Are You Keeping Your Employees Truly Safe?

Julie Starr • July 4, 2024

One of the major tasks and responsibilities that you will always have as a business manager is to ensure that your employees are being kept as safe as possible in the workplace. This is vital for their morale but also to help ensure that they are going to be looked after properly, so it’s one of those things that you will definitely need to think about. As it happens, there are quite a few sides to this that you may want to think about in particular.


In this post, we are going to discuss what you can do to keep your employees as safe as possible. As long as you have thought about the following, you’ll find that they are much safer at work, and that this is beneficial for you and for them, as well as for the business itself.


Develop A Safety Management System

One of the main top-down things you can do here is to make sure you have a proper and fully developed safety management system in place. These generally help you to be able to keep a close eye on the safety of your staff at all times, and it means that you are considerably more likely to be able to keep your staff safe in the way you would hope. So it’s vital that you are thinking about this if you want to ensure that your employees are as safe as possible.


There are many systems out there that already exist which you can make use of. You need to make sure that you have found one that makes sense to you and that you are utilizing the proper tools to get it done. That might mean using a
EHS management software for instance - it’s all about making sure that you are doing everything you can to keep your people safe in this way. As long as you have a system like this, it’s going to mean that you are much more likely to succeed.


Be A Strong Leader

There is something about having a strong leader in place which tends to make a company much safer, and therefore the people in that company safer too. So you might want to think about some of the things that you can do to ensure you are being the strongest leader you can. As long as you are doing this, it’s going to mean that you are considerably more likely to have a lot of safety protocols in place that are working well.

A major part of this that is particularly important is to ensure that you are following the safety rules yourself and that you are taking it very seriously. This is going to set a good example, and you’ll find that your employees then follow your lead with this very easily. That’s going to lead to a much safer place all in all, and you’ll find that you are considerably more likely to have a safe place to work and happier people there too.


Set Clear Guidelines

Of course, you need to make sure that there are rules in place to follow in the first place, and this means that you need to figure out what guidelines you need to have and how you are going to make sure they are followed. The key here is making sure that the guidelines in question are clear, as this is going to mean that you are considerably more likely to have them followed easily. It’s amazing what a difference that can really make, and you’ll probably find that it’s going to help a lot.


So make sure you have some really
clear guidelines in place and that you are doing all you can to keep them in place. People are going to respond to this really well and you will find that it really does make a huge difference. You’ll be amazed what it can do to your safety in the workplace.


Put Someone In Charge Of Safety

Finally, one thing that you can do if you are going to try and keep your employees safe is to make sure that you have someone in charge of safety. If you have this, it should mean that you are considerably more likely to have people follow the rules and for safety to be generally considered a really important thing, so it’s one of those things that you should certainly focus on. You’ll find it makes a world of difference in the end.

By Julie Starr July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.
By Julie Starr July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.