Prior Work - Facilitator Question Cards
Print alongside your survey findings summary. Adapt questions to your context - these are starting points, not a script.
- 1.When does work feel unmanageable? What's usually happening at those times?
- 2.Are there things you're asked to do that conflict with each other or with how you think the work should be done?
- 3.Is it clear what success looks like in your role? If not, what's missing?
- 1.To what extent do you feel you can make decisions about how you do your work?
- 2.Are there aspects of your job where you feel you have little say? What are they?
- 3.When you raise concerns or suggestions about how things are done, what happens?
- 1.When you're under pressure or struggling with something, where do you go for help?
- 2.How does your manager respond when you raise a problem? What would 'good support' look like?
- 3.How would you describe the level of support within your immediate team?
- 1.Do you feel that good work is noticed and acknowledged here? Can you give an example?
- 2.When decisions are made that affect your team, do you feel they're made fairly? What makes the difference?
- 3.Are there situations where people feel the rules are applied differently to different people?
priorwork.au · Generated 27 September 2026
Discuss the findings with workers
Use worker discussions to understand the conditions behind priority findings and identify practical changes. Focus groups are one option; choose a format that lets people speak safely.
Prepare a useful discussion
- Choose the findings you need to understand. Bring a short, accessible summary; an AI report is optional.
- Plan a safe discussion and choose a suitable facilitator. Explain confidentiality and how concerns needing individual follow-up will be handled.
- Record contributing conditions and suggested changes without identifying participants. Tell workers how and when you will respond.
From a finding to a practical change
Illustrative conversation. Check what fits your workplace rather than assuming this explanation applies.
- Finding to explore
Workload is high.
Bring the finding to workers and check whose experience it represents.
- Ask when it happens
When does work become unmanageable?
Example response: urgent requests arrive from several managers at once.
- Understand the work
What makes those requests difficult to manage?
Example response: no shared priorities and no one authorised to defer a request.
- Discuss what could change
What would help you manage competing demands?
Example proposal: agree one request queue and a person who can resolve priorities.
Different causes need different actions. Check the proposed change with workers before carrying it into the action plan.
Inquiry questions to explore
Choose a topic and adapt its prompts to your findings. The print version includes all four topics, regardless of this selection.
Role demands (overload, ambiguity, conflict)
- When does work feel unmanageable? What's usually happening at those times?
- Are there things you're asked to do that conflict with each other or with how you think the work should be done?
- Is it clear what success looks like in your role? If not, what's missing?
Internal or external facilitator?
A judgement call based on your circumstances:
Agree how people can raise sensitive matters privately. Do not ask participants to discuss identifiable allegations in the group; arrange appropriate individual follow-up.
Design your focus groups (full guide)
The full design guide covers recruitment, a 90-minute run sheet, analysis and other consultation formats. Adapt it with the person who will run the sessions.