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Managing job stress is a complex process (cover page)
How to properly select protective work gloves
New sales territories may present driving dangers
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New sales territories may present driving dangers
by Jennifer Benstein
and Sherry Coiner
Safety Management Solutions
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| Driving in heavy traffic while trying to learn a new sales territory can be very stressful. |
Many safety programs do a great job of addressing plant, warehouse and office safety issues, yet they could unintentionally overlook one of the most dangerous of all work sites: the company car.
According to the National Safety Council, vehicle collisions are the most costly cause of on-the-job injuries, as well as the leading cause of on-the-job fatalities.
The risk is not limited to workers whose primary job is driving. It extends to everyone who drives on company business, including the sales and service representatives who use company cars to get your products in front of customers.
At particular risk are new and transferred reps. Venturing into unfamiliar territory is inherently stressful, simply because everything is new: the customers, the driving routes and often the products themselves.
In fact, without help, it’s difficult for the new or transferred rep not to lose focus on safe driving in a new territory.
It doesn’t have to be that way. New reps whose managers work with them to reduce the risks behind the wheel also end up reducing their overall stress level, which in turn means the new rep is a lot more productive right from the start.
Managers can:
• Drive with the rep on their first day in the new territory.
• Help the rep plot the best customer routes on a map.
• Offer detailed guidance on customer locations, handy detours, safe parking lots and local police stations.
• Remind reps that if they start feeling stressed about traffic, they can always get off the road to a safe location and take a breather.
New representatives can:
• Plot out all new customer locations on a local map.
• Review the map with a manager and local coworkers to get input on the best routes, traffic patterns, ongoing construction, etc.
• Take notes on street names, landmarks and travel times to specific customer destinations.
• Listen to traffic reports on the radio, noting delays and road closures.
• Avoid distractions. Check maps or make phone calls only when parked in a safe location.
• If the manager doesn’t volunteer to provide a guided orientation on or before the first work day, reps should request one.
Getting the product to the customer safely is the rep’s No. 1 responsibility. The more safety-conscious your new reps are, the sooner they’ll adapt and start feeling at home in their territories — leaving them free to focus on the customer and the product when they safely arrive at their destination.
For more information or assistance regarding this topic, please contact:
Tony Zoia, MS, CSP
NATLSCO Risk and Safety Services
Phone: (800) 323-9585, ext. 5379
Fax: (847) 726-5271
E-mail: azoia@us.bureauveritas.com
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