People at Work Project

An Assessment of Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace

Focus Group Guide
 Focus Group Guide

This guiding document provides tips for and examples of how to conduct an effective focus group and analyse
the themes that emerge. It is targeted at organisations participating in the People at Work Project to enable
(1) communication of survey results to workers and/or other stakeholders and (2) to inform future action
planning in light of the psychosocial hazards identified from the risk assessment process.

Focus Group Purpose

Focus groups are ideal for consultation with workers, and enable the collection of rich information about
people’s perceptions of their work environment. There are several reasons for using focus groups as a
follow-up to the People at Work Survey, including:

• To obtain more detailed information and insight into psychosocial hazards of importance to the
organisation and its workers

• To delve into the numeric responses in the report to better understand the opinions and issues driving the
People at Work Survey results

• To establish a safe and open environment for workers to express their views about the survey results

• To provide a broad representation of diverse ideas and experiences on the topic

• To generate strategies and solutions for addressing psychosocial hazards in the future

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 Focus Group Guide

Preparing for a Focus Group

The following considerations will help to ensure your focus group is set up for success:

1. Size

A focus group needs to be large enough to generate ideas, but not too big that participants feel overwhelmed
by the size of the group or do not get the opportunity to make a contribution to the discussion. However if the
group is too small, there can be less energy and a lack of diversity in experiences. Thus, the ideal size for a
focus group is 6-10 participants. Typically, if the focus group exceeds 10, the facilitator will find it increasingly
difficult to manage the time and group dynamics.

2. Composition

Focus groups designed to understand and explore survey responses are usually conducted in departmental
teams or workgroups. Thus, more often than not, participants already know each other and have similar job
roles and common task goals. However, there also is an opportunity to change the dynamic of the focus group
through cross-team participation, thereby creating a mix of participants with different backgrounds and
experiences. The approach that is best for the organisation will depend on culture, team dynamics, and
facilitator experience.

3. Duration

The duration of a focus group can influence the credibility of the process. The ideal time is 60-90 minutes.
Sessions that are shorter are unlikely to delve into issues in a meaningful way and if they are longer,
participants will become fatigued or bored, withdrawing from the conversation. Facilitator set up time is not
included in the 60-90 minutes. Thus, it is best to arrive early to prepare the room and ensure that the any
audio/visual equipment is in working order. Participants should be asked to arrive 5-10 minutes before the
session in order to get settled, enabling the most effective use of time.

4. Location

It is important to consider the message the location of the focus group sends to participants. Is it too small for
the number of attendees? Is there sufficient lighting to keep participants energised? Is there access to
audio/visual equipment? Will the room provide adequate privacy for participants to openly express their views?
Will the focus group be held onsite or offsite (which, of course, will depend on the culture of the organisation
and budget)? The ideal seating plan for a focus group is a U-Shape or a circle, preferably without a table acting
as a physical barrier.

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 Focus Group Guide

5. Materials

The facilitator should effectively prepare for the focus group by arranging for the following materials:

Name Tags: essential if participants do not know each other.

Notepads and Pens: it is good to make use of notepads (or butcher paper or sticky notes) if the facilitator
feels that participants are reluctant or nervous about speaking up, or if the conversation is becoming stale.
Participants can individually (or in pairs) write down ideas for group discussion and these can be displayed on
the wall. This strategy can help to energise the group.

Clock: very important for time management.

Refreshments: whether food and/or beverages are provided will depend on 'how things are usually done' in
the organisation and budget constraints. One needs to be careful to ensure that refreshments do not become
distracting to the task at hand. One approach is to provide lunch or morning/afternoon tea (before or after the
focus group), both as a thank-you to participants for their input and to encourage social interaction/continued
discussion.

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 Focus Group Guide

Conducting a Focus Group

The following considerations will help to manage your focus group in order to elicit the best possible input
from participants:

1. Format

The facilitator should introduce the session, purpose, and expected outcomes. A brief recap of the survey
results should then be provided to participants to ensure everyone is starting with the same level of
knowledge (although it is important to ensure that all participants have received a written overview of the
survey results well before the focus group). A suggested format for the discussion to follow includes:

• Introductions
• Ground Rules
• Confidentiality
• Review of Survey Results
• Questioning
o Engagement Questions, Exploration Questions, Exit Questions
o Questions to Avoid
• Summary of Themes
• Next Steps

Remember it is important to finish with 'Next Steps'. This final step is critical for providing participants with
an understanding of what will happen with their comments, how it will be presented, and when they will
hear back about a plan of action.

