Access Rule Under Pressure
An internal memo from a directorate states: 'Staff who completed the online data-protection module by 31 March may access the shared case file. Completion after that date will be considered individually.' Unit A has 48 staff. Records show 30 completed by 31 March; 12 of those 30 also attended an April workshop. The unit head tells a meeting: 'Most of Unit A can access the file, and workshop attendance is not required.' A staff member who completed on 2 April says: 'Because I missed the deadline, I am barred from access.' The memo is the only policy text available.
1. Using only the memo and the records, assess the unit head's two claims.
Read the worked answer
Claim 1 - most can access: 30 of 48 completed by 31 March, i.e. 62.5%, which is more than half. The memo makes completion by that date the stated condition for access, so the first claim is supported.
Claim 2 - workshop not required: The memo mentions only the online module and the date. It does not make access conditional on the April workshop, so the second claim is supported.
Caveat: The memo says 'may access', which is permission rather than an absolute entitlement. It also does not state what happens to late completers beyond individual consideration.
2. Is the staff member's conclusion that she is barred from access justified? Explain the inference error, if any.
Read the worked answer
No. The memo says late completion 'will be considered individually'; it does not say late completion bars access. The staff member has confused not automatically permitted with prohibited. The correct statement is: 'I am not covered by the automatic route; my access depends on an individual decision.' To decide her case, you would need the individual-consideration criteria, the decision-maker and the time limit for that decision.
3. Propose a revised wording that reduces ambiguity without changing the policy's substance.
Read the worked answer
A clearer version would be: 'Staff who completed the online data-protection module by 31 March will be granted access to the shared case file. Completion after 31 March does not automatically bar access; the file owner will decide within five working days, applying the individual-consideration criteria.'
This keeps the original rule but identifies the condition, the decision-maker, the default position and the time frame. It also avoids the ambiguous 'may'.