The problem with experience A multifactorial model of

The problem with experience: A multifactorial model of experience and the consequences for employee safety Christopher D. B. Burt & Racheal Shackleton University of Canterbury

Must have experience! • Very common to hear from grad students that they can not apply for jobs because the advertisement lists an experience requirement. • What are the assumptions behind an experience requirement? • How is experience measured? • How should experience be measured?

Safety: What are the assumptions?

Equipment similarity?

Environment similarity?

Road similarity?

Load similarity?

Load similarity?

Load similarity?

Experience Required: What is asked? SEEK: Plant and machine operator, N=40 92. 5% of advertisements mentioned experience Experience Request Category Percentage of Narrative Example Advertisements Experience Needed 16 “You must have experience. ” Length of Experience 33 “More than three years experience …” Type of Experience 51 “… looking for an experienced plaster board fixer who has a commercial fit out background. ”

Past experience and safety: What does the research say? Study Job N= Experience Measure Safety Measure Finding Leigh (1986) Sample 4962 Total years of work experience Job-related Injury No relationship Tenny (1998) Pilot 188 Total hours of flying Severity of accident No relationship Van der Flier & Schoonman (1988) Train driver 715 Total years worked Unsafe behaviour: signal abuse No relationship Li, Baker, Grabowski, Qiang, Mc. Carthy & Rebok (2002) Pilot 3306 Total flight time Crash risk Found critical point (5000 hours) over which risk reduced

Study Sample Possible Source Experience Measure N= Mean SD CV or AB Cumulative job tenure (years) 58 20. 67 years 11. 78 CV or AB Total number of jobs held 57 7. 12 4. 91 CV or AB Total number of organizations worked for 58 5. 87 2. 85 Interview Question Number of organization performed the target job in 56 2. 78 2. 27 Interview Question Number of work groups performed the target job with 55 5. 45 11. 06 Interview Question Number of different work environments performed the target job in 52 4. 98 13. 80

Experience measures: Relationships with similarity (past-present) Similarity of present work environment to previous work environments: 10 point scale Similarity of present work tasks to tasks performed in the past: 10 point scale Cumulative job tenure . 08 . 14 Total Number of jobs held . 09 . 14 Total Number of Organizations worked for . 03 . 00 . 38** . 44* Number of work groups performed target job with . 22 . 27* Number of different work environments performed target job in -. 19 . 13 Experience Measure Number of organization performed target job in

ANOVA comparison between participants reporting an accident (minor injury requiring medical treatment or lost time injury) in their current job (n= 29) and those reporting no accident (n= 29). Accident Group Mean N= 29 Safe Group Mean N=29 F-ratio Sig. Cumulative job tenure 247. 0 253. 0 . 026 ns Total number of jobs held 6. 34 7. 92 1. 493 ns Total number of organizations worked for 5. 79 5. 96 . 052 ns Environment similarity 5. 10 6. 82 4. 258 . 05* Task similarity 5. 2 7. 0 5. 097 . 05* Measure

Prediction from experience measures Source Experience Measure Predictive CV or AB Cumulative job tenure Very limited CV or AB Total number of jobs held Very limited CV or AB Total number of organizations worked for Very limited Interview/AB Number of organization performed target job in … of similarity Interview/AB Number of work groups performed target job with … of similarity Interview/AB Number of different work environments performed target job in Predictive ?

Conclusions • 1. Past tenure (time), number of jobs, number of organizations worked for are not good predictors of experience or its safety consequences • 2. If similarity of the past and present is the desirable aspect of experience, measure it as directly as possible