We want to track safety incidents and customer complaints on our scorecard, but the ideal target is zero. How do we track these metrics weekly without creating a culture where employees hide their mistakes?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Tracking metrics where the target is zero can accidentally incentivize your team to sweep problems under the rug. If employees fear getting blamed for a mistake, they will simply stop reporting safety near misses or customer complaints. To prevent this, you must change how you structure and talk about these metrics.

First, frame reporting as a positive action. If your safety target is zero incidents, create a leading metric that tracks safety audits completed or hazards identified and resolved. This shifts the focus from avoiding bad news to actively participating in prevention. Second, when a complaint or incident does occur and the scorecard goes red, use it as a learning opportunity during the IDS® portion of your Level 10 Meeting™.

Focus on fixing the process, not attacking the person. If your team sees that admitting a mistake leads to constructive system improvements rather than punishment, they will trust the process. You can also track the response time to resolve a complaint rather than just the occurrence itself. This encourages rapid resolution and transparency. By measuring the actions that prevent errors, you build a healthy, open data culture that naturally drives the negative metrics down to zero.