We often hear that we should “stop and think” before we act.
Maybe you know the situation from e-learning courses filled with GDPR regulations or long onboarding sessions with endless PowerPoint slides about working environment and IT security?
Typically, the rule of thumb goes like this: “Stop, think, do a risk assessment, act safely.”
The goal is of course good. The problem is that almost no one uses such a mental checklist in practice, especially when we are under pressure, stressed, or working routinely and quickly.
Nobody makes mistakes on purpose.
Therefore, the solution is not about even more lists, which will be forgotten anyway, but about creating situations that automatically help us act more safely.
So what do red vests have to do with the matter?
In this article, we look at how a simple idea from medication dosing in hospitals can inspire us to avoid mistakes in GDPR, IT security, and the work environment.
For example, imagine how a red vest clearly signals “Do Not Disturb,” or how “No Interruption Zones” ensure peace for important tasks. A clearly planned workflow and strategically placed visual reminders can similarly create habits that reduce the risk of errors.
Similarly, we can incorporate behavioral design into both GDPR work and IT security. Instead of hoping that employees will remember a long list of rules, we can design systems that inherently make it harder to commit data breaches or fall for phishing attacks.
A real-life story: Lars and the phishing test
I have a friend named Lars. He’s a cloud and IT security architect, and in fact, I do all my e-learning with him in mind. When I’m developing a course, I always ask myself: “Would Lars think I was a good friend if I gave him a seven-point summary of key GDPR principles, or would he think I was just wasting his time?” It’s a good way to avoid the classic e-learning trap of ending up as a complete information dump.
The point is that Lars knows pretty much everything about IT security. Yet he told me the other day that he had failed an internal phishing test. He had clicked on a fake link, and voila, he was immediately signed up for yet another e-learning course on phishing.
His spontaneous reaction was: “I don’t need a course on phishing – I need to be less busy.” (He phrased himself a little more colorfully than I’m reproducing here 😊)
It got me thinking: Maybe the solution isn't to send him (yet) a course full of mnemonics like "Check the recipient field," "Check the URL," or "Watch for spelling mistakes." Maybe we should ask the question:
"How do we avoid Lars being interrupted and stressed when he checks his email?"
Why do the errors actually happen?
Around the world, efforts have been made for years to reduce medication errors in hospitals. The solution has often been to provide staff with more training, more courses or more detailed guidelines.
But studies show something interesting: Knowledge and skills are rarely the problem. Many nurses know perfectly well how to dose medication correctly, but they are constantly interrupted. The result is more errors – despite good knowledge.
A friendly “do not disturb” solution
This is where hospital departments in the US and Europe, among others, began experimenting with red vests or “no interruption zones.”
- The red vest : Nurses wore a red vest with the text “Drug round in progress – please do not interrupt.”
- No interruption zone : In other places, areas were marked, for example around medical carts, with signs and colored tape on the floor, where only absolutely urgent inquiries were allowed.
The purpose was simple: Avoid interruptions – and thus eliminate a major cause of errors.
The concrete results: Sources and figures
Several studies have investigated the effect:
- Anthony et al. (2010) , Critical Care Nurse: Interruptions significantly reduced, medication errors decreased.
- Verweij et al. (2014) , Journal of Nursing Scholarship: 60-75% fewer interruptions at red vests.
- Raban & Westbrook (2014) , BMJ Quality & Safety: Typically 30-80% fewer interruptions.
From System 2 to System 1: Why does it work?
The classic courses and lists require mental capacity and active decision-making ( System 2 ). When we are stressed, it is difficult to remember them.
Red vests, clear signs, and marked floors, on the other hand, are System 1-friendly solutions. They don't require active thinking – they practically shout "Remember!" at us every time we see them.
Transfer to other areas: IT security and GDPR
Like the hospitals' red vests, we can use similar visual solutions:
- Critical moments such as sending confidential information can be marked with a “do not disturb” sign.
- Internal custom: When Rikke or Rasmus activate a certain digital status or have headphones on, we leave them alone.
Planning and grouping of risky tasks
An additional dimension of this approach is the way we organize our work. As a caseworker, you may have many cases a day. Most of them may not require a lot of concentrated effort, but in the critical moments when you have to forward decisions or confidential documents, for example, you are particularly vulnerable to errors.
- Group the riskiest tasks
If you work with personal data all day, for example, you can advantageously handle “mass mailings” or decisions during a single period of time when you plan to have peace around you. Take a handful of cases that need to be handled and collect them in one session so that you are maximally focused during that particular period. - Put on the “red vest”
Close the door, put up a physical “do not disturb” sign - Remove digital distractions
Turn off your notifications in email and chat. Close your email client and Slack/Teams if possible while reviewing confidential documents. The constant pop-ups, pings, and notifications increase the risk of errors. - Other technical/administrative measures
You can set up systems that slow down the sending of an email for a few seconds, so you have a “right of withdrawal.” Or introduce an internal procedure where you set “send early tomorrow” on important documents, so there is time to detect errors before they get out.
This type of work planning helps you focus your energy where mistakes can be costly. Instead of working sporadically (where you’re constantly interrupted in your flow), you distribute your tasks so that you have focused time slots for the most critical things – just like a nurse with a red vest saying, “I’m not to be disturbed now.”
A silly little tidbit to remember:
It can still be hard to remember when you're busy. Here's a silly joke that might help you remember it:
Are you in Zen when you press 'send'?
(sorry if it's stuck in your brain forever now #sorrynotsorry)
If you really want to remember it, try to come up with a silly joke yourself, or say one of the above out loud.
Please send me an email if you have a good idea for a strip.
The culture behind the solution
No solution works without collegial and managerial support. Everyone must understand why there is a need for calm and respect each other's focus zones.
Recommendations:
- Identify your critical points.
- Create a visible, preferably physical, marker.
- Plan workflows so that critical tasks are collected.
- Remove distractions.
- Inform why.
- Get management support.
- Evaluate and adjust.
Final thoughts
The banal is often the most effective.
Instead of more courses and checklists, we can create improvements with visual cues and better work planning.
If we transfer the model to GDPR, IT security and the working environment, we can potentially reduce errors considerably – and thus create both better working conditions and better safety.
In short: Spend your energy designing environments and workflows so that errors don't occur – rather than simply repeating that we need to “stop and think.”
Sources
- Anthony, K., Wiencek, C., Bauer, C., Daly, B., & Anthony, MK (2010).
No interruptions please: Impact of a No Interruption Zone on medication safety in intensive care units.
Critical Care Nurse, 30(3), 21-29. - Verweij, L., Smeulers, M., Maaskant, JM, et al. (2014).
Quiet please! Drug round tabards: Are they effective and accepted? A mixed-method study.
Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 46(5), 340-348. - Raban, MZ, & Westbrook, JI (2014).
Are interventions to reduce interruptions and errors during medication administration effective? A systematic review.
BMJ Quality & Safety, 23(5), 414-421.