Well I posted my thoughts such as they are on the Member to Member Forum and the response that came from the IOSH bot told us to: “please save any content you wish to keep before the forum closes, as past discussions will not be accessible after this date.” Sothey are starting with blank slate.  They are also reminding us that we can  “contact our [IOSH’s] experts free of charge”. So they seem to be already indicating that they do not see the new platform as a place to share actual knowledge about H&S. That knowledge is now apparently owned by IOSH.

Johnny, the three trending topics on the H&S leadership platform: “The Power of a 2-Minute Pause! Do You Agree? What's your favourite model for accident investigation and why? What career advice / inspirational quote would you tell yourself 5-10 years ago if you met for a coffee/drink now?”  is typical of the sort of inane  HR speak the world of work is drowning in. the problem with all of this is there is no correct answer  for any of these questions and they are just fluff intended to occupy time during one of those “away days” we all love so much. If that is the future of H&S we are doomed!

Whilst not entirely surprised it seems that IOSH has decided that these replacement Forums are NOT to be open to those who are NOT Members of IOSH.

The "Objects" of the Institution are set out in Article 3 of the Royal Charter and the last few words read:

"in the interests of the general public benefit."

Seems to me that we have reached a stage where very little of what IOSH does is "in the interests of IOSH Members' benefit" let alone the "general public benefit". 

Year after year IOSH employs more staff with the rate of increase vastly greater than any increase in Membership numbers. 

IOSH Members and others have benefitted for over 20 years from being able to sound out people for advice on these PUBLIC Forums and quite often the best advice comes from people who are not IOSH Members, including when it comes to topics that are specialist and which MOST IOSH Members are not that competent.

Perhaps IOSH thinks that by excluding non-Members from the new and improved Forums, that there will be a rush of non-Members to sign up or rejoin. 

I very much doubt that this will happen. 

Instead if IOSH remove open access to its chat forums then the likelihood is that some existing Members will have another reason not to renew.

IOSH should know it has a retention problem as it admits to that problem on page 17 of the most recent Annual Report:

• membership income behind budget due to a lower number of members at the start of the year, lower retention rates and fewer new joiners than in the budget

IOSH even admitted in the Report that it had fewer Members than the year before.

I suspect that there are also fewer registered Mentors on the IOSH Mentoring Platform, a Platform that doesn't even get a mention in this year's Report - may be that is to be scrapped in favour of some "mentoring" by those who can be guaranteed to consistently promote the IOSH party line whatever the development needs of the mentees.

I have had three mentoring requests in the last fortnight, a sign that there probably are not enough Mentors to go round.

I gave up membership when my developed role could no longer justify a "Professional Membership Fee" and have no intention of re-joining iosh to participate in limited discussion. Nor will I be participating with the inane drivel on LinkedIn.

I have enjoyed the education, cameraderie and challenge of participation in some often quite lively discussions on these forums yet like many a poster now moved on it is perhaps time to "retire" from public life and leave the young floundering as the past is yet again swept away replaced by the truth of a new order.

Competence involves the acquitstion of knowledge and experience.

I can honestly say these forums through their participants have provided both by the bucket full.