All project correspondence clearly stated that participation was voluntary and the right to withdraw was always available to participants. While I hoped to use the names of participants and their organizations in the final research report and thesis, if participants so choose, they were offered use of a pseudonym and all data would be kept strictly confidential. This research project was designed to be a positive experience for participants and their places of employment, and, as such, the sharing of stories and experiences of individuals was to be celebrated. However, only the transcriptionist and I listened to the audio recordings. Participants also had an opportunity to correct or remove any quotations from the transcript of quotations that were used in the final document. There was no financial remuneration for participating in this study.
None of the participants in this project had diminished competence nor diminished decision-making capacity that would constitute them as vulnerable. I felt research participants had some vulnerabilities as they were people in the middle of the job-matching process. The EC is walking with a foot in the world of bureaucracy and employers and a foot in the world of the job seeker in a rural or remote community. The participants’ best interests had to be at the centre of the research goals and objectives. The action part of the research needed to be gentle, as the group and individuals began to identify the risks and benefits to implementing changes in their workplace. The project encouraged each participant to produce an action-learning plan, including identified support measures and realistic goals and objectives.
The audiotapes and transcripts for this research were kept in a secure file cabinet and will be destroyed two years after the completion of the study. The results from these interviews and focus groups, and subsequent analysis and interpretation of the data, were integrated into my Master’s Thesis.
Participants were treated fairly and equitably. Participants created their own group guidelines for sharing, and the groups were facilitated in a way that ensured all participated. Participants also had equal access to the results of the research.
Participants were not subject to harm in anyway from participating in this project. The type of benefits and magnitude of change were unpredictable, but overall provided far more benefit to the participants than any harm.
The risks in this project were considered minimal. One concern was about the discussions building up some excitement about creating change in their work environment, then finding out there are few other supports available to them. To minimize the effects of such limitations, participants were asked if they wished to continue connecting and dialoguing after the project was completed, perhaps via telecommunications.