2. Ground Rules

When setting the scene for the focus group, the facilitator should make the following points:

• As a courtesy to all participants and to limit distractions, ask participants to please switch off or turn to
silent all mobile telephones and other devices.
• Advise participants that there are no right or wrong answers, only opinions and it is important to respect
each individual’s opinion. While it is appropriate to disagree in a respectful manner, it is
counterproductive to criticise or put down another person for expressing their views. One way to do this
is to use “I” statements, where you say “I hear what you are saying, but I think...” rather than “you’re
wrong”.
• To ensure that all participants have the opportunity to contribute equally and feel heard and respected,
remind participants to not interrupt someone while they are speaking.
• It is important to inform participants that finger pointing and blaming should be avoided; we are here to
address the issue, not an individual.

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 Focus Group Guide

3. Confidentiality

All responses and opinions expressed in the focus group should remain confidential. The facilitator has a
responsibility to ensure the privacy of participants. The facilitator should inform participants that their
responses will be documented (via note-taking) but that their names will be never be recorded in relation to
specific issues or direct quotes, or any reports arising from the focus groups. The facilitator should explain to
participants how the focus group data will be used and with whom it will be shared. Such procedures will help
to alleviate concerns relating to confidentiality and using the results to single out specific individuals.

Participants themselves also have the responsibility of respecting the privacy of their fellow participants and
should, therefore, be requested not to repeat what they hear during the focus group outside of the session.

4. Questioning

The facilitator should prepare a list of questions prior to the focus group. The questions should be open-ended
and start general to encourage participant involvement and then move towards more specific questioning.
Here are some examples of the types of questions that are effective in focus groups:

Engagement Questions

These questions elicit factual responses and are non-threatening. Such questions also can be good ice-breakers
to get participants talking. For example:

Has anyone participated in a focus group before? How was the experience for you? What
worked well or not so well?

Exploration Questions

These questions provide an opportunity to get more specific, introduce dedicated questions, and explore
answers more thoroughly. For example:

As highlighted in the Psychosocial Risk Assessment Report for your workgroup, “role overload”
was found to be quite high. Can you tell me about your experiences with role overload? How
can you tell if members in your team are feeling under time pressure? What do you think are
the reasons for this finding? What are some of the things this organisation can do to address
role overload?

It also is a good idea for the facilitator to ensure that the Glossary of Terms for the People at Work Project is
available during the focus group (found in the report), so that participants can be reminded about the meaning
for each high job demand and low job resource.

Exit Questions

These questions help to ensure the facilitator has not missed important issues and that all participants have
had their say. For example:

Does anybody have anything else to add?

Have I missed any key issues you would like to discuss?

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 Focus Group Guide

Questions to Avoid

Leading Questions: These give direction and the desired answer. For example:

So, do you agree that…?

How bad was it that…?
Management did…, didn’t they?
Would you say that…?

Value-Laden Questions: Emotionally charged words should be avoided. For example:

Should staff be forced to…?

Should managers demand…?

Some examples of emotionally charged words include blame, claim, demand, fair, ignore, force, coerce, insist,
unreasonable, unhelpful, and purport.

Double-Barrelled Questions: have you ever… and what was it like? Separate the question into two parts.

IMPORTANT!

It is recommended that there is a scribe present so the information and rich content are recorded in writing
and the facilitator can focus on the questioning and group dynamics. However, it also is recommended that, as
soon as possible after the focus group, the facilitator takes the time to reflect by creating his or her own set of
written notes.

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 Focus Group Guide

5. Role of the Facilitator

The facilitator should be a member external to the team (e.g., a representative from the HR Department, a
manager or senior employee from another team, or an external consultant). It is not always necessary to invite
consultants or external parties to conduct these sessions as long as the chosen person can remain objective
and refrain from influencing the discussion or outcomes.

The facilitator needs to have good observation and listening skills and has a very important role in regards to:

• setting ground rules for group behaviour

• managing the time available
• ensuring all questions are covered
• attending to group dynamics
• ensuring each participant has the opportunity to speak
• keeping the discussion on topic
• reassuring participants that their confidentiality will be maintained
• providing appropriate feedback to management

Remember focus groups can be a very powerful tool to obtain information about psychosocial hazards in
the workplace and their drivers, as well as ideas for improvements and action planning. The above tips
and suggestions will help to ensure that your focus groups are effective and worthwhile.

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 Focus Group Guide

Data Analysis
The section below outlines a simple, yet very effective method, for making sense of the data collected during
focus groups.

It is critical that the scribe transcribes the data electronically as soon as possible after each focus group to
ensure information is not forgotten. The facilitator should then record his or her notes into the database too,
and both should meet to ensure they agree on the content. The entire focus group conversation does not need
to be recorded verbatim; however, it is useful to ensure some 'quotes' are collected.

