KLM | Safe & Smooth: A balanced safety culture

The target group of KLM Ground Services

The dilemma in the intro may sound like an easy one to resolve, but in practice it isn't! This became apparent when we spoke to the target group about the human factors that play a role in safety: What is the human factor in safety and compliance? We spoke to some highly motivated employees who take safety and customer satisfaction very seriously. Because, as they say, ‘...we’re KLM!’.

That enthusiasm was great to see. In practice, however, dilemmas can arise in situations when safety, customer satisfaction, and efficiency aren’t always compatible. Fortunately, not every dilemma carries the same weight. We were onto something!

KLM's Ground Services staff in Passenger Services, Baggage Services, and Apron Services work in various places at the airport, both landside (before security) and airside (after security). In addition, a large number of staff are employed in office positions. The target groups in all these areas face their own specific challenges regarding human factors: from sorting and handling luggage, to safely boarding passengers and preparing an aircraft for departure.

KLM Safe & Smooth: a 3-stage programme

The one-off e-learning at the time wasn’t having enough impact, so we started looking for a concept that went further. We got to work with KLM Learning & Development's learning vision, in which they take the work of employees as a starting point, connect learning and performance, and use a combination of technology and learning.

To make sure the target groups made – and continue making – the right decisions when it comes to safety, we devised a number of strategic pillars. For example, we were convinced that the programme shouldn’t feel like a training session, especially a mandatory one; we wanted it to be informal and fun, and feel relevant at the end of the day. In other words, it needed to have content that suited employees. By placing our solution in the larger context of KLM Ground Services’ vision, we increased the chance of success. Together with KLM (Ground Services, Learning & Development, and Communication), we devised a 3-stage integrated programme. We gave the programme its own identity, including a logo: Veilig & Vlot. ‘Veilig’ means safe, while ‘vlot’ means smooth/quick, so this Dutch name is a worthy description of the dynamics experienced by staff in their work. We got the employees engaged in three stages:

1. Awareness: Safe & Smooth was introduced in an original way, with employees involved in the campaign.
2. Raising the bar: we raised the bar for the entire workforce by using a tool to practice dilemmas. 
3. Create a lasting impact: with the insights from the previous phase, we embedded the impact by focusing on the dilemmas that people experienced as difficult. We also involved the managers in this stage.

Stage 1 - Awareness: introduction of Safe & Smooth

KLM employees are aware that training is an essential and frequent part of their job. Like all of us, the extent to which they enjoy these training sessions varies, and sometimes they may want a break from normal tasks or simply be left to get on with them. We therefore quickly decided to set up a safety awareness campaign together with KLM's communications department, but which was linked to employees’ own working environment.

Two KLM employees in eccentric attire walked around the workplace with an instant camera. They took portrait photos of colleagues, and asked what safety meant to them. The answers were written on the photos, which were made into collages that were put up in all departments. The Safe & Smooth logo was introduced in narrowcasting in general and waiting areas, and the photos shown again. Then, each department was given a glimpse into the departments upstream and downstream from them in the chain, and asked to consider the impact of their actions further down the chain. This was all carried out under the banner of Safe & Smooth. The employees found out exactly what that meant in the next stage.

Stage 2 - Practice with dilemmas in the grey area

To further reduce and prevent incidents, we abandoned the traditional path of safety training, and created the Safe & Smooth movement. We used an app that involved swiping (like Tinder!) to give KLM Ground Services staff a feel for real dilemmas in the grey area between safety and efficiency. It helped refine their own sense of direction, and gave them more confidence in taking and owning their individual decisions in their work. By experimenting with dilemmas, they experienced the considerations and trade-offs involved. If someone didn't know what to do, they swiped up on the app. After facing dozens of dilemmas in their specific role, both major and minor, they found out whether they were striking the right balance. This experience and the honing of their sense of direction had more impact on employees than a one-off annual training. We were able to detect if someone gave a good answer several times, and encouraged them to answer how they saw things: after all, it wasn't a ‘test’. We weren’t trying to get right or wrong answers, but rather get employees to recognize that they make trade-offs between safety and efficiency, and that sometimes thorny predicaments arise which people have to discuss with each other.

Stage 3 - Ensuring a lasting impact

The amount of swiping up for each question gave KLM insight into what the people in the workplace considered difficult dilemmas, Shift and team leaders were then able to use these insights to get to work immediately or more purposefully on general re-training days. Dilemmas that weren’t perceived as problematic were left alone for the time being, so we could focus on creating a lasting impact. New target groups and new dilemmas have been introduced in the app over time. It’s a fresh and continuous way of staying compliant as an employee, without feeling that it’s a 'must'.

Results: Mind shift for tomorrow

The Safe & Smooth campaign was immediately embraced by the management team,
motivated in part by these telling figures:

•    After two weeks, 25% of employees had voluntarily completed the training process, and were compliant
•    Over 7,000 employees participated
•    Over 780,000 swipes
•    89% scored 'in balance' or 'safe' (compliant) after a single round of learning
Furthermore: after an initial increase in the number of reported safety incidents, the number dropped rapidly and noticeably. We played a part in this, but obviously many other safety initiatives also contributed.

2022 Roll-out to more KLM target groups worldwide

Numbers don't tell the whole story. The main conclusion is that, after 18 months, the project had a lasting impact on individual and company performance where safety is concerned. After practicing with the app, employees feel more confident when taking ‘real-work’ decisions. Safe & Smooth has been given a central role in KLM's safety culture, which means that it contributes to today’s safety as well as to a shift in mindset for tomorrow.

After it went live for KLM Ground Services employees, our integrated programme had such a big impact that KLM decided to roll out the Safe & Smooth programme for all its staff a year later to replace the old safety e-learning modules. Since spring 2022, Safe & Smooth has also been used with cabin crew, among others.

‘It has become embedded in our work. For the next three years, Safe & Smooth will play a key role. No longer merely a programme, it will get things moving and change mindsets!’

Nicole Veerbeek, Integrated Safety and Compliance Director at KLM

Gold at the UK Learning Tech Awards

The project was nominated in two categories at the prestigious international Learning Tech Awards in the UK: 

1. Best use of mobile learning
2. Best learning technologies project - International commercial sector

We won gold in the 2nd category: the best learning technologies project - International commercial sector.

The jury’s opinion:
‘This is a well-defined, superbly implemented project that has had a far-reaching impact on the organization. The project team skilfully got inside the heads and context of their end users and managed to deliver a solution that addressed their attitudes, ways of working and, ultimately, flight safety with laser-sharp precision. From start to finish, this project showcases best practice in learning technology implementation!’

How the project came about

After we started working on a request for a project to revamp an e-learning course for the Human Factors component, it quickly became clear that this was a golden opportunity to boost the safety culture. Interviews with both relevant employees in all departments and KLM management resulted in the integrated programme explained above. It was an excellent opportunity to further increase safety at KLM. For the 2nd stage, we engaged Digital Chefs who created an intelligent app. Check out the case on their site for more background and how the app works, and read about KLM's experience of working with Bright Alley.