Getting a stronger bottom line and delivering more quality products or services in less time using fewer resources—this is the business ideal. On paper, it looks like a simple math equation. But organizations are more than a neatly ordered plan to execute: they are made up of people who are influenced by numerous internal and external factors, and who need to be kept safe. That’s why it’s important to make sure that an organization’s goals are set and measured with an eye for the human element, and to regularly review those goals to ensure they don’t become a liability.

From quotas to hiring processes and all types of organizational change, it’s easy to ‘set it and forget it’, opening the door to complacency. Without regular review, a once-perfect KPI can quickly become a magnet for human factors, putting workers in danger. It’s important to know what to look for when adjusting benchmarks so that you can keep operations flowing while supporting safety.

Here are three symptoms of organizational complacency to watch out for.

1. Deadline Delirium

From the planning side, quotas help businesses meet production goals, which inevitably affects how much they can sell in a set period of time. The more an organization can produce, the more money it makes. But when we look at the individuals who work to meet those quotas, it’s a different story: a quota determines how fast they need to move and how much attention they can spend on a single task before proceeding to the next one. When a quota is set properly, workers can confidently meet their workload and reliably achieve the desired outcome safely.

But if a quota is set too high, it can lead to workers hurrying through their tasks in order to meet a deadline. That sets them up for errors—making mistakes or getting injuries—which in turn cause further delays, and spur more rushing as a result. It’s a negative feedback loop that invites in more human factors the longer it goes on, and before you know it, an ambitious quota has become a full-on disaster. That’s why it’s important for leaders to ensure quotas are set properly and that sufficient redundancies and contingencies are in place to allow upset systems to be corrected without causing a panic.

See how a Nova Scotia fishery found a way to pacify panic during disaster by reading the blog post “How to Take a People-First Approach With Upset Systems on the Line.”

2. Onboarding Disorder

Turnaround is tough enough, and the rate of employee churn has been high for many years. A perpetual hiring cycle can tie up resources and contribute to the quota-induced rushing mentioned above. But the onboarding process itself can harbor risk if it isn’t properly maintained. New workers are at greater risk of injury during their first year on the job—the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says this group accounts for over one-third of nonfatal workplace injuries.

The best way to make sure that an organization isn’t being restaffed with risk is to confirm that the onboarding process is up to date and being properly administered. Getting the first three months right by engaging new workers will pay dividends in the long run. And if the new employee program is maintained with enough thought and engagement, it could increase a business’s staff retention, helping free up resources and improve culture.

Find out what it takes to build a reliable and safe employee onboarding with the guide Fitting in Fast: Making a Safe Workplace for New Hires.

3. Alteration Frustration

Change is inevitable, and that’s especially true with work. New processes, technologies, teammates and leaders require folks to adjust their comfortable routines, and that often leads to resistance. Without caring for the people side of change, human factors like fear, frustration and ambiguity can take hold. Under the influence of those elements, change becomes less likely to stick, but more importantly, people can get hurt. That’s why it’s so important to make sure organizational change is implemented with an engaging strategy that accounts for the thoughts and internal factors of individuals.

One way to help mitigate negative human factors during times of transformation is to engage your workforce in storytelling. By honing your storytelling abilities and prioritizing communication in times of change, you can help everyone envision a positive future for themselves after the change takes place while demonstrating a personal commitment to their well-being.

Learn three easy-to-use storytelling tools by watching the webinar Unleashing the Power of Stories.

Once a system is in place, it can be tough to remember to check in on it. After all, a plan doesn’t change on its own. But as the people who enact that plan experience new challenges—from deadlines to new team members to organizational change—it’s important to review the systems in place and make sure they aren’t increasing the risk of human factors. By making a habit of regularly checking for these three symptoms of organizational complacency, you can ensure the roadmap you planned initially doesn’t lead workers into danger.