e-Profile
The e-Profile culture survey measures employees' attitudes and perceptions about safety - how they view the management and supervision of safety, and whether there is real and genuine commitment for safety in the organisation. For an article discussing the importance of safety surveys to an organisation, click here to download A Matter of Perception (OH&S Canada May 2000)
Safety Culture
Safety Culture refers to the formal safety issues in the company and deals with employees' perceptions about Management, Supervision, Management Systems and perceptions of the Organisation. Where the respondents are managers themselves, their perceptions on the supervision factors refer to senior management.
Safety Climate
Safety Climate refers to the more intangible issues in the company, such as perceptions of Safety Systems, Job Factors, Team Factors and Individual Factors. These are also commonly referred to as the social work climate and are the dynamic influences on the individual and on the group.
Survey Methodology
The e-Profile Survey uses a unique (patented) methodology which incorporates an electronic measuring system to record the responses of a group of participants. A group of employees gathers in a venue, each is given a hand-held button, all of which are linked to a central electronic recorder and a computer. This system eliminates the need for paper and pencil questionnaires and as such can capture the responses of all employees regardless of their standard of literacy. The survey is also completely anonymous so respondents are free to answer openly.
Groups of up to 16 employees from a specific team or department can be surveyed simultaneously. Sessions normally last about 40 minutes. A facilitator reads out standard statements about the various issues to be measured and the respondents press a button if they agree with the statement. The computer records data automatically and no one sees the individual responses.
The statements are arranged randomly so that participants cannot anticipate the next statement. Statements are phrased in both the positive and negative to ensure that the most accurate results are achieved.
The e-Profile has several advantages over the traditional survey methods:
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Participants are confident that their responses are confidential because their personal details are not recorded and there is requirement to submit hand-written responses.
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Reading a questionnaire often leads to a variety of interpretations, while listening to a verbal statement seldom does. If a respondent is confused they can ask for clarification.
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Paper and pencil questionnaires are often 'camouflaged' with 'socially desirable' responses. With e-Profile, first and honest (intuitive) responses are obtained. Employees do not get the chance to 'think' about their responses and as such a more accurate measurement of 'perceptions' is possible.
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Because the survey process does not require expensive paper and data management, e-Profile surveys can be conducted at a fraction of the cost of traditional surveys.
Data Analysis
Once the surveys are completed, the data is forwarded electronically to SAFEmap for analysis. A detailed report is the prepared for presentation to management of the client organisation. The report will provide advanced statistical analysis of trends in the group of business units, specific employee groups or work sites within in the organisation and can be arranged in any configuration.
Several profiles are generated and used for the interpretation of the results:
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Absolute responses are profiled and show the absolute gaps in 'positiveness' in the organisation. Interpretations are made on the basis of certain configurations and combinations of responses in the model.
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Comparisons between groups or business units provide a basis for 'relative interpretation', namely to show shortfalls or strengths in certain sectors of the business.
The results can also be benchmarked against other industry data to provide normative interpretation.
Feedback
The process of feedback to the client organisation goes beyond the provision of a report. Experience has shown that a high level, interactive workshop is best for the clear understanding and assimilation of the data, findings and interpretations. The workshop and feedback are aimed at the appropriate level of decision-makers in the organisation. This workshop is often linked to a planning exercise within the organisation to ensure close-out and action on the report. During this workshop, decisions are often made on the process of feedback to employees in the organisation.
Benchmarking
The safety culture survey conducted by SAFEmap on behalf of the Minerals Council of Australia delivered a database second to none. This is continually extended by adding all client data (whilst still ensuring anonymity in line with our
privacy statement). Companies are therefore able to benchmark themselves against the industry, and against exact sections of the industry
to which they belong.
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