This questions about the ethnicity of any permanent or freelance staff split by 'specialist staff', 'managers' and 'others'; and they want their ages too.
It then asks us for a whole range of turnover figures which could be picked up from our published accounts if they bothered to read them. But what is this we see ... ah yes, they want those figures presented in a different way.
It might have been good if they had warned us in advance that they might want to know this. We don't collect the ages of freelance staff and such things.
Among a whole range of questions which are irrelevant for a museum -such 'how much of your work is 'touring activity' and 'attendance at film screening days' - is a real gem: 'Please indicate the hours worked by volunteers at your organisation in the last financial year. Round your answer up to the nearest hour.'
It is the last bit we really love. Anyone who has worked with volunteers knows that they do not keep regular hours and, although we do ask them to sign in and sign out, we do not waste our time totaling the hours actually worked 'to the nearest hour'. We know how many shifts they work; will that do?
Looked at another way, rounding up the time to the nearest hour gives an accuracy of about 0.005% or better than one part in 20,000. No, we have not made a mistake. What on earth are they thinking of, asking for that level of accuracy? What are they going to do with the answer? Why have they not asked how many hours our staff work which might at least have provided a useful comparison or ratio.
It is the same mindset that tells us that visitor numbers are 5.14% up. So nice to know that the figure is accurate to one left leg.
It is the same mindset that tells us that visitor numbers are 5.14% up. So nice to know that the figure is accurate to one left leg.
The questionnaire could only have been put together by someone with no concept of basic statistics or mathematics, or who has ever been involved in the real world.
It is that time of year and another questionnaire is waiting in the wings ... oh joy!
