Rewards and Punishments
In the past, it has been very popular to suggest that management should reward workers who wear their hearing protectors and punish those who do not. In reality, research has noted that managers are sometimes greatly disappointed with the results of this type of behavior modification approach. Sometimes reward and punishment systems can foster destructive competitiveness between workers in a group as well as bitter animosity between work groups and the managers who supervise them. Specific rewards can lose their appeal over time, sometimes requiring management to continually "sweeten the pot" to maintain the desired behaviors.
Additionally, management-designed reward systems can damage employee's self-esteem and intrinsic motivation for performing their work well. This can lead to lowered productivity, declining quality of work, and a lack of motivation to apply oneself in that work situation. Workers who minimally follow the rules and put in their time may have simply decided that they have little personal responsibility for their contribution on the job. This type of apathy leads to negative attitudes toward work and the health programs associated with work, including hearing loss prevention.
There is a great amount of literature discussing the importance of an individual's perceptions of personal control in a wide variety of situations. It suggests that one reason why rewards sometimes fail to maintain desired behaviors is that workers perceive that they have little real control over their work and that management's system of doling out rewards and punishments controls their behavior on the job in a manipulative manner.
Similarly, there are well documented negative side effects of relying on punishment to discipline workers for infraction of safety rules. While punishment may stop or discourage undesirable behavior when the behavior is closely monitored, it does not directly encourage desirable behaviors. Furthermore, in many settings, the punisher is also the person (usually a supervisor or the program implementer) who is responsible for administering rewards. This creates a difficult situation that might seriously diminish the effectiveness of rewards.
If an incentive system is in place or desired by management and the workers, a successful program can be developed with care. Both management and employees should agree on specific goals for the program. Both groups should work together to choose the rewards and sanctions that will apply to the program. As much as possible, the affected workers should set up the system and enforce it; otherwise management may damage the motivation and morale of the workers with inappropriate and unnecessary controls. In this way, workers can be encouraged to assume as much responsibility as feasible for their health and their work environment. They will look out for and police each other. This "bottom-up" approach is more likely to build camaraderie and group commitment to safety than the traditional "top-down" management centered approaches of the past.