Tag Archives: slip-resistant footwear

How to Keep Calm When You’re in The Weeds

As a member of a restaurants waitstaff, you are probably all too familiar with the term “In the Weeds”. For those of you that don’t, this term usually refers to a time during a waiter’s shift when they begin to feel stressed by multiple customers demanding their attention.

 

In an industry that usually relies on tips in order to make ends meet, you can’t afford to let stress impact your ability to serve everyone in a charming, professional manner. Check out these tips on how to manage those extremely busy shifts stress-free and with ease!

Communication is Key

As with most professions, it is important to communicate with fellow employees and customers. This still rings true in the restaurant industry. Even when you are extremely busy, it is important to take the extra few seconds to introduce yourself to your table, take their order, and make sure they feel like you are there for them.

Prioritize

This one might seem less important, but trust us, you are going to want to prioritize your customers based on where they are at in their meal. Make sure to greet customers that have just been seated as quickly as possible. From there you can prioritize customers based on who needs refills, or changes to their order, who just got their food, and who is ready for their check. As a server, it is up to you to figure out the sweet spot between checking in on your customers too much, and not enough.

Come Prepared

The last thing you want to do when you’re in the middle of a busy shift is stop to complete small tasks such as folding silverware or brewing coffee. One easy way to prevent these minor yet important tasks from piling up and affecting your productivity is to simply do as much as possible ahead of time. It not only keeps you focused on your tables, but it will also keep you from rushing, which can potentially lead to poor service for customers.

Most Importantly, keep your cool.

Don’t let the pressure get to you. Break a seemingly endless list of requests and duties down into single tasks that you can check off your mental to-do list. This will not only help you focus, but it will give you small, manageable goals. Breaking the endless list down will make it easier for you to concentrate, stay on task and keep calm, all of which will translate into a positive experience for your customers. Because at the end of the day, happy customers leave better tips!

 

For more tips like this, and information about our slip-resistant shoes, visit us online at srmax.com

Weird and Fascinating Foot Facts

Every day our feet endure whatever it is that we put them through. Whether it’s double shifts at a restaurant, long hours in the hospital or a harsh warehouse shift, our feet get us wherever we need to go. Click the link below to download the PDF file of this infographic.


foot-health-infographic.pdf

Looking to learn more about our slip-resistant shoes? Check us out at www.srmax.com

What’s So Special About Slip Resistant Shoes?

Would you ever drive without a seatbelt or airbags? Base jump or skydive without a parachute? Or what about riding a motorcycle without a helmet?

If you elect to do any of these things, you more than likely recognize the significant risks involved. But, do you understand the risk you take if you choose not to wear the correct pair of slip-resistant shoes to work? While you may have no idea of the risk you are taking, you’re setting yourself up for an accident waiting to happen. By wearing proper slip resistant work shoes, you can do yourself a favor and help to reduce the risks associated with improper workplace footwear.

A slip and fall accident at work can have serious consequences, including:

  • Physical injuries – A slip and fall accident can result in broken bones, bruises, sprains and even concussions. In addition, each work environment has a specific risk. For example, if you slip in a restaurant kitchen and stick out your hand to catch your fall, you could slam your hand down on a hot stove top or an upturned knife.

 

  • Financial burden – An injury in the workplace can leave you out of work for days or even weeks. While you’re incurring doctor bills, you aren’t getting paid. Even if you are able to file a worker’s compensation claim, they will only reimburse you for your costs regarding your accident. That means that you still pay up front, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics- National Safety Council, the average workman’s comp claim for a slip and fall is $28,000.

 

  • Mental well-being – The stress of not being able to work while bills pile up, of not having full motor function, and of having to physically recover so that you can return to work all affect your mental state. Depression and anxiety can often set in following a slip and fall injury, making an already bad situation worse.

When you understand the risks of your workplace, it can be scary or overwhelming. By protecting yourself with slip-resistant footwear, you are being a more effective team member. When you aren’t worried about slipping at work, you can do your job more adequately. When you aren’t worried about getting injured, you enjoy your time at work even more. Your overall health isn’t something to wager with, so by wearing the right safety footwear, you can protect yourself.

Interested in learning more? Check us out at our website, srmax.com for more insight on our slip resistant shoes and other products.

