Research clinic: employee research
 What problems are particular to employee research?
 Employee research has all the problems of conducting research in a small universe. Sample sizes in specialised areas may be very small to the point where employees themselves could be identified. If there is a reasonable risk of an employee being identified, due to the sample size of the population or sub-population being covered, the employee should be informed of this risk at the beginning of the interview and given the opportunity to withdraw.
Where confidentiality has been promised, the researcher must take special precautions. All information provided to the client should be checked to ensure that respondents cannot be identified – this includes the selection of any verbatim comments from depths or groups that they may wish to use in a presentation or report.
Can I report other issues raised by employees in the course of the research?
It is not uncommon for employees to use research projects to raise problems they have in the workplace. Researchers should agree in advance with the client as to how employee complaints about internal company matters are to be handled. As a general rule, researchers should only pass back complaints at a very general level of detail, given that the complaints will have been made anonymously. Anonymous allegations made in the course of a research project should not be the sole grounds for disciplinary action against a named employee. Rather, they should be a starting point for an investigation by the employer, if it is warranted.
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