We live in a society where acting civilly towards each other is becoming more and more rare. The days when an individual's ingrained response was to act politely and respectful to others are gone, as rudeness becomes the norm. This new standard creates an increased financial burden on companies. Workplace ethics need to step up to solve the problem.

Can we trust any statistics that say that the incidence of workplace accidents is decreasing? How accurate are the statistics? Unfortunately, studies indicate that many employees, no matter the industry in which they are employed, are scared to report workplace accidents. The reasons may vary, but the most commonly cited reasons are that the employee is afraid that his or her manager may be angry or feel that the company will not do anything about the report.

Safety training is important for all workers. However, this is especially true for young and new workers. These individuals are prone to experiencing more accidents. The reasons behind this include their inexperience, a lack of orientation, supervision and/or training, a lack of understanding regarding their new workplace, exposure to new and more dangerous jobs, all coupled with an unwillingness to ask questions.

Companies continuously look for a new competitive edge, another method for gaining an advantage over any competitor. One such method is decreasing workplace accidents, leading to increased productivity and effectiveness. However, safety training from a corporate speaker often seems to fall on deaf ears. The employees' (and managers') attitudes are one of indifference - "I have heard all this before!" Companies increasingly turn to corporate speakers to help hone the message.

Companies and employers work hard to prevent workplace accidents. Everyone understands the immense costs such accidents can have on a company from medical costs, lower employee efficiency, to poor customer perception. However, despite the very best efforts, workplace accidents still occur.

Ethical issues continue to make headlines, especially issues related to sexual harassment and discrimination. These headlines tell us that ethical issues continue to run rampant through many companies, affecting employer/employee relations, business practices, company/customer relationships, and company operations. In other words, workplace ethics continues to be a key area that many companies need to address.

Over 40 million Americans have been diagnosed with some form of anxiety disorder. Of those 40 million individuals, many say that their workplace is a contributing factor, and often claim it is the main contributor. Clearly, workplace anxiety has become a major issue in our society. Decreasing workplace anxiety helps improve company workplace safety levels.

Avoiding workplace accidents is in the best interests of everyone involved in the company. When everyone stays safe, employees get to continue living their lives as normal and the business avoids paying hefty fines and legal bills. An increased focus on worker safety can also help company owners and managers avoid a criminal conviction.

Most employers know how important safety training can be. In some cases, it can quite literally be the difference between an uneventful day at work and the death of a worker. However, despite the importance of safety training, it can often be a little challenging to get employees to care about it. Most of the time, you will find that they would prefer to simply do their jobs than worry about safety. Of course, if you wish to maintain an accident-free workplace, you will need to get your workers on-board with your safety initiatives. Let's take a brief look at how you can do just that:

Successful business owners are constantly searching for ways to make their company better. For many, hiring an experienced corporate speaker, like Brad Hurtig, has proven to be an exceptionally effective way to do just that. Of course, before you rush out and book a corporate speaker of your own, you would probably like to know exactly how doing so will positively impact your organization. Well, let's take a look:

Responsible business owners understand the importance of workplace safety. After all, a company is not likely to remain successful for very long if its employees are regularly suffering from serious injuries. Of course, it is especially important to spend time focusing on workplace safety during the winter months. Here's why.

As soon as you mention safety training to your employees, there is a good chance that they will groan, roll their eyes, and throw a wide variety of disapproving looks in your direction. You may even hear a "Didn't we just do that last year?" from the back of the room.  However, even if your workers aren't totally thrilled about the idea, it is vital that they undergo safety training at least once or twice a year. Here's why:

No matter what industry you operate in, your company can only be as successful as your employees make it. As such, it is incumbent on you as a manager or business owner to find ways to motivate them to work harder, better, and more efficiently. For many industry leaders, hiring an experienced corporate speaker has proven to be a key difference-maker in employee productivity levels.  Of course, before you rush out and make any commitments, you would probably like to learn more about exactly how a corporate speaker can help your company and its employees. Well, let's take a look:

If you would like to see your company continue to succeed for many years to come, it is vital that you spend some time considering your approach to workplace safety. After all, preventing accidents in the workplace benefits everybody - workers, management, and owners. Let's learn how:

When trying to stop your best workers from leaving your company to join one of your competitors, you may be inclined to offer them more money or more vacation time. Though these factors are certainly important to your employees, they are not the be-all and end-all. When deciding whether or not they would like to continue working with your organization, your employees will also consider your workplace ethics.

In today's world, it seems that honesty is often not highly valued. Lying, cheating, and doing whatever it takes to get ahead are apparently becoming the norm. However, companies cannot build trust and long-term relationships with their employees, their customers, or their vendors, without building a reputation of honesty. As old-fashioned as the concept may seem, when it comes to workplace ethics honesty is still the best policy. Honesty is a necessary company characteristic for any company as it sets the foundation for the company culture, creates consistency in company behavior, and builds trust and loyalty in all stakeholders, including employees, customers, and vendors.

Unfortunately, despite taking every precaution possible, workplace accidents are inevitable. Whether minor, such as a strained muscle, or major such as a broken back, workplace accidents come at a cost. Those costs consist of both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are those directly related to the treatment of the injury while indirect costs relate to lost opportunities. Both are costly for the company involved.

Every company wants to guarantee the safety of its employees. Obviously, the employees benefit from remaining healthy and unhurt, but the company also benefits as productivity increases and costs decrease. Your company can provide all the safety training in the world, and still there is a disconnect between the company's safety goals and the behaviors and attitudes of the employees. While this can be extremely frustrating, there are few tips that can help your company motivate the employees to remain safety conscious.

Workplace safety is paramount for all employers. No employer wants to see any of their employees get hurt while on the job. Employers must ensure that not only is the workplace as safe as possible but also that all employees are knowledgeable and trained in the area of workplace safety.

A moving story to inspire workplace ethics. Ethics help business and organizations effectively navigate best practices so that work is efficient, safe, done well, on-time and organized. Brad Hurtig brings these tenants to your audience with his moving story of struggle, community, adaptation to change and a little tenacity to help along the way.