This episode explores storytelling as a powerful driver of safety, learning, and meaning at work. Drawing on academic research and real-world examples, the discussion explains how personal stories—especially near-misses and close calls—can overcome the “it won’t happen to me” mindset that undermines risk awareness.

Key themes include:

• The difference between storytelling for entertainment vs. storytelling for impact (poignancy)
• Why timing, setting, and psychological safety matter when sharing experiences
• How vulnerability and empathy make safety messages memorable and meaningful
• The leadership role in being present, listening, and inviting stories—without forcing them
• Why safety culture is built less through checklists and more through human connection

The episode ultimately reframes safety storytelling as a leadership skill: when done thoughtfully, stories don’t just inform—they change behavior, strengthen trust, and create lasting meaning.

In the first episode of Leading & Learning Through Safety for 2026, Dr. Mark French explores a challenging but critical topic: organizational dehumanization and its direct impact on leadership, safety, and human dignity at work. Drawing from a December 2025 Journal of Applied Psychology article titled “Seeing the Good in the Bad: A Self-Affirmation Model for Organizational Dehumanization,” the episode examines whether any redeeming outcomes can exist in workplaces that treat people as numbers rather than humans.

Dehumanization often shows up subtly—viewing employees as spreadsheet entries, productivity metrics, or cost centers instead of people with autonomy, competence, and emotional needs. Dr. French argues that this mindset is fundamentally incompatible with safety. When people are dehumanized, organizations lose autonomous thinkers, silence risk-spotters, and erode the trust required to protect one another.

Interestingly, the research suggests that while dehumanization is never appropriate or acceptable, some individuals respond by seeking meaning elsewhere—through volunteering, social connection, or prosocial behavior outside of work. This “rebound effect” is not a justification for poor leadership, but a testament to human resilience and self-affirmation.

The episode also explores an important nuance: not all language that removes “human” framing is harmful. Being called “a machine” for exceptional performance may feel motivating in context—but systemic dehumanization that strips dignity is something entirely different.

Dr. French closes with a call to action: safety begins with re-humanization. Leaders must recognize the signs of dehumanization and intentionally restore autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Because when we value people as people, safety becomes possible—and sustainable.

In this end-of-year episode of the Leading & Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French reflects on seasonal safety challenges and why December consistently brings unique risks to the workplace. While safe driving remains a recurring concern due to holiday scheduling, distracted motorists, and increased roadside work, Mark places special emphasis on a rising and more troubling trend: workplace violence.

This time of year heightens personal stressors—family pressures, financial strain, holiday demands—and those stressors inevitably enter the workplace. Mark discusses how normal disagreements can escalate into severe incidents when tensions are already high, highlighting several recent news cases as reminders of the urgency. He notes that although organizations cannot control every factor, leaders can influence how prepared, present, and responsive they are.

Mark outlines practical steps to reduce risk: improving communication channels, increasing leadership presence, recognizing early signs of distress or conflict, and ensuring employees know where to report concerns. He emphasizes that mental health resources and Employee Assistance Programs must be accessible without stigma and that organizations should test their reporting systems to ensure issues aren’t lost or ignored.

As the year closes, Mark challenges leaders to enter 2026 committed to strengthening communication, cultivating psychological safety, and supporting the whole person—physically, mentally, and socially. He closes with gratitude for listeners and a reminder that effective communication is foundational to preventing harm and fostering a strong, human-centered safety culture.