When we see a problem, we want to stop and immediately fix it. This is easy enough if the fix takes 30 seconds, such as putting something away or adjusting something askew. But what do you do if you’re contending with a big, scary or difficult problem?
I’m facing one such problem, and it has grown more complicated the more I try to solve it.
I have a 1940s colonial home. In the summer, the second floor is hot, even with the air conditioning blasting and ceiling fans running. I recognize there is always going to be a temperature shift between the first and second floor, but hot air from the attic is adding to the discomfort.
So, I wanted to insulate our attic. That’s when I discovered my first unexpected obstacle: My home has a lot more active knob-and-tube (K&T) wiring under our attic floor than our home inspector indicated. As in, all our house minus the addition the previous owners built.
I have spent months learning about different materials, insulation approaches, K&T, attic airflow, heat transfer and attic venting. I have reviewed literature from government agencies and preservation nonprofits in the U.S. and Europe. I have watched endless videos on YouTube.
Still, I haven’t yet found a viable solution with a risk level I’m comfortable pursuing. Because, despite one company’s reassurances, I’m not going to insulate around K&T and create a potential electrical hazard in my home. There are plenty of other things I can consider that may help, but there is no silver bullet or easy fix.
In spare moments, I find myself asking what makes the most sense for me and my home. What will help me reach my desired results? Can I create a satisfactory workaround? Will this option pose a safety hazard? What are the possible unintended consequences? Will I feel like I have gotten a return on my investment? What option can I afford?
These are not easy, or even fun, questions to consider, but they are 100% necessary to guide my next steps, whatever they may be.
In the meantime, I’m seeking comfort and wisdom from the 2024 crop of America’s Safest Companies. Some of their efforts started as a mandate to reduce workplace injuries while others started a desire to improve the workplace culture.
Regardless of their motivations, these companies started with an end goal in mind, then strategized how to achieve them.
These are companies that saw gaps in knowledge, and after not finding a ready-made solution, they decided to create it themselves. These are companies that saw a culture they didn’t want reinforced, so they developed a program or competition to incentivize alternative behaviors. These are companies that saw potential hazards and found a way to engineer or train them out. These are companies that saw the right investments in technology, equipment and training could result in improved safety metrics and morale.
In short, these are companies that have decided to tackle their problems. They started where they were, with what they had, earned buy-in and kept going.
We will always have problems to tackle, whether at work or in our personal lives. They can become bigger or smaller over time. They can become more complex or more confusing the deeper you walk into the labyrinth. That’s why it’s so imperative to develop a process that can evolve with you on your journey.
Workplaces need to create a psychologically safe environment so people feel comfortable sharing their problems and feedback. Workplaces need to be open to new ideas, because sometimes an offhand suggestion is brilliant. Workplaces need to collectively develop a path forward, so that any setbacks can be overcome. Workplaces need to remain steadfast, because problems don’t go away unless the root causes are addressed.
As for me and my attic, I need to remember that my house was not designed with today’s knowledge of heat transfer or desire for energy efficiency. My ultimate approach may be one I MacGyver myself—and might just include a window AC unit and multiple trips to Home Depot.