12 Safety Tips For Any Industry

Warehouses, foundries, construction sites and factories can be some of the most dangerous places to work when it comes to accidents and injury: large and moving machinery such as forklifts, carrying heavy loads such as pallets and heavy equipment can be hazardous for you and your workers.

Check out our 12 Tips for Safety and get inspired to help make you safer and more productive at work:

1. Know your safety protocols– Make sure emergency exits are clearly marked and you know the quickest route to safety from any location in the facility. In addition to knowing where your emergency exits are located, it is important to know where first-aid kits and supplies are kept. In an emergency, you don’t want to be faced with the task of locating the first aid kit.

 2. Perfect Posture – If you work at a desk, make sure that your shoulders are in line with your hips to avoid back problems. When picking things up, use correct form so your back doesn’t get hurt, and whatever you do, avoid stooping and twisting. If you have access to ergonomically designed furniture and safety equipment so that everything you need is comfortably within reach.

3. Pay Attention to Your Surroundings – This tip requires that you first know what particular hazards your job or workplace can entail. Once you’ve learned about the risks, you will be able to steer clear of any potentially hazardous areas or situations.

4. Take regular breaks – There are many work-related injuries and illnesses that occur because of fatigue. Taking regular breaks helps you stay fresh and alert on the job. One useful tip for staying alert is to schedule the most difficult tasks when your concentration is at it’s best, like first thing in the morning, or later in the afternoon depending on your own workflow.

5. Report Unsafe Conditions to Your Supervisor – It’s your job to make sure that your work environment stays safe for you and your fellow employees. It’s your supervisor’s job to provide you with the resources and materials to make that happen. They need to be informed about any workplace safety hazards or risks. Your supervisor is legally obligated to ensure that employees have a safe working environment. Help keep them informed and keep your work environment safe!

6. Keep Emergency Exits Easily Accessible – Quick, easy access to exits are necessary for any work environment. Keep the pathways to these exits clear and free of debris in order to ensure a quick and hasty escape, should you need one. It’s also recommended to keep clear access to equipment shutoffs in case you need to quickly stop them from functioning.

7. Don’t Try to Impress – We can’t stress this enough, use mechanical aids whenever possible. If you are faced with lifting and moving heavy objects all day long, don’t try and show off in front of your coworkers by lifting heavy materials improperly, or by trying to lift something that you shouldn’t be lifting in the first place. Use the dollies, forklifts and hand trucks that you have available to make your job easier and prevent injuries. Also remember to wear protective clothing including hard hats, gloves, vests, masks, belts, eyewear and proper safety footwear.

 8. Reduce stress in the workplace – Stress can lead to depression and concentration problems. Common causes of workplace stress include long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity and conflicts with coworkers or managers. Take your concerns about workplace stress to your supervisor to see how they might help you address them.

9. Dress for Safety and Success– Avoid wearing baggy or excessively loose-fitting clothing. As with any job, it is important to dress the part. That means wearing comfortable clothing that is not too baggy. This will help protect you from getting caught anything that might be on the side of your path or line of walking. Proper slip resistant footwear is also important in your line of work.

 10. Use Tools and Machines Properly – Take the proper precautions when using tools, and never take shortcuts. Taking shortcuts is the leading cause of workplace injury. It’s a huge safety risk to use scaffolding as a ladder or one tool in place of another for a specific job. Using tools the right way greatly reduces the chance of workplace injury.

11. Stay Sober–  This one seems like a no-brainer, yet around three percent of workplace fatalities occur due to alcohol and drugs. When a worker’s ability to exercise judgment, coordination, motor control, concentration or alertness is compromised, this leads to any number of risks for workplace injury and fatalities.

12. Keep the Lines of Communication Open – It’s important to be aware of the government and company safety regulations that your company and industry need to abide by. However, it is just as important to create and foster clear lines of communication when it comes to the details surrounding the implementation of these rules and regulations within your company. This includes taking the time to properly train new hires, as well as communicate up to date information regarding safety protocols and plans of action.

