WANO Paris Centre is affiliated with 18 member organisations in Europe, South America and China. Each member is allocated a WANO Interface Officer (WIO), who acts as their representative, sharing information and attending meetings on their behalf. The WIOs have a crucial role in the organisation – they are a key point of contact coordinating the interaction between WANO and its members. So, as WANO’s conduit to its members, it is important that their opinions are valued and any feedback they have is taken into account.
That’s why, in 2017, during the 58th WIOs meeting, a WIO satisfaction survey was undertaken by Paris Centre to determine what WIOs really think about WANO and which steps could be taken to help them undertake their role more effectively.
Questions included:
1) Please rate your general satisfaction with WANO Paris Centre
2) What are the best programmes, products and services WANO provides?
3) What are the weakest programmes products and services?
4) How could WANO support WIOs better?
The results were interesting, and evidence of the importance of seeking, and being open to, feedback.
The average satisfaction rating was high at 4.5 / 5 and the survey revealed that, in general, WIOs felt that the relationship between WIOs and WANO was very good. One respondent said:
“I feel that the support is good – when we need help, we get it.”
The majority also thought that WANO was fulfilling an important role in the nuclear industry and, tellingly, there was an almost universal belief that there would be more events occurring without the existence of WANO.
However, some respondents suggested further cooperation with, and alignment between, the other WANO regional centres would be desirable, explaining that WIO meetings often had limited representation from the other regional centres.
In response to on this feedback, greater alignment between the regional centres has been instigated - WANO Paris Centre has hosted WIOs from Tokyo Centre and Moscow Centre in two previous WIO meetings in Paris, and two WIOs from Paris Centre reciprocated by attending the March 2017 WIO meeting in Tokyo Centre - these interactions will be encouraged and continued in the future. Recently, WIOs have also been participating in Paris Centre working groups, with some recent topics including adjustment of the role of WANO Representative, Peer Review improvement and implementation of Continuous Monitoring.
In WANO Paris Centre, employees like to say “We are here for our members”. It’s a mantra, but it’s also a mission statement, one that chimes with their commitment to availability and support. That’s why they intend to regularly consult WIOs and pursue their feedback, to ensure that these key individuals can feel secure in the knowledge that their views are being taken into account.