees. It discusses how focusing too much on production targets ("What") can hide toxic behaviors, while emphasizing purpose and values ("Why") leads to earlier identification of issues. Toxic employee types like "Mr. Munchausen" are outlined. Charts show how safety is a shared capability across all levels, from the board to workers, and how performance management and policies should integrate HR, safety, and return-to-work goals. Managing risk requires defining organizational goals and processes for safety leadership.

1. Ticket to Ride - Cancelling the
Toxic Employees Free Ride
Perth Safety Conference
Legal & International
7 August 2012
Speaker: Andrew Douglas

2. The Why What Continuum
How
Why What

3. The Levers in your Organisation
• People
• Structure
• Culture

4. What Motivates People to be Safe
• Autonomy / Accountability
• Mastery / Competent capability
• Purpose / OHS core business
(see Daniel H. Pink, “Drive”)

5. Measuring Cost
• Workers’ Compensation
• Retention / Loss
• Reputation / Trust
• Opportunity cost / Lost production/quality

6. “How” driven by “What”
Levers:
• A delivery not engagement
Production (volume) model
IT (facilitative) • The more “What” pushes
the levers the greater the
Driven HR (problem solving)
risk to the brand, delivery
by Industrial (cost control) and values
What • “What” hides toxic
OHS (compliance)
employees until something
Quality (exception based) breaks. Then too difficult
Sales (volume) to dislodge without risk
• What focuses on
Innovation (mimickery / happenstance) production at all costs and
does not cost “safety”

7. Why (high quality, client
focussed, sustainable, innovative
“How” driven by “Why” and profitable
Levers:
Production (quality/innovative)
• Delivery by
IT (enabling) accountable
engagement
HR (collaborative/critical to production
Driven • The more “Why”
outcome) owned the better the
by business
Industrial (accountable)
Why • Toxic people identified
OHS (shared competent capability) immediately before
Quality (driven by values/pride/accountability) cause problems and
rejected by their peers
Sales (high margin) • Delivers competent
capability in safety
Innovation (central to all work behaviour)

8. Owning Culture
• The island
• Those who commute

9. Who is responsible for toxic employees?
Advertisement in The West Australian
Mountain Mining Co
Fastest growing iron ore miner in the world
seeks a supervisor with a strong history of:
• Gossiping and damaging workplace
morale;
• Drinking and using illicit drugs; and
• Sexual harassment.
Application to….

10. Toxic Profile
Supervisor
* Time with 10
* Time with 2-9 inc
1 * Time with 1
2 4
3
5 6 7
8 9
* Toxic polluter
10 * Vortex of risk

11. Toxic types
• Mr Munchausen
• Mr Experience
• Mr Pride
• Mr Bully
• Mr Sad

12. Why diagram for safety
Board
CEO
Accountable
ownership
Trust
Education
Skilled
Commitment / Flexibility
Supervisors
Truth Ownership Ideas
Workers Workers

13. The Safety Coil – Competent Capability (the safety stretch)

14. Managing risk
• Integration of HR, OHS and RTW ownership in business
• Performance management methodology
• “Outcome orientated” policies and procedures

15. Safety Leadership
• Defining:
1. Organisational case – why?
2. Organisational goals – what?
3. Organisational process – how?

16. CONTACT M+K SERVICES
VICTORIA TASMANIA
Dandenong Hobart Commercial
40-42 Scott St Dobson Mitchell & Allport Lawyers Commercial Litigation
Dandenong VIC 3175 59 Harrington St Property
Tel: +61 3 9794 2600 Hobart TAS 7000 Workplace Relations
Tel:+61 3 6210 0000 Private Clients
Melbourne
Level 22, 114 William St
Melbourne VIC 3000 QUEENSLAND
Tel: +61 3 8615 9900
Brisbane
Andrew Douglas Level 14, 324 Queen Street
Dir: +61 (3) 8615 9915 Brisbane QLD 4001
Mob: 0488 151 503 Tel: +61 7 3235 0400
andrew.douglas@mk.com.au
NEW SOUTH WALES info@mk.com.au mk.com.au
Sydney
Level 21, 20 Bond St
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: +61 2 8298 9533