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At the plant where Éric works, there’s a « X days without an accident » board at the entrance. The number climbs, everyone takes pride in it — and when a new record falls, they order pizza. Then the counter resets to zero and there’s… nothing left. Not a trace of who contributed, how, or for how many years.
Éric, for his part, has fifteen years of exemplary safe behaviour behind him: flawless audits, mentoring new hires on procedures, two dangerous situations he flagged that prevented something far worse. His file reads « no incidents. » That’s it. A void, as recognition for a decade and a half of vigilance.
Behaviours are skills we fail to see as skills
We’re happy to badge knowledge (training) and roles (titles). We forget behaviours — even though they’re often what matters most: safety rigour, attendance, teamwork, informal mentoring, the healthy habits a wellness program encourages. These things get a verbal pat on the back, a mention in a meeting… and then they vanish.
A behavioural badge does two things a pat on the back never does: it lasts (Éric’s commitment becomes a dated, verifiable, cumulative milestone — Year 1, 5, 10, 15 of exemplary safe practice), and it tells a story (public criteria spell out exactly what was recognized: not « good guy, » but « completed monthly audits, mentored 12 new hires, proactively reported hazards »).
The essential safeguard: recognize, never surveil
Let’s say it plainly, because the subject deserves it: a behavioural badge program takes careful design. You recognize chosen, meaningful MILESTONES — not a running tally of a person’s every move. Transparent criteria, voluntary participation for personal dimensions (health, wellness), and the recipient stays in control of what they share. Recognition lifts people up; surveillance weighs them down. Our design, including compliance with Quebec’s Law 25 (personal data protection — consent, data minimization), is built for the former and against the latter.
Done right, the result is powerful: the behaviours you want to see multiply when they leave behind something people are proud of. Éric with his « 15 Years of Vigilance » and « Safety Mentor » badges is a living standard walking the plant floor — and the pizza is still very welcome.