Step 1 - Organising the Data

1. Create an Excel spreadsheet.

2. To ensure participant confidentiality, allocate each participant a number (e.g., Bob Smith = P1;
Sally Jones = P2; John Wilson = P3, and so on). Remember, it is very important that the names of
participants are not recorded in this document.
3. Label four columns as (1) Participant Code, (2) Participant Comments, (3) Category, and
(4) Sub-Category.
4. Insert each pre-prepared focus group question (and any other topics that emerged) in separate rows.
5. Underneath each focus group question, type the comments received (or quotes) into a separate line
in the order in which they were said, labelling each one with the relevant Participant Code.

Step 2 - Analysing the Data

1. Read through the entire Excel spreadsheet to get a feel for the issues. Then, focus on each focus
group question in turn. Be on the lookout for common categories, themes, and patterns, as well as
unexpected comments or surprises.
2. Decide on the common themes in the data and assign them a category name (e.g., Team Work).
These are broad categories and a good place to start.
3. Make a list of these categories at the top of the Excel spreadsheet and allocate them a code
(e.g., Tw = Team Work).
4. Taking each comment in turn, assign it a category code.
5. As you label with these categories, you may start to find the categories are broad and could be broken
down into further themes (e.g., the issue of team meetings could be a sub-category of the broader
theme of Team Work).
6. As these sub-categories emerge, also add these to the top of the Excel spreadsheet, assigning them a
code as you go along (e.g., Team Work, Team Meetings = TwM).
7. Excel allows you to sort using your categories or sub-categories to identity the most/least common
issues (in terms of frequency), common expressions among themes, and any patterns for each
participant.

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 Focus Group Guide

An Example Focus Group Analysis Excel Spreadsheet

Focus Group Name: ICT Delivery

Date: 01/03/2013
Location: Conference Room 1

Categories Code Sub-Categories Code

Team Work TW Too many team meetings TW – m
Team Work TW Colleagues not pulling their weight TW – c
Multiple Tasks MT Tasks too varied MT – v
Multiple Tasks MT Too much to do with impossible deadlines MT – d
Staffing Levels SL Nil
Communication CM Conflicting direction from management CM – m
Communication CM Lack of consultation CM – c
Communication CM Information overload CM – o
Communication CM More efficient communication channels Cm – e
Culture CU Nil

Participant
Comment Category Sub-Category
Code

Question 1 - As highlighted in the Psychosocial Risk Assessment Report for your workgroup, “role overload” was found
to be quite high. Can you tell me about your experiences with role overload? What are the reasons for this finding?

P3 I find it hard to focus on my work, as I always seem to be in team meetings TW TW – m

and most of the time I struggle to understand their purpose.
P1 From my point of view, I think it is because we are required to juggle MT MT – v
project and operational work, so we have too much to do.
P2 Agree with P1, I am constantly being placed on new projects but I still have MT MT – v
operational KPIs.
P6 It really comes down to the fact that we do not have enough people to do SL
the job.
P4 The biggest time waster for me is when I receive mixed messages from CM CM – m
managers as to where they want me to focus my priorities.

Question 2 - What are some of the things this organisation can do to address role overload?

P6 Temporary increases in staffing levels at peak times would be helpful. SL

P3 Better electronic knowledge sharing systems so we can reduce need for CM CM – e
face-to-face meetings.
P2 Ensure performance management and reward systems take into account MT MT – v
all of our duties and not just some of them.
P4 Managers need to be on the same page in terms of strategic direction. CM CM – m

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 Focus Group Guide

Report Presentation
For the team, it is as simple as confirming the categorisation of the data through the provision of a summary
of the Excel spreadsheet data. This report should be presented at a team meeting focused on targets and
action planning for psychosocial risk management based on the survey and focus group results.

For management, the best approach is to summarise the categories and provide powerful comments as
justification of the categories. Adding quotes also helps to give life and meaning to the report. However,
ensure these comments cannot be traced back to an individual. If several focus groups are conducted across
departments or workgroups, it can be worthwhile to compare the results across different focus groups to
identify patterns.

Remember surveys and focus groups lose their credibility and meaning if participants
a) do not see the results of their efforts
b) do not see any action from the results

An action plan is a useful way of bringing all the information together from the People at Work Survey
and subsequent focus group sessions in an effort to guide future actions. It is a collaborative process that
describes the steps that managers and workers will complete in order to help maximise the success of
proposed intervention. It includes the identification of specific actions that will be undertaken as well as
the timeframes for these actions, and the monitoring and review processes that will be used to evaluate
the effectiveness of the actions.

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