Emendas’ addition to the varieties of human work
The “varieties of human work” theory, published by Steven Shorrock, was influenced by ideas from French ergonomics in the 1950s; le travail prescrit et le travail réalisé (Ombredanne & Faverge, 1955). It is a very helpful framework for anyone seeking to understand how to improve work systems and therefore outcomes: safety, productivity, and other metrics.
Like many, this is a very helpful framework. It can also be extended! Having been around the block a few times, we have added another variety of work: work-as-understood. With my (Emma’s) background in both health and safety and communications, I am very aware of the need for the efficacy of the latter to ensure the former.
Background: the four varieties of human work
To discuss work-as-understood, it’s important to give it some context. Steven Shorrock developed the “varieties of human work” theory, using simple language to map out the way work is structured and perceived by different parties. It includes four basic varieties:
Work-as-imagined: What managers and directors imagine the work to be, a picture formed by their past experience, their knowledge of how the work is prescribed, and their exposure to how the work is disclosed. This can often be oversimplified and uninformed by real risk and challenges.
Work-as-prescribed: The translation of work-as-imagined into rules, laws, regulations, policies, instructions and work design (schedules and plans). Essentially, the directions given by those who imagine the work to those who do it; the official “how we do things”. This can often be either too prescriptive or too vague, missing insight from those who perform the work.
Work-as-disclosed: How various parties talk or write about the work; how it is presented or explained. Picture a supervisor speaking to an assessor about how the work is done, or a staff member speaking to a manager. The disclosure may or may not match up with the work as done, prescribed, or imagined.
Work-as-done: The actual actions taken by workers, the patterns of activity that complete the tasks at hand. Often this must be adapted from the other types of work to meet goals or overcome challenges thrown up in reality but not foreseen in the imagination or prescription of work.
The Emendas addition: work-as-understood
Work as understood is another facet to add to the four outlined above. It’s about acknowledging and bridging the gap between work-as-imagined and work-as-done.
When work is understood;
- Workers understand why things are prescribed and what evidence needs to be provided.
- Managers take into account workers on the front line and real conditions.
It’s important that both parties are on the same page. When front line workers don’t understand the reason for a process or rule, things can unravel. When managers and directors don’t understand the real conditions, restrictions, and challenges of the front line work, things can unravel even faster.
The importance of understanding work
When you’re working with humans, mental as well as physical considerations must come into play when designing work—because those are real-life things that have real effects. This includes mental wellness, recognised behaviour patterns, cognitive loading, decision making authority, and UNDERSTANDING. An endless line of road cones laid to “plan” is even less helpful if traffic is diverted inadvertently through the path of other works that were not foreseen by the plan makers.
The risks
When both parties (those imagining the work and those doing it) cannot find a middle ground of understanding, mistakes can be made because communication is broken. These mistakes, in turn, are often costly or dangerous.
Workers need to know WHY work is prescribed the way it is. Often, the “annoying” details and tasks come down to documenting evidence to reduce liability and meet safety standards. Without this knowledge, they are less likely to follow processes properly.
Managers need to know WHY workers may push back against the work-as-prescribed. Usually, this is because the work-as-imagined does not match up with reality. Without this knowledge, they may end up with significantly lowered productivity and unhappy employees.
Without some degree of control over risk management, workers have nowhere to turn and can be left feeling frustrated. The well-known “hierarchy of controls” covers:
1. Elimination
2. Minimisation
3. Substitution
4. Isolation
5. Engineering control measures
6. Administrative controls
7. Personal protective equipment (PPE)
But a lot of the decision-making involved in implementing these controls is not in the hands of those who most need protection. Workers are often left with choosing the best of a few sub-standard work-around options they have available to them at the time. Rather, it’s down to organisational governance to give permission. And if work is not understood, the decisions they make will likely not reflect the reality experienced on the floor. The answer, it could be argued, is to place more control over risk management with workers. Failing that, we must prioritise a solid grasp on work-as-understood to inform work design.
The benefits
With good work design, the understanding gap between management and worker can be bridged. You can achieve better culture and engagement—and without wanting to beleaguer the point, we’ll say again what we’ve said many times before: engaged and happy employees are good for your bottom line.
Nailing the “work-as-understood” aspect also helps you to create authentic, fit-for-purpose processes, policies, and procedures. The flow-on effect is a better environment for all involved, less friction, and easier compliance with true risk reduction. It’s fewer of the nasty surprises that often come with miscommunication. If we continue to follow the flow, we arrive at increased profits, less downtime, more productivity.
How to ensure work is understood
Do all in your workplace have a good grasp on “work-as-understood”? Here’s how you can get everyone on the same page:
- Consult all interested parties! Unsurprisingly, this is the first step for many business matters. Learn all you can from those involved and all perspectives.
- Where possible, observe. See for yourself what is happening on the floor and how it compares to work as imagined or prescribed.
- When an incident occurs, take the chance to review what’s in place, whether it stems from workers or management, and whether it’s understood how improvements can be made.
- Cut out any jargon that’s hindering understanding. That applies to corporate terms from management and technical terms from those working machines and tools. It’s important that language does not become a barrier.
- Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo and create a culture where people can come forward with questions and concerns.
TL;DR: get everyone on the same page
We took the “varieties of work” theory by Steven Shorrock and expanded it to include another variety: work-as-understood. It’s about acknowledging and bridging the gap between work-as-imagined and work-as-done.
Without a middle ground where both management and workers understand each other’s motives and challenges, communication breaks down and you inadvertently risk mistakes. When work is properly understood by all parties, it’s possible to design it well and ensure it is productive, safe, and fit-for-purpose.
Here’s how:
- Consult all interested parties and learn from all perspectives.
- Observe for yourself to determine the cause of any misunderstanding.
- Carry out regular reviews to check all are on the same page.
- Cut out any jargon that’s hindering understanding, both corporate blather and overly technical terms regarding plant and processes.
- Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo and create a culture where people can come forward with questions and concerns.
Need help?
We came up with the concept of work-as-understood to help you with your work design. With a huge amount of experience in the fields of integrated compliance, safety, and employment, we understand how they weave together and how good communication and understanding can improve things across the board.
If you’d like to ensure your policies and processes are working for everyone at all levels of your organisation, get in touch. With our Scorecard Assessment, we can determine how you are doing and where there are gaps to be filled. From there; our workshops and other advisory services can fill those gaps with knowledge.