Hopefully, the 12 Tips for Safety gave you some ideas and inspiration on how to improve your own company’s safety culture. For more tips, tricks, and other questions check us out at www.srmax.com

Encouraging Employee Compliance

Encouraging Employee Compliance

Every employee can appreciate the fact that there are rules and regulations set in place to protect them while they’re working. But getting employees to follow these codes can be a completely different ball of wax.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

In order for your employees to follow the parameters of your company’s shoe program and make sure that they are up-to-date on their slip resistant work shoes, it is important to make sure that they know why the shoe program is being implemented, to begin with. Communicate with them about why it is so crucial that they comply since safety is a top priority. Inform your company about workplace dangers such as slip and fall risks, and discuss how to identify and prevent them to create an environment of caution and an all-important culture of safety. Lastly, educate them on what their shoe program offerings are. This could cover anything from approved styles to special corporate pricing, to whether or not they are approved for payroll deduction or subsidy and other important aspects of their new shoe program.

The Simpler, the Better

To ensure maximum participation and the highest rate of success within your company when it comes to employees following safety shoe guidelines, implement a subsidized corporate shoe program or a payroll deduction program. By implementing a simple program such as these, it is more likely that employees will have a more difficult time finding an excuse to not participate than to participate.

Ensure Maximum Style

Fact: No one wants to wear ugly slip-resistant shoes. Create a sense of unity among your staff by outfitting them in uniforms and allowing them to pick from a range of options when it comes to their slip-resistant footwear. When employees are required to wear uniforms to work, they feel a sense of equality amongst others due to uniforms eliminating competition, and are more apt to feel instilled with a sense of belonging and loyalty to the company. SR Max® offers an exceptional selection of over 200 styles from 14 different name brands that employees are familiar with and actually want to wear. When your associates genuinely like the shoes that they are required to wear, they are far more likely to stay compliant with your corporate shoe program.

Give Positive Reinforcement

By choosing to give positive reinforcement for employees that choose to follow the parameters of the shoe program for your company, you are giving not only your employees a pat on the back, but you are giving yourself as the employer one as well for choosing to implement a safety shoe program. Positive reinforcement can go a long way towards ensuring that your priorities and goals for your shoe program are met. Give your employees who consistently follow the rules some recognition and rewards in response to their high level of compliance. If you incentivize your workforce with a thought-out system of rewards and bonuses, new programs such as a slip resistant shoe program will always prove to integrate themselves smoothly. For employees who choose to disregard the rules and do what they want, a measure of accountability must be created. At some point, progressive discipline has to be enacted and in the long run, if no disciplinary measures are taken, the problem itself will continue.

For more information and questions regarding corporate shoe programs, please visit us at www.srmax.com.

Shoe Requirements for Hospitality Workers


Article by Lindsay Cleghorn

 

When you think about hotel staff, who do you think of first? The front-of-house staff that greets you and helps you with check-in? The housekeeping staff that makes sure your room is in pristine condition when you arrive? Or maybe the kitchen crew, buzzing around prepping for the next rush and preparing high-quality meals. What do all of these people have in common? That’s right. They should all be wearing slip resistant footwear.  

Still not convinced? Read on to see why it’s crucial for all hospitality workers to wear slip resistant shoes on the job.

Housekeeping Staff

On average, each member of a housekeeping staff is asked to turn over, or clean up about sixteen rooms a day! With so many rooms to take care of, it’s no surprise that maids and housekeeping staff get more than their fair share of steps in every day. It also comes as no surprise that this type of work can lead to strains in your lower back, legs, and arms. Did you know that one slip and fall accident can lead to sprained ankles and other (possibly more severe) injuries? For this reason, slip resistant footwear with plenty of support is a must. We recommend shoes with a padded insoles as well to help with the constant pressure you’re putting on your feet by using them all day. It’s important that you only bust your tail figuratively, not literally.

Front-of-house staff

The front-of-house staff typically spend most of their shifts on their feet, standing in one place. With that being said, front-of-house staff members are still at risk for slips and falls while maneuvering around the facility. Look for a slip resistant dress shoe with plenty of support in order to keep you comfortable during those long hours. Greeting guests with a genuine smile might be difficult if your feet are throbbing, so make sure you are in a pair of shoes that won’t just get the job done, but will allow you to do your job in comfort as well.

Kitchen Staff

Like any other dining facility, the kitchen can be a dangerous place. There’s no question that when you’re working in a kitchen, there’s bound to be unseen spills, and other unforeseen hazards such as slippery floors, sharp utensils, and hot surfaces just like any other kitchen. In addition to all of the potential hazards, there’s also the potential chance that you’ll be doing your duties while dealing with achy feet. We can’t stress the importance of comfortable slip resistant shoes enough.

