Communications in a Workplace
The work carried out by scientists and technicians relies heavily on the structure of the team they work in, and the way each team member acts. In most work places there is a hierarchy.
This means the most senior person will have various levels of personnel reporting to them.

How this is organised depends on:
• How large the team is
• The particular routines that are carried out in the workplace
• Whether the team is spread over a large area or different sites
• If the team is split into smaller groups carrying out a particular job or at particular times of the day or night.

No matter how people are organised, the way they communicate within their team or outside of it is crucial to the safe and smooth running of the organisation.

Hierarchy System
Within almost every organization there is a hierarchy among the employees based on position, title, role, and function. In some sense, hierarchical distinctions create a class system in the workplace. Senior Technician(s)
Senior Technician(s)
Laboratory assistant
Laboratory assistant
Team Leader(s)
Team Leader(s)
Manager
Manager

Reporting of Results
Results generated in a workplace will be specific to that workplace. They may be results of research performed by colleagues or results generated for the use of outside agencies. Whatever the results are they must only be communicated to those who need to know them. Internal day-to-day results will probably be reported via the laboratory notebooks, printouts from the laboratory equipment and at team meetings. These results may be gathered together to produce a report on completion of the research. Unless there are reasons for

urgent results to be communicated directly to another person, results will normally go through an office procedure where they are written up and copied to the recipient, for example a GP. In some cases results, such as scans, can be viewed via a computer screen along with test results.

Security
Keeping information secure means being sure only certain people can access it. This is important as industrial espionage can cost a company large sums of money. For example, a pharmaceutical company could lose money if a competitor reaches drug production first.
Individuals also want their personal records (e.g. medical records) kept private. A patient can be badly affected if their personal clinical information is lost or reaches the wrong person. The Data Protection Act is in place to prevent personal information falling into the wrong hands.