Encourage employee participation in health, safety, and wellbeing

Not sure how your business is really doing when it comes to health, safety, and wellbeing (HSW)? You’re not alone. Many directors and senior leaders have a different view of their organisation than the people doing the work day-to-day, and that gap can have an impact on HSW practices.

The people on the ground are often best placed to spot potential hazards and HSW issues. Empowering your team to be active participants in your HSW system is one of the most effective things you can do to improve HSW outcomes for everyone.

That’s why Working Wise built the Pathway to Excellence.

What is the Pathway to Excellence?

The Pathway to Excellence is a diagnostic tool that encourages worker participation in assessing how your health, safety, and wellbeing system is performing.

Rather than relying solely on incident and accident data, the Pathway tracks the operational and strategic activity in your HSW system. This includes the systems, processes, attitudes, engagement, and measures that need to be in place for your organisation to make meaningful progress.

When Working Wise completes a review of your organisation, we’ll let you know where you sit on the Pathway to Excellence, along with your compliance to the Health and Safety at Work Act and/or ISO 45001. From there, we work with you to build practical strategies to improve.

Where does your business sit?

Every business is different. The Pathway breaks down the phases of HSW engagement into five distinct stages, so we can better understand where you’re at and how we can help.

Why worker participation matters

When your people feel heard, involved, and empowered to raise concerns, they become active contributors to a safer, healthier workplace. That kind of culture doesn’t just reduce incidents; it drives better performance, stronger retention, and a business that genuinely looks after its people.

Here are some real examples of how people became safer once staff felt confident to speak up:

• Heat risk in a school: Staff reported that students were overheating in a workshop during summer. Because the reporting process was simple, leaders could clearly see the pattern and notified the Ministry of Education. The Ministry acted quickly and invested in upgrading the school’s heat pumps.
• Lift safety in a government building: Several staff reported lifts closing too fast and bumping people. With multiple reports, the agency could show it was a widespread issue, not a one‑off. Management approved repairs, and the problem was fixed promptly.

Find out where you sit

No matter where you land on the Pathway, our team is here to help. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to move from Performing to Leading, Working Wise can support you every step of the way.