Behaviour change tools for employers & workplaces: Planning for a post-lockdown world

This article was first published on LinkedIn on 2nd June 2020

Right now, we’re navigating a no-man’s-land between a government-enforced lockdown and a hypothetical future vaguely resembling something we might call ‘back to normal’. Before a vaccine, however, life simply won’t be able to return to how it was — and there are many good reasons why it shouldn’t, for our health and the health of the planet. For the indefinite future, we’ll all need to play a part in limiting the spread of Covid-19. Behaviour change is only one part of this puzzle but, since it’s our specialty, we wanted to showcase some of the ways that behavioural tools can be deployed in workplaces, to help establish and maintain responsible practices of a post-lockdown world. We’ll focus on three areas: spatial distancing, handwashing and active travel (walking or cycling to work).

Spatial distancing in the workplace

Spatial distancing, i.e. staying two metres apart from everyone we don’t live with, arrived some weeks ago as the big new behaviour we all need to master, fast. It’s already relatively established in some set contexts, like queuing for shops. Still, it feels unnatural, it can be awkward to act on, and, once you’ve been doing it for a while, it’s pretty easy to forget you need to do it at all (as we all know from what happens once you get inside the shop). Luckily, insights from behavioural science can be deployed to make spatial distancing a little easier.

Defaults

As humans, we tend to go with the flow of pre-set options, often without realising it. If you have responsibility for a work environment, one way you can help people spatial distance is to simply make it the default option. For example, you could rearrange or block off chairs or tables in a communal area so that sitting 2m apart doesn’t even need to be a conscious act — reducing anxiety and helping people feel comfortable about being in the same space as each other.

Salience

Our behaviour is influenced by what our attention is drawn to in the moment. Now more than ever, we’re bombarded with information about what we should and shouldn’t do, and we make quick decisions about what is and isn’t relevant to us.

Back in March, new visual cues started popping up all over our local environments, like tape on the floor for queuing, one-way flows in shops, or the ubiquitous 2m arrow. Can you take these cues and adapt them for the workplace to keep spatial distancing noticeable and relevant? We can’t all use Stephen Merchant as a salient prompt in the office, but are there ways of localising cues so they’re personal or even humorous?

Framing

Framing a behaviour in a different way can be a powerful tool to change how people feel about it. So framing spatial distancing appropriately in communications can reinforce the behaviour and measures you’re taking to encourage it.

For example, you could work with people’s altruistic tendencies to re-frame spatial distancing as ‘I care about you’. Similarly, a message like ‘act as if you’ve got it’ re-frames spatial distancing as a precaution taken to protect others. Whatever framing approach you take in your workplace, think about how it fits with your culture and values.

Promoting regular handwashing

We all know by now that proper handwashing is one of the simplest ways to limit the spread of Covid-19. At Behaviour Change, we like to get as specific as possible about the behaviour we’re trying to change, so, to pin it down further: we need to ensure that as many people as possible are washing or sanitising their hands regularly in the workplace, including when arriving at and leaving work, before and after eating, and using the toilet.

The majority of workplaces in the UK have facilities that mean that, in theory, this one should be a cinch. However, despite this behaviour being easy, culturally widespread, and effective, people still don’t wash their hands as often as they should. Behavioural science helps us understand and address some of the barriers.

Social norms

Humans are strongly influenced by the actions of others, so behavioural expectations or norms develop in groups or societies. We call these social norms. When most people are already doing the thing you want them to do, you can use the social norm to increase pressure on others and increase uptake. In the case of handwashing, this simply means highlighting the fact that most people do it.

Removing friction

One of our core principles is that while intentions may be good, an intention is not a behaviour. Reducing the effort involved and making it as easy as possible is one way of addressing the intention-behaviour gap. In the case of handwashing, friction can be removed by making sure that soap and sanitiser are well supplied, easy to use, and located to be as obvious as possible in the locations where people should be cleaning their hands. These all sound like obvious points — but even in a hospital environment, staff have been shown to be more likely to sanitise their hands when sanitiser is easily available and visible.

Right place, right time

What we call ‘right place, right time’ is a tool for ensuring that we’re targeting a behaviour as close as possible to the moment and place where it happens. It means thinking about how people live their lives in the real world and the environmental context for their behaviour. Once a behaviour has been tightly defined to a specific time and place, influence can be exerted when they’re most likely to be receptive.

When it comes to handwashing, timely and well-placed reminders can be really effective. They can also help sustain long-lasting behaviour change by establishing a connection between handwashing and existing behaviours (like arriving at work, or having lunch). Voila, a habit is formed.

Our handwashing materials — free to use

In 2018, we ran a project that aimed to increase handwashing in a call centre run by a major UK employer. We designed and implemented materials which drew on the tools above, using social norms and eye-catching reminders in the right place at the right time, and proved their effectiveness in reducing staff absence through illness. We’ve now made these available for use in the workplace.

Encouraging active travel to work

Before Covid-19, we would have actively encouraged people to take public transport as an alternative to less climate-friendly options like driving. Now that reducing pressure on public transport is key to keeping transmission rates low, and protecting the health of transport and key workers, those who are able to do so are encouraged to use active transport wherever they can: commuting to work on foot or by bike.

Walking or cycling just won’t be possible for everyone, every day, whether because of the length of the commute or accessibility needs. For many others, active transport will be a totally new behaviour and one that means overcoming a whole range of barriers.

Remove friction

Some of the barriers to active travel aren’t things which can be addressed in the workplace or by an employer. But workplaces can still do what’s in their power to make it easier. Ensuring that facilities are in place to establish a supportive culture is important: this could include safe and convenient bike storage, changing/showering facilities, or promoting the Bike to Work scheme.

Dynamic social norms

Earlier, we talked about social norms, when a majority of people accept a behaviour as normal or desirable. Dynamic social norms refer to a behaviour which is ‘on the rise’. We often have a wish to follow the crowd, as a behaviour rises from being less prevalent to becoming adopted by the majority. Emphasising that ‘more and more’ people are taking up cycling is a good way to build on this insight.

Commitment

Generally, we aim to be consistent with our public promises and commitments. Formalising an intention by turning it into a commitment adds a little pressure to follow through. Writing the commitment down, making it public, or involving some kind of reciprocity (‘I will if you will’ or ‘accountability buddies’) can be particularly impactful.

What next?

Organisations looking into behaviour change may want a silver bullet solution to a problem they’re facing, whether it’s social, ecological, or economic. It’s important that we don’t overstate the role behaviour change should be playing in meeting these challenges. Where it can contribute, behavioural interventions will need a combination of the sorts of tools we’ve mentioned above with a sensitive understanding of the people involved and an iterative process of testing and learning.

In summary, when you’re thinking about behaviour change in your workplace, and adapting for life in the ‘new normal’, start by asking yourself…

• What is the actual behaviour you’re trying to change? (We know this sounds obvious but be as specific as you possibly can)
• How close can you get to that behaviour? (Think about the real-world environment, moments, and social context that the behaviour happens in)
• How can you make that behaviour easier? Which behaviour change tools are most relevant?

We’re launching a newsletter, sharing thoughts and insights from ten years of delivering behaviour change in the real world. Get in touch to find out more, or to be added to our mailing list: info@behaviourchange.org.uk

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.