GOAL SETTING AND UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR: IMPLICATIONS FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH AND THE SAFETY INCENTIVE PROGRAM

Abstract

Goal setting is a popular and often beneficial tool used to motivate workers worldwide. Recent research has revealed that negative side-effects including unethical behavior are associated with goal setting. In occupational safety and health (OSH), injury reduction goals are regularly used within safety incentive programs (SIP) or as standalone practice. Unethical behavior in the form of failing to report injury or illness is possible and its consequences severe: inaccurate data leads to incorrect allocation of resources for worker protection and in turn, more injury and illness. To investigate any link between OSH goal setting and injury reporting, anonymous surveys and interviews collecting worker experiences were compiled within various industries. An analysis of 31 responses using Fisher’s Exact Test revealed statistically significant associations: participants whose organizations used injury-reduction goals reported that coworkers failed to report injuries more often than workers whose organizations did not use such goals. Instances of non-reporting due to incentives, coworker or supervisor disapproval as well as informal disciplinary action were associated more strongly with organizations that used goal setting than those that did not. More research into why these specific factors discourage injury reporting in the presence of goal setting is needed in order to potentially mitigate their effects.