How to… conduct observations
Who is this guide for?
This guide is for anyone who works or volunteers for a local group affiliated to
Mencap who needs to observe another person while they are working. Observing
someone means watching them and paying attention to the way things are being
done.
What are the key points of this how to guide?
Observing someone’s work is a useful tool for managers to use to find out
how well their staff are doing their jobs.
Observing someone while they are at work should be a positive experience
used to help and improve that person’s work.
It is important to give good feedback to the person you have watched.
You should also use what you have found out about that person at work to
develop an observed action plan for their personal development.
In some cases, managers need to observe team members doing their jobs, for
example to make sure service standards are being met.
What is observed in these sessions will normally only be known by the manager,
the team member and the manager’s manager. However, more people may need to
be involved if:
there is an issue with the quality of a team member’s work
the standard of their work is a risk to people who use the service
there is a need for disciplinary action - if this is the case, managers need to
refer to their relevant procedures.
There are three stages to observing someone at work:
1. Preparation
2. The observation
3. Feedback
Preparing to observe someone at work
Managers should hold a briefing session with the staff member. This is a meeting to
explain what is going to happen, to agree how it will work, find out possible areas to
concentrate on and work out practical issues.
How you will record what you find when you observe someone at work can also be
discussed at this time. You could choose to record this in the form of a checklist
with space for comments, a questionnaire that you prepare beforehand, or simply a
written record of what happened during the session written as it happens.
Things to discuss and agree:
Why and what you are observing? What do you hope to gain from it?
What is expected of the staff member? (This is the observation agenda.)
What will you do with the information? Who else will see it?
Where and when will the observation take place?
Will other parties need to be involved?
Where, when and how will feedback take place?
The observation
The person who is observing needs to approach the session with a focused
agenda but with an open mind.
The person needs to stick to the observation agenda agreed in the
briefing session.
Try to avoid the observation getting in the way of the work being carried out.
Notice and record any unexpected issues that occur during the session.
Providing feedback
Details will be easier to remember if the feedback session is held immediately after
the observed session.
It is best to let the observed person speak first on how they felt the session went.
The person observing can help their team member to think about their performance
by guiding them through the following stages.
Description
Feelings
Evaluation
Analysis
Conclusion
What happened?
How did you feel?
What were your reactions?
What was effective?
What was less effective?
What might this mean or imply?
Why do you think this happened?
What was really going on?
What sense can you make of the situation?
What else might you have done?
How might you tackle it next time?
Then you can work through the observation notes together.
Remember:
Stick to the agreed observation agenda.
Give feedback, not personal opinions.
Report only factual information. Don't give advice, instead give the person
observed a chance to draw their own conclusions about the session.
Discuss and agree development areas that will make a positive difference.
Agree and sign the records you have made.
Feedback is the most important part of an observation and the following points
should be considered:
It helps people to develop and teams to change for the better.
You should be aware of different staff member's styles and approaches, but
the way they do their work must meet standards and follow your local
group’s policies and procedures.
The feedback you give should be specific and focused on the agreed
observation agenda.
See the How to... guide on discussing feedback for more information.
Checklist

Prepare for the observation.
Agree the agenda, aims and the way it will be carried out.
Avoid disrupting the work in hand.
Make careful notes throughout – keep it factual.
Provide feedback as soon as possible afterwards.
Agree any follow up action.
Please note:
These ‘How To’ guides are being provided to groups for information purposes only,
and are not intended as a substitute for you obtaining your own legal or other
professional advice in relation to the matters contained in the guides. Mencap
accepts no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage suffered by you arising
from any reliance on the information contained in these guides.
All copyright in these guides belongs to Mencap, and whilst Mencap permits you to
copy and reproduce the guides solely for personal and internal use by your group,
you must not permit the guides to be used for any commercial gain or by any other
third party without Mencap’s prior written consent.