2. Field-based recruiting for groups and depths

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Contents:

  • General Principals of the Scheme
  • Head Office Administration
  • Supervisors
  • Project Management and Administration
  • Recruitment and Training
  • Appraisals
  • Validation

    • General Principles of the Scheme

    The minimum standards apply to all types of work a company undertakes.

    Companies must be working to these standards for at least 3 months prior to assessment or inspection.

    From the time the standards are adopted all recruitment, training, validation, appraisals and project management must be in accordance with these minimum standards. Standards do not need to be applied retrospectively.

    The onus is on the company to ensure that all individuals are adequately and appropriately trained for all the tasks they are asked to conduct.

    It is incumbent upon the company to ensure that standards are constantly maintained, irrespective of any changes in personnel.

    Head Office Administration

    If a company wishes to sub-contract any UK fieldwork, wherever possible this must be purchased from suppliers complying with these standards. Any non-compliance with this requirement must be documented. (See section 4.1)

    The Minimum Standards list the information that must be held about each recruiter.(See sections 4.2.1 - 4.2.3)

    Relevant sections of the current Market Research Society Code of Conduct must be issued to all recruiters. (See section 4.4)

    Recruiters must be aware of the MRS Freefone facility. (See section 4.5)

    A 'thank you' or 'reassurance' leaflet or letter must be given or sent to all respondents. This can be incorporated in an invitation to take part or attend. (See section 4.6)

    Recruiters must be issued with identity cards. The Minimum Standards outline the company's responsibilities in this area. (See section 4.7)

    Recruiters must be issued with an instruction manual, covering the types of work they are to conduct.(See section 4.8)

    Supervisors

    Prior to a supervisor being appointed, they must be interviewed by a member of the company's staff (unless they are already known to appropriate personnel within the company).(See section 4.9.1)

    Supervisors must be adequately and appropriately trained/experienced for all the tasks they will undertake. (See section 4.9.2)

    Supervisors must be issued with an instruction manual, covering the types of work and tasks they are to undertake. (See section 4.8)

    Supervisors must be appraised at least once in each calendar year. (See section 4.9.3)

    The Minimum Standards list the information that must be held about each supervisor. (See section 4.9.4)

    [*For recruitment conducted in telephone centres, please see Interviewing/Recruiting From a Telephone Centre]

    Project Management & Administration

    Recruiters and their supervisors must be appropriately and adequately briefed on every project on which they work.(See section 4.10)

    Recruiters must sign or type a declaration to say that the work that they are undertaking has/will be undertaken within the MRS Code of Conduct. Various options for implementing this are outlined. (See section 4.11)

    The Minimum Standards list the information and documentation that must be held and available on each project.(See section 4.13.1)

    Recruiters must have a full and clear briefing, and appropriate recruitment documentation. The Minimum Standards outline the minimum requirements.(See sections 4.13.2 and 4.13.3)

    Written invitations/confirmation must be given or sent to all respondents who are recruited for groups or depths.(See section 4.13.4)

    To ensure premises are suitable for qualitative work, venues must be inspected before they are used for the first time (unless the suitability of the venue is not in question, e.g. a hotel or a viewing lab). This must be done by someone appropriately briefed for the task.(See section 4.13.5)

    Group moderators must be asked to give feedback on each group or project, and the information received must be recorded. (See section 4.13.6)

    Recruitment & Training

    The fundamental principle is to ensure that recruiters are adequately and appropriately trained, and that this is fully documented. The Minimum Standards outline the minimum requirements in this area.

    Before a recruiter is appointed, they must be interviewed by a member of the company's staff (unless they are already known to appropriate personnel within the company). (See section 4.16.1)

    When appointing recruiters whose first language is not English, the company must ensure their English vocabulary is sufficient for the training and briefing they are to be given (if English is the language to be used). (See section 4.16.2)

    The Minimum Standards outline the minimum content of recruiter training. This varies according to the individual's previous experience. (See section 4.17.1)

    For an individual to qualify for anything less than full training (because of their previous experience), this must be confirmed with one of the companies with whom they gained that experience. (See section 4.17.1)

    There is no minimum training duration specified for individuals taken on purely to conduct group or depth recruitment. The time spent must be adequate to cover the relevant training content. (See section 4.17.4)

    In addition to the training outlined above, recruiters must be accompanied as close to the start of their first assignment as possible, to ensure they are adequately trained and competent to continue alone, or their work must be validated before their first group is held.(See section 4.17.5)

    If recruiters are to be used subsequently on a type of work for which they are not yet adequately trained and experienced, further training must be given.(See section 4.17.6)

    Recruiters must sign to confirm the date/s they were trained and the length of training they received.(See section 4.17.7)

    If a company sub-contracts training to an external training supplier, it is the company's responsibility to ensure that the supplier is appropriately and adequately skilled. The recruiter training being given and documents used must be kept on file.(See section 4.17.8)

    If a company chooses to share its training with another company, the Minimum Standards outline a number of requirements.(See section 4.17.2)

    Appraisals

    Recruiters' performance must be monitored and discussed through regular appraisals. (See section 4.18.1)

    Appraisals must be carried out by individuals who are adequately trained and experienced to fulfil this role.(See section 4.18.1)

    Appraisal reports must be produced and these must be signed and dated by both the person conducting the appraisal and the person being appraised. (See section 4.18.1)

    The Minimum Standards outline the minimum information/feedback that must be included in the appraisal. (See sections 4.18.5 & 4.18.6)

    Individuals who only undertake group and/or depth recruitment (and who therefore do not interview):

    (See section 4.18.6)

    If recruiters are also working as interviewers, they must be appraised in accordance with the requirements for field-based interviewers. (See sections 4.18.2 - 4.18.5)

    Validation

    All validation must be undertaken by people adequately and appropriately trained and experienced to undertake this role. (See section 4.19.1)

    Each recruiter's work must be validated on a regular basis. The company must have a systematic and representative method for selecting and rotating which individual's work is validated when. (See section 4.19.1)

    Validation must start within two weeks of the end of fieldwork. (See section 4.19.1)

    Validation must be completed within six weeks of the date depth interviews were conducted and within eight weeks in the case of group discussions.(See section 4.19.1 & 4.19.7)

    Companies must document the number of validation checks attempted and achieved, and keep a summary by results by recruiter.(See section 4.19.1)

    If serious problems or discrepancies are found during validation, the company must aim to validate all of that individual's work before their work is used. Significant problems or discrepancies must be reported back to the recruiter and their supervisor.(See section 4.19.3)

    Validation must be conducted in one of the following ways:

    (See sections 4.19.6 & 4.19.7)

    A minimum of 10% of respondents recruited for depth interviews must be validated on each project.(See section 4.19.6)

    In the case of Group Recruitment, companies must select one of three validation methods at the start of the each calendar year:

    • validating a minimum a two respondents from each group
    • validating all respondents on one in five groups conducted
    • validating a minimum of 10% of respondents on each project
    (See section 4.19.7)

    The Minimum Standards list a number of issues the validation must seek to verify as a minimum, as and when appropriate. (See sections 4.19.6 & 4.19.7)

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