The Surprising Key To Safety Compliance: Self-Compassion

Forbes

20-05-2025

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Without safety policies, both life and livelihoods can hang in balance - along with the overall health of an organization. When it comes to safety, we often think of external measures – safety equipment, rules, regulations, and enforcement – as the primary drivers of compliance but in a paper published recently by myself and Dr. Hak Yoon Kim, we found that self-compassion can also act as a powerful internal resource that enhances safety compliance. In the workplace, how kind (or not critical) one is to themself is likely not the first place managers will jump to when thinking about how to improve safety processes at work. Yet, self-compassion restores self-regulatory resources, or more plainly: will power. And following rules - especially safety rules which don't always have an immediate payoff, is often an act that requires self-control .
In a crisis, whether it's a global pandemic or a company-wide restructuring, following safety protocols can be even more paramount as even the smallest misstep may have amplified consequences. The stress of crisis situations can create additional pressure that makes taking shortcuts appealing, which means enacting safety protocols can require even more will power. Based on theories that argue that self-control is a limited resource that depletes over time, the more stressful accompanying a situation, the less likely people are to follow safety rules because when we're depleted – by stress, long hours, or personal challenges – our self-control can weaken, making it harder to adhere to guidelines. To better understand what individuals can do to uphold safety protocols despite the situation they find themselves in, my colleague and I collected data during the COVID-19 pandemic and sought to explore the inner resources people could draw from to enhance safety compliance. We narrowed in our study to focus on one population that was particularly depleted: working parents. During COVID-19, a report by McKinsey & Co. wrote: 'employed parents face higher numbers of and longer exposure to stressors from the multiple roles they play compared with non-parents, and they have less ability to access periods of recovery as a result'.
In a sense, the pandemic offered ideal conditions to study safety compliance because as offices closed down and employees worked remotely, there was no supervising manager looking over one's shoulder to ensure safety protocols were upheld. This allowed us to examine the role of self-control with greater precision. Past research has found that healthy behaviours like sleep, exercise, and eating well can support self-control and so we wondered if a healthy relationship with oneself could also increase self-control and ultimately, safety compliance under the premise that being kind and understanding to oneself might provide the mental and emotional strength needed to follow safety protocols, even when stressed and overwhelmed.
We analyzed data from 387 participants (55% women and 92% White, with an average age of 43.04 years). In terms of relationship status, 69% were married or living with a partner, and 31% were single (68% women; 32% men). Regarding family structure, 37% of participants had one child, 44% had two children, 34% had at least one child under the age of 6, and 34% had at least one child aged 6 to 15. We found that self-control capacity explained the relationship between self-compassion and safety compliance and interestingly, this relationship was stronger for men than for women. In other words, self-compassion was an even more powerful resource for men, than women.
The study highlights the crucial link between self-compassion and self-control. Self-control, that inner ability to regulate our behaviour and stay on track, is a finite resource that gets worn down every time we do a task that is difficult, challenging, or that we have to do despite not really wanting to. This is where self-compassion comes in.
Replenishing self-control is simple, but not easy. A great night of sleep, for example, is one of the most effective ways to replenish your resources but sleep - especially for working parents - can be tricker to catch than an invisible leprechaun. Self-compassion allows people to replenish self-control reserves just by making the choice to stop beating themselves up and instead, offering themselves the same kindness and understanding they would offer a friend who is struggling. Instead of harsh self-criticism, self-compassion encourages a recognition that everyone hurts sometimes and that imperfection is part of the human experience.
Even though the pandemic has ended, many employees find themselves stressed, exhausted, and carrying out tasks they 'should' do, which leaves them in need of replenishing their willpower. In this context, self-compassion isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. Organizations that foster a culture of self-compassion can empower their employees to better navigate stress, maintain their well-being, and - perhaps boring but no less important - adhere to safety protocols.
Practical Takeaways for Individuals and Organizations
So, how can we apply these findings to our own lives and workplaces?
By understanding the power of self-compassion to restore critical resources that help us accomplish our goals, we can create safer, healthier, and more resilient workplaces. This research reveals the surprising finding that sometimes the most effective safety tool is simply the kindness we offer ourselves.