In this episode, Joanne Zaraliakos shares her "sneaky" strategy for rolling out new safety initiatives by making subtle tweaks to existing processes, allowing workers to adapt without resisting the change. She highlights the importance of subtle language shifts, such as changing "safety observations" to "safety conversations," to improve engagement. Finally, she advocates for creating fun, experiential learning moments that make people feel something, which ensures the training actually sticks.
Get to know Joanne Zaraliakos:
Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-z-492b0530/
Email: joannezaras@yahoo.com
In her conversation on the Counter Errorism podcast, Joanne Zaraliakos shares highly practical, subtle strategies for implementing organizational change and making safety training memorable.
Here are the key lessons we learn from her approach:
"Sneaky" Change Management
Zaraliakos notes that people are generally nervous about change and often resist massive new safety initiatives or programs. To bypass this resistance, she employs a "sneaky" strategy: she looks at what the organization is already doing and makes slight tweaks so workers do not even realize a change is happening. Instead of launching a formal program, she simply sprinkles the desired concepts into existing routines, such as integrating a "stop and act" moment directly into a standard pre-start inspection. The ultimate reward of this subtle approach is hearing the workforce naturally mimic back the new safety language without ever realizing a new initiative was implemented.
From "Gotcha" Observations to Conversations
She actively moves away from traditional "safety observations," which she refers to as negative "gotcha moments". Instead, she transforms these interactions into "safety conversations." By approaching workers with open, caring questions—like simply asking, "How's your day going?"—she opens up a dialogue rather than immediately confronting them about a missing pair of safety glasses.
Experiential Learning and Making Training "Sticky"
Rather than rolling out a brand new, dry training program, Zaraliakos advocates for slipping experiential learning into existing events, such as turning a standard chemical safety (WHMIS/SDS) review during Safety Week into a fun, hands-on experience. She emphasizes that for training to be truly "sticky" (meaning it is actually retained by the worker), you must make the participants feel something. Because human memories are deeply tied to emotions, creating a feeling during a training exercise ensures the lesson will actually stick.
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