 

Ready to discover our truly comfortable work shoes? Visit us online at www.srmax.com to learn more.

 

which shoe program is right for my company

Which Shoe Program is Right for My Company?

Enforcing a slip-resistant shoe program isn’t always at the top of a store manager or company owner’s priority list. As the supervisor, you might be putting a shoe program off because you think it would present you and your company with unexpected challenges such as embarking on the quest to find the perfect slip-resistant shoe for everyone, or simply because you just don’t know where to begin planning for a shoe program and which one would best suit your company.

While the thought of adding a shoe program to your company may seem intimidating, we promise it’s not as bad as it seems. Shoe programs are implemented and set in place to make sure that all employees are protected on the job when it comes to slip-resistant footwear.

Let us take the guesswork out of this for you. Here are three outlines of our most common types of slip-resistant shoe programs.

Basic Slip Resistant Shoe Program

This is our simplest shoe program. Employees are responsible for the purchasing and wearing of their own slip-resistant shoes to work to make sure that they are protected when it comes to slip and falls.

As a result, they end up purchasing shoes from retailers with name brands that, unfortunately, have some of the lowest slip resistance results on the market today. While technically they’re still in compliance with the footwear program, these shoes do little toward resisting slip and fall accidents in the workplace.

This type of program, for evident reasons, has the lowest rate of success.

Payroll Deduction Slip Resistant Shoe Program

This type of program is most common for companies with slip-resistant shoe programs. In this program, the company is able to authorize and recommend vendors from which employees are able to purchase their shoes.

Workers are able to order their shoes through a manager or via a custom website. When their shoes arrive, the cost is deducted from the employee’s check over several pay periods. There are many modifications that can be made to this type of program which can lead to a higher rate of success for the companies that use them. Your personal account representative will be able to help you come up with the right modifications for you.

Subsidy Slip Resistant Shoe Program

In this type of program, the company decides on a dollar amount to give each employee an allowance towards their slip-resistant shoes. Subsidy amounts all depend upon the company and what they are trying to accomplish with their slip-resistant shoe program. As a result, this is by far the most successful of all types of slip-resistant shoe programs that we offer. It is also known to be the most suitable for companies that are looking to reduce on-the-job slip and fall accidents as well as workers’ comp claims.

All costs set aside, there are many other benefits to starting up a corporate shoe program. Your employees will not only feel good in their choice of slip-resistant work shoes but will also look good. They’ll feel valued as an individual and sense that their company is serious when it comes to their own personal safety on the job.

Ready to get started? Check us out on our website at www.srmax.com to set up your shoe program today!

Socking It

Article by Emily Bennett

Believe it or not, socks play a huge role in foot comfort when it comes to wearing slip-resistant shoes throughout the day. Contrary to popular belief, the type of sock that you wear can greatly affect your overall performance in the workplace, ranging from the lack of warmth that you are getting from standing on your feet for hours on end, or simply from the amount of cushion that you are receiving.

You might be wondering why the fit of your socks is so important. The answer is simple. If your socks don’t fit your feet, you will not be comfortable, and it will interfere with your ability to perform to highest potential in the workplace.

When selecting slip-resistant shoes, one should be mindful that tight socks can cramp toes just as much as ill-fitted shoes can. Socks that are wrinkled, too big or too small, or even rough feeling can cause blisters as a result of skin being rubbed raw.

Choosing the right sock is as easy as 1,2,3

You should remain mindful that the perfect sock for working conditions should be made of:

  1. A synthetic fiber to wick away moisture.
  2. Be thick enough to provide a barrier between the foot and sole of the shoe for maximum comfort.
  3. Fit to your specific arch type to ensure a proper fit. You should also pay attention to  your own health needs, as some types of socks can help prevent swelling, muscle weakness, and help to maintain foot temperature.

Whether or not we want to accept it, sock fit plays an essential role in shoe fit and foot health. Socks help our feet to stay dry in wet conditions, warm in cold conditions, cool in hot conditions, and give us constant relief and protection in our slip-resistant footwear from standing for hours on end.

 

For more information on sock fit and safety shoes, check us out at www.srmax.com.