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Posted By Nick Wilson1
I am looking to test how effective my organisation is at communicating health and safety information to our employees. My starting point is to ask all staff to complete a short questionnaire. Anyone got any e.g.'s of good questions to ask?
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Posted By Stuart Scott
Nick
I would do a fair bit of research into the subject of survey design before sending one out. I say this because far to many people put in leading questions or questions that can not be compared or measured against anything else. The survey then becomes pointless and is often discredited despite the hard work that may have gone into it.
It is better to use a survey that has been developed, tested and proved, especially if you want to draw a comparison to others in your sector, something that may be useful when trying to argue your case. Should you results not be favourable that is.
Cheers
Stuart
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Posted By Merv Newman
Nick,
I make a BIG difference between Active and Passive communication.
Passive includes posters, notice boards and company newsletters. Read 'em if you want to and if you have time. Weep if you feel like it.
Active is face to face communication between management, supervision, colleagues and the work force. (funny that phrase. We all know that it means those at the coal face, but does it also mean that those not actually at the coal face don't actually do any work ?)(or is that the same as "production workers" and non-productive" persons ?)Sorry. Let's leave the jokes for Friday.
Whatever.
(which is a fairly frequent opinion of/reaction to Passive communications. Also of/to "management speak" Active communications)
So, a proposed question for your survey could be "when did your manager, supervisor, mate last talk WITH you about H&S in a personal, positive, proactive, engaging manner ?"
Interestingly the most usual answer to this one is "Dunno, but I can tell you about the last time they gave me a (asterisks and expletives deleted in order to comply with allowable usage guidelines)
Merv
Hoping that the Minotaurs remain suitably passive on this one.
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Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Nick
Building on what Scott and Merv have written, you may most fruitfully approach 'active' communication from the framework of safety leadership through positive reinforcement rather than simply compliance through negative reinforcement.
Dan Petersen offers super guidance on technical and statistical aspects of safety communications in his 2001 book; Tom Krause and Scott Geller have written excellent guides to safety leadership which makes use of active communications tools.
If you want to really get to grips with Stuart's recommendation, 'Organizational Surveys. Tools for Assessment and Change', ed. A I Kraut, Jossey-Bass, 1996 is a good resource to consult for questionnaire design and evaluation. 'Asking Questions', N Bradburn, S. Sudman and B. Wansink, Jossey-Bass, 2004 is
great for what it's title suggst.
Merv's interesting comment leads on to the value of multi-source feedback on the quality of communications by managers and supervisors. 'The Handbook of Multisource Feedback', D Bracken, C Timmreck and A Church, Jossey-Bass, 2001 offers guidance on how to introduce these in the approach to safety leadership advocated by Geller and Krause.
To the extent that you enrich the communication process as you propose, you're likely to enlarge your own role as a leadership coach to managers and directors, often far beyond the traditional safety specialist role in the UK.
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