I’m taking a career break, the prospect of a lower-pressure, local job a welcome one. As a volunteer for the local Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust, when I saw a role helping in their café at The Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham on a part-time basis, I thought I’d hit the jackpot. However, it turns out that 25+ years of work experience are not sufficient for me to be entrusted with the making of coffee.

The Trust uses a platform called Applied to manage job applications, which proudly announces on its website that ‘At Applied, we’re on a mission to reshape the future, one hire at a time. We empower organisations to eliminate unconscious bias from their hiring process, creating a level playing field for candidates. Say goodbye to traditional credentials and hello to a world that values your skills.’

OK…

The application began with a plethora of questions on my background, my parents’ background, my ethnicity, sexual preferences, food intolerances, number of bedrooms, Barbie or Sindy, pineapple or pepperoni etc. Then I had to answer some questions and would be scored on the results based on whether I’d shown enough evidence I had the necessary skills required to make and serve coffee. Possibly reheat a sausage roll (although that may have been above the pay grade). The scores ranged as follows:

1. Poor = No Evidence
2. Fair = Limited Evidence
3. Good = Relevant Evidence
4. Very Good = Strong Evidence
5. Excellent = Perfect Answer

For the Cafe Assistant role there were four questions. I won’t share them all with you, but for the change comms professionals amongst us I thought you might be interested in Question Three which was:

The coffee machine was serviced whilst you were on shift. There are small changes to how the coffee is now made. How would you communicate this to your other team members?

I thought long and hard about the appropriate response to this and came up with the following:

Should a communication plan around changes to the process around making coffee be required, I would adopt the following approach.

Initially I would advise developing core narrative supported by an aligned messaging hierarchy to ensure key audiences were briefed in a timely and appropriate manner with regards the change in how coffee is now made. A RACI and stakeholder engagement mapping exercise should be a priority, to support face-to-face conversations with relevant leaders responsible for driving the change and ensuring staff are fully briefed on how to use the coffee machine going forward.

A line-by-line project plan, developed through close cross-functional collaboration would also be key; ensuring materials such as FAQs, supporting documentation, line manager briefing guides and leaders’ communication packs, were comprehensive and relevant. In terms of ongoing engagement around the change to coffee preparation, a regular drumbeat of content should be disseminated regularly across the café’s core platforms, for example whiteboards and posters. All Hands meetings are advisable, providing an opportunity for live two-way discusion and Q&A with employees and leaders during the roll-out of the new process.

Finally, I would initiate a robust feedback loop, either online or through a series of focus groups, to understand how messages have landed and the level to which employees have felt supported around their ability to make coffee effectively. This would form a critical element of the overarching approach and enable a culture of continuous learning and improvement around the evolution of caffeinated beverages and their preparation.

I then withdrew my application.