Unit 303: Work in a Business Environment

Zoe Heathcote

Outcome 1: Understand the purpose and benefits of respecting and supporting other people at work

Outcome 7: Be able to respect and support other people at work in an organisation

1.1, 1.2 The purpose of supporting other people at work is that they feel more comfortable in their role resulting in getting more work done and you can build a healthy working relationship with that person. If no one supports anyone else then businesses can’t succeed as you aren’t working as part of a team. Working as a team towards an overall goal improves individuals, the team and the business as one.

1.3 Diversity means that someone is different from the majority; for example, a different religion or nationality to where they live etc. There are many benefits to having a diverse workforce for an organisation. The biggest benefit is the creativity this brings in when making decisions or finding solutions to issues. Different cultures can give you a completely different insight in decision making. Also, with diversity you will get a completely different way of working which can inspire a team’s productivity.

1.4, 7.4 The benefits to working in a diverse workforce is that it gives me confidence to talk to people that are different age, gender, race, religion etc. I can learn things that I previously wouldn’t