Consulting indirectly with employees

Company intranet sites with health and safety information are convenient as they can feature news and request the views of all your staff. Keep the information updated and draw attention to new material so people who do not regularly check it will know what is happening in their workplace. If some staff do not have access to the site, the quality and range of views given may be compromised.

Staff surveys can be useful in consulting your workforce, although a lack of trust can undermine surveys and reduce the return rate. Consider the literacy or language skills of the workers to make sure they can answer questions they understand. You can get an external organisation to run the staff survey so your employees feel they can say what they really think.

Employee suggestion schemes can be useful if they are regularly used and acted upon, but they may not work if employees believe it will not make a difference, or because you and your employees have already developed a good working relationship without the need for a suggestion box.

Notice boards and newsletters can be useful for sharing information, particularly if used with other methods to increase the chance of getting your messages across.

• Consulting directly with employees
• Consulting through representatives
• Consulting employees whose first language is not English