Day 127 - 23 May 95 - Page 73
1 Then at 2.31 there is what might be construed as a
2 criticism, Mrs. Barnes: "Company decisions affecting
3 safety were generally communicated by internal memo to
4 restaurant managers. Memos tended to be kept together for
5 a week or so and then filed after the restaurant management
6 meeting. Communication appeared more effective where these
7 were kept accessible for all managers who then had to sign
8 that they had read them, and where this was backed up by
9 further discussion of important items at the weekly
10 restaurant management team meeting. There was further
11 reinforcement by Area Supervisors in their regular meetings
12 with Restaurant Managers and their management team".
13
14 Have you done anything about that tendency to keep the
15 memos together instead of, as it were, taking immediate
16 action on them?
17 A. Yes. We tried for a while printing the memos on a
18 different coloured paper to point out that they were
19 something different, but the feed back from Operations was
20 that they did not particularly like that; in fact, they
21 find it quite amusing. So, what we do now is put a safety
22 logo on the memos, and they are required to keep them in
23 their health and safety file so that they are all close
24 together and easy to find and refer to.
25
26 Q. And less easier for them to construct those dusty piles of
27 documents that most of us keep in our houses ?
28 A. Yes.
29
30 Q. Then 2.33: "Good use was being made of the Company's
31 in-house publications, with regular articles on health and
32 safety featuring in the issues of 'High Levels' (aimed at
33 managers) and 'McNews' (aimed at crew). With the current
34 topicality of, for example health issues, ergonomics,
35 manual handling etc., there is also room for a regular spot
36 on health and safety in 'EFT'" -- what does that stand for?
37 A. East Finchley Times.
38
39 Q. Does East Finchley Times get a health and safety spot now?
40 A. It did until it was disbanded.
41
42 Q. It is no longer published?
43 A. No, no longer.
44
45 Q. Are those health and safety features still appearing in
46 high levels in McNews?
47 A. They are, yes.
48
49 Q. Then, Mrs. Barnes, 8.27, "Face to Face Communication: Face
50 to face communication between managers and crew is very
51 important in the restaurants". I am not going to read the
52 rest of it. What I want to ask you is this: Of those
53 forms of communication, visible communication, written
54 communication and face to face communication, do you think
55 that any one is more important than the other?
56 A. Well, they all have a role to play. I think
57 particularly with something like safety you certainly need
58 written communication so you can make sure you have the
59 specifics there, but there is no doubt that leading by
60 example has a big role as well, and certainly face to face
