Why won’t they wear their hairnets properly?

Because it’s complicated.

Well we could stop there, but let’s try and take a serious look.

In management circles “Culture” is an often mentioned word, but it’s not easy to put a finger on what exactly it is. As an auditor I can walk into a factory and determine within a few short minutes whether it has a good, bad or an ugly culture? You can see it, hear it and sometimes even smell it. But what makes it? And importantly how do we develop a great organizational culture. A culture that appears to really care about food safety and quality.

Let’s start with a definition of organizational “culture”:

Culture has been divided into what an organisation ‘is’ (values, attitudes and beliefs of the people in it) and what it ‘has’ (procedures, policies and activities). “Reason’s research (1998) explained that these guided and directed an organisation to achieve its values,”

Values, attitudes and beliefs are shaped by senior management, by what they say and more importantly what they do...and the time, effort and resources they invest in any particular subject. This more than anything else clearly demonstrates to employees what’s important and what matters and shapes their behaviour in either a positive, negative or neutral way.

In a balanced business sales, growth, efficiency, cost, profit, employee safety, food safety and quality would all be equal partners and would all have equal focus and attention from senior management.

If it doesn't matter to the big boss then it doesn't matter. No matter what anyone says; what is done or threatened, what is written in a procedure or policy, whether the auditor is coming. Yes you may get short term compliance by waving a stick, but it won’t be the way things are done around here.

In terms of food safety & quality hopefully the big boss is showing commitment by providing the necessary resources, direction and support to build and operate effective systems, policies and procedures and perhaps even shows an interest in the performance and improvement of the food safety & quality management system by hosting or attending management reviews, HACCP reviews and the odd quality meeting. Great!

However this is not enough; all of the $$$ and all of the good work can be undone if the head honcho regularly waltzes through production with his locks a flowing and all blinged up like Mr T. What message does this send out? After all employees must wear this uncomfortable gear for 8-12 hours every day.



Senior managers do walk a constant and narrow tightrope and employees watch their every move like hawks, waiting for any transgression, however small. Senior management would be well advised to really understand and follow the lower level policies related to personal hygiene at all times. On the face of it such a small thing, but it matters as much, if not more than all of the other stuff they do that employees rarely see.

Not exactly the blueprint on how to develop a great organizational culture, there’s far more to it than this, but it’s a start and it may just help to get employees wearing their hairnets properly. Even when you’re not looking.