The other day I was downtown for an important meeting. On my way into the city, the skies began to grow dark and by the time I pulled into the parking lot, the heavens had opened up and were dumping buckets of water all around me.
From inside my car, I could see that some enterprising young fellow had opened up a makeshift umbrella sales stand on the corner. Not wanting to arrive to my appointment soaking wet, I parked my car, made a mad dash to his stand and gladly forked over the $20 for the small black parasol.
As I began to make my way to the appointment, smiling about the shrewdness of my timely purchase, a rather substantial gust of wind caught the underside of my umbrella and flipped it backwards, cupping it to the sky. Reaching outward, I tried to pull the thing back into shape, but it resisted and tore along one side. Not only was I now wet, I was also frustrated, about to be late and twenty bucks poorer.
Failing to be prepared caused me to overpay for under-performance.
Unfortunately, many companies find themselves doing the same thing when it comes to winter walking gear, such as ice cleats and traction aids.
Knowing the inevitability of winter – and the accompanying ice, snow and generally slippery conditions – long-range planning seems appropriate. But all too often, companies wait until the last minute to react to slippery winter conditions. In most cases, getting any type of ice cleat or traction aid onto your employees’ feet will be better than nothing, in order to reduce slips and falls. But you can increase your odds of not overpaying for under-performance by making sure that the company you are dealing with offers a wide variety of proven and tested products and can speak specifically to your slippery situation.
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Jonathan Bell is President and CEO of Winter Walking. He has been helping organizations across a wide variety of business sectors prevent workplace slips and falls in ice and snow for over 20 years. Winter Walking currently helps some of the world’s largest organizations keep their employees both safer and more productive while working outdoors in the winter season. Contact jonathan@winterwalking.com or visit www.winterwalking.com.
