Final Report From My Psychology Students

Once again I want to say thanks for your help with the career planning project I had assigned the students in my Introduction to Psychology class this past spring.  Your suggestions regarding what employers want to see (and don't want to see) in the interview were right on the money and, in many cases, real eye-openers for the students.  Your comments helped them round out their job search plans and provided a real-world focus to their interview strategies.  Their comments ran along the lines of, "Really?  I hadn't thought of that," and "Boy, I'm glad I found out about this stuff before I hit the job market."  You guys did good.  Thanks again.

The Work Attitude Questionnaire is one of the questionnaires that make up the Performance Profile test, and it is also used as a stand-alone pre-employment test.  I get questions from you from time to time about what the results mean, and I'd like to address those questions in this newsletter.

No One Would Really Admit to That…Or Would He?

I wish I had a nickel for every time a prospective customer has looked at questions on the Work Attitude Questionnaire and said, “No one would admit to doing (or believing) these things!”  One of my favorite examples of what applicants will admit to is the question about how much the individual has taken, in dollar value, from previous employers:  one applicant wrote in “$7,000 +”, (I thought the “+” was a nice touch, an indication that the $7,000 figure was just a humble ballpark estimate and probably a low one at that.)  In the interview, I asked him about the question and his nonchalant response was, “Oh, that was no big deal.  It was just power tools.”  He went on to explain that he was working for a construction company in New York at the time and “everyone” helped himself to the company’s tools, particularly power tools.

How (Why) Does the Work Attitude Questionnaire Work?

There are three reasons:  first of all, everyone has slightly different standards regarding appropriate behavior.  That means, for example, that not everyone has the same attitude toward “borrowing” equipment from the office that you and I have. 

Second is the common human tendency to rationalize our inappropriate behavior.  We each need to maintain a positive self-image.  This means that when we do something that may lie outside the limits of appropriate behavior, we construct a set of arguments to justify what we have done, arguments like, “It’s not just me, everyone does it” and “It was just a minor thing, no big deal. 

Third, the Work Attitude Questionnaire is administered as a questionnaire, and so the applicant is not looking an interviewer in the eye as he or she answers these questions.  That removes the strong desire to “say the right thing,” and it removes the opportunity to pick up on subtle, unintentional cues from the interviewer about what that “right thing to say” is!

Won’t The Applicant Just Tell Us What He Thinks We Want To Hear?

Of course, an applicant’s responses to the Work Attitude Questionnaire are always tempered by his or her natural desire to answer “the right way.”  This is the same “look good” orientation that shades the applicant’s responses to interview questions as well.  After all, the applicant is aware that he is answering questions as part of an application process and that unacceptable answers may contribute to a “no hire” decision.  Therefore, it seems safe to assume that, whenever the applicant admits to a questionable attitude or behavior on the Work Attitude Questionnaire, it probably represents what that person thinks the interviewer will accept as OK.

In addition, there is an Accuracy Rating on the Results Report that gives you an indication of how much effort the applicant has put into “looking good” in the way he answered questions on the Work Attitude Questionnaire.

If An Applicant Doesn’t Completely Disagree With The Idea That It Might Be OK To Take Company Property, Does That Mean That He Will Steal From Our Company?

No, but it would be important to find out why the applicant didn’t totally disagree with such an idea.  What are the circumstances that he feels would justify taking company property?  Has the applicant encountered such circumstances in the past?  If so, what did he do?  The Work Attitude Questionnaire is not intended to predict behavior.  Instead, it probes a person's internal attitudes toward four behavioral areas that represent risk for employers, in order to help the employer understand what attitudes the applicant brings to the job, and in order to make it easier to specifically train new employees about the behavior that is expected of them.

Isn’t It Possible That The Applicant Just Misunderstood The Question?

It is possible, but unlikely.  When the applicant takes the WAQ online, each question is presented one at a time, along with the response choices.  This reduces the possibility that the applicant would be distracted by the visual presence of other questions or that he might “mis-remember” or confuse the response choices.  Nonetheless, the response you are most likely to get when you ask an applicant about a questionable response is rolled eyeballs and, “Oh man, did I put Totally Agree as an answer to that question?  I meant to put Totally Disagree.”  What to do if you get that response?  Read on….

What Should I Do With Admissions That Trouble Me?

Use the Work Attitude Questionnaire Results Report to follow up during an interview by asking open-ended questions about an applicant's responses.  You can do this by paraphrasing the question(s) indicated on the Results Report in a non-judgmental way by saying something like:  "I see that you indicated on one of the questionnaires you completed that you have taken $7,000+ worth of merchandise or equipment from previous employers.  Could you tell me more about that?"  If you are not convinced by the applicant's explanation, probe a bit more, or paraphrase another, similar question.  What you want to hear is an explanation that genuinely reassures you that the applicant’s attitude poses no risk.  Whether you accept the explanation or not, don't express your conclusion to the applicant.  When you know enough, say something like, "I see.  That clarifies things for me.  Thank you."

Any response to the Work Attitude Questionnaire that is answered in a way that raises uncertainty in your mind should be followed up in an interview.  This gives the applicant an opportunity to explain how he or she understood the question, and to explain his or her answer.  It also gives you the opportunity to educate the potential employee about your company's standards and consequences for non-compliance in this area.  For the majority of people who take the Work Attitude Questionnaire, knowing what your company's rules and consequences for non-compliance may be all that is needed to help the individual conform to your standards.

The Importance of Workplace Behavior Pledge

The Work Attitude Questionnaire includes a pledge that new employees can read and sign, called “The Importance of Responsible Workplace Behavior”.  The purpose of the Pledge is to provide an opportunity to the employer to educate each new employee in the company's standards and the consequences of unacceptable behavior.  The new employee gets an opportunity to ask questions and clarify what is expected of him or her, and then sign the pledge document.  This signature is an acknowledgement of receipt, on the new employee's part, of the training provided.  Remember, the more direct training in rules, consequences, and expectations that your employees have, the less they will have to rely on internal attitudes to guide their behavior, attitudes that may not conform to your standards.

Tell Me Again What The Work Attitude Questionnaire Is?

The Work Attitude Questionnaire is one questionnaire that is part of the Performance Profile assessment system, and it is also available to use as a stand-alone pre-employment test.  It is a non-invasive, respectful, and private way to measure an applicant’s attitudes and self-reported behavior in four areas:  employee theft, substance abuse on the job, sexual harassment on the job, and violence proneness on the job.  These are areas where an employee’s inappropriate, or illegal, behavior can put a company at enormous legal, financial, and moral risk of liability. 

Does The Work Attitude Questionnaire Predict Behavior?