Engage others in measurement
Consulting, collaborating and communicating with people around measurement can build trust and be a core part of achieving the change you want to see.
Part of the Measure what matters module.
Before: Share your measurement plan
If you are planning to collect data from or consult with workers, sharing your proposed approach can build trust and encourage people to participate. Importantly, your team members may have good ideas that you have not considered.
These are things that may be useful to discuss:
- why data collection is taking place, including expected benefits
- whether participation is voluntary or mandatory
- what will be required of people
- any feedback or suggestions
- any concerns people have, such as how their information will be stored and used and who might be able to access it
- how and when feedback will be provided.
The timing of when you share the approach with your team will depend on your business. Some businesses, particularly small businesses, may choose to involve everyone from the beginning. Others may choose to draft a detailed process or plan before seeking feedback from the team.
When considering timing, it is also important to ensure you have enough resources and time to act on results from measurement. If you collect a lot of information, and then take a long time to act on it, you can reduce trust and goodwill.
The people in your organisation are an important source of information. They are more likely to participate and provide useful information if you explain what you are doing, why and how, and then share your findings.
During: Collect relevant information
People within the workplace, and people such as suppliers or customers, can offer useful insights about issues such as:
- their sense of safety or the broader culture of the workplace
- satisfaction with work–life balance
- levels of supervisory support
- worker engagement
- whether work feels meaningful
- satisfaction with opportunities such as career development or promotions
- wellbeing measures (e.g. burnout, emotional exhaustion).
After: Share the findings
Sharing the outcomes and conclusions from your data collection also helps build and maintain trust. And it enables everyone to work together to identify changes or solutions. Be careful when sharing data about sensitive issues to make sure people’s privacy is respected (see Respect ethics, privacy and confidentiality).
These are things to consider when communicating the results:
- What were the results?
- What problems did they reveal? Do you propose to address them? How? When?
- What achievements or positive feedback did you find?
- What are you going to do next and why?
- What are the patterns of continual improvement?
Once you have decided what information to communicate, you need to consider the best way to do that.
Key considerations about reporting data include:
- Audience – Who will use the report? Why do they need information? As well as internal users, it might be useful to share results with people outside the business, such as advisors, customers or clients.
- Content – What data is most relevant for intended users?
- Length – Do graphs, tables and dashboards summarise data logically?
- Format – Can results be interpreted and compared easily?
- Language – Is the language clear, non-stigmatising and respectful?
- Privacy – Can the data be reported without breaching privacy or confidentiality?
- Timing – When and how often should the data be made available?
- Feedback – Is feedback sought regularly to ensure reports are understood and remain useful?