Over the years I’ve written a lot about the role of the instructionaldesigner (ID) in negotiating expectations and demands of differentstakeholders. Often these are things like cosmetics (company logo on everyscreen, everyone in photos wearing a purple sweater) or scope (“just add onthis video….”). But the second week of September 2018 brought to mind the veryreal problem of stakeholders with starkly differing ideas about learningand performance needs when training for disasters.
My past job was in state government, which, contrary toimages of pencil pushers at desks, employs myriad people across vastlydifferent endeavors, many of which involve care of other humans. The state runsorganizations such as prisons, hospitals, schools for blind children, carefacilities for developmentally disabled adults, public schools, and universitycampuses with dormitories. Hurricane Florence caused the evacuation or closingof many of these facilities across nearly half the state, some of which willnot reopen in the foreseeable future.
After the storm, a news report told of the remarkable effortsof NC prison staff in relocating 3,000 offenders to safety while keeping thepublic safe, work that involved an array of staff all the way from correctionofficers to safety workers, food service workers, logistics coordinators, andbus drivers.
The first comment on the news story was a sarcastic, “Well, Ihope they made the staff sit down and do the mandatory ‘Adverse Weather Policy’tutorial before they went off saving a bunch of lives.”
These tutorials typically cover issues like requirements forattendance, paid vs. unpaid leave, recording time worked, and any options formaking up missed time. I worked on projects like that several times over thecourse of my ID career. Often the problem was viewed from a very narrowperspective: People in Raleigh understand the once-a-year two-inch snow thatthrows us all into a panic. They don’t give much thought to the flooding we seenear the coast in most hurricanes. They offer sacred stories like “stategovernment buildings never close” (they do if they’re flooded to the roof) or “youwill be notified whether your position is considered ‘essential’” (true, butthis can change when there’s a sudden need for bus drivers to transport 3,000criminal offenders). There were unresolved contradictions: “If the governor hasordered people to stay off the roads, then do not try and venture out; let theroad crews do their work and keep roads clear for emergency vehicles” (unlessyou are considered “essential,” in which case you might be disciplined for not venturing out). One of the “adverseweather” programs I worked on was built around the goal of teaching supervisorsto explain to some employees why they weren’t considered “essential,” as theymight take umbrage at that (even though no one had complained that this was aproblem).
Keeping business operations running smoothly is critical,sure: Prisons can’t just close, and people need to know if they’re expected toreport to work regardless of weather. Correct time reporting is important: itaffects employee pay and other benefits, and mistakes can be hard to untangle.Knowing whether you must report regardless of weather conditions, or faceserious trouble, is important. But other things are important, too. Calls toour departments revealed little concern about time recording but lots ofconcern about what to do if in fact a building closed: What were the lines ofcommunication? Who would tell which employees to report where? Who shouldemployees call if the roof had collapsed and no one would be answering businessphones? How should people communicate if cell towers failed? At the local level,departments do have plans for this: kudos to the NC Department of Public Safetyfor having plans in place to mobilize and transport their charges quickly andefficiently.
There are also the needs of employees to keep in mind. Theyhave lives and families to care about; here, during the storm, they were atwork while watching the seemingly endless news about their own neighborhoodsbeing damaged. Figuring out what would acknowledge their concerns and make iteasier for them to get to—and stay at—work is a win for everyone. For example,here’s something from another government employer, one in my hometown (Figure1):
Figure 1: During Hurricane Florence, this hospital designated an area for staff pets
When we talk about workingwith SMEs and negotiating issues in products we’re developing, theconversation isn’t always just whether material is relevant or even whether it’sinstructionally sound. It’s also a matter of credibility. Find out what worriesmanagers and employees, and realize that employees may have a better view ofrisks and concerns than executive staff. Acknowledge reality. Find out whatdepartments really need to help you reconcile the sacred story from the realstory. Help them figure out where they can bend some rules, as with thehospital photo above. Work with those requesting your help as a designer inthinking about how to designfor times of panic.
When training employees for disasters, while you may be “just”the ID, you can have influence over some decisions regarding course design. Moretime trying to determine the needs of the end users, identifying real-worldpressing problems, and acknowledging the human side of the issues will helppeople stay safe, will support workers in their worst moments, will makelearners more receptive, and will make information more memorable.
