Entitlement Thinking

As a human dynamic, "entitlement thinking" is a belief that basic personal comforts are natural and inevitable, even owed to people. In other words, regardless of individual effort, people believe they deserve to have their basic needs met – they are "entitled." How does entitlement thinking influence participation in safety-related programs? Here are three possibilities:

1. Should employees receive prizes or a financial bonus based on injury statistics?
Such programs may simply reduce the reporting of injuries. But try removing this ineffective approach to motivating safety participation and you'll likely experience entitlement thinking.
2. Are workers entitled to an optimal "fail-safe" work environment?
I've heard employees use such entitlement thinking as an excuse for not participating in a behavior-based safety process.
3. Shouldn't employees expect their local safety professional to handle all safety-related concerns and do whatever it takes to keep the organization injury-free?
I bet many safety pros have experienced and bemoaned this entitlement perspective.