Don’t ignore broken windows

Little things matter. No matter how busy we are, if we let small things go they can become the norm. 

Close, Clean and Conform Campaign at Austube Mills

Earlier this year, the Austube Mills business in Australia ran a Close, Clean and Conform Campaign to address their ‘broken windows’ and revitalise the business. 

During the two-day clean-up campaign, employees and visitors contributed over 4,000 hours to clean up and refresh two locations in Newcastle and Acacia Ridge.  

Safety Quality Training and Environment Superintendent, David Gomez said: 

The two days I found to be very refreshing in that it was all about working together and getting the place looking great – making us all proud to come to work.

Following the clean-up, employees at the two locations have a new outlook and commitment to a higher safety standard. 

L/R: David Mackie, Paul Owens, Michael Morley, Racquel Buchanan, Brett Willcox, Brent Reid.

Big clear out at Thrybergh Mill in Rotherham  

Over time it is easy for things to get a little out of hand, in the case of Thrybergh Mill in Rotherham England, to the tune of 150 tonnes of obsolete motors and scrapped machine components. This was the task facing  John Wagstaffe, Refurbishment Engineer, who was tackling the improvement project; John said:

My goal is to have an inventory of all spare equipment for the mill so that engineers know exactly what we’ve got and where it’s located. That will save them time and help them to work more efficiently.

John, who is now organising and recording all refurbishment work, said:

I’m getting a lot of support and positive comments about the improvements. There’s still more work to do but people are really happy to see things happening at last.

What is the broken window theory?

Imagine a building with a few broken windows, they may seem like minor damage, but if these windows aren’t repaired and left broken, people are likely to break more windows, and it could also lead to more serious damage.  

Why? 

The broken window sends the message that nobody cares. On the flip side, when an environment is well taken care of and issues are addressed as they happen, people tend to have more positive attitudes and are more committed to good management and maintenance.  

The broken window theory doesn’t just apply to our physical environments. When people are stressed, overworked and disconnected, little things can quickly snowball. If we don’t do something when problems first arise they can quickly become major issues. So don’t ignore what might seem to be ‘small’ issues – by paying attention to small problems you can prevent the bigger issues from happening. 

In New York during the mid-1980’s, the ‘Broken Windows’ theory was put into practice. Authorities led campaigns to remove graffiti from the subway, police more strictly enforced laws on things like fare evasion, public drinking and other crimes that affect quality of life. During this time, rates of petty and serious crime fell significantly, and crime in New York continued to fall over the next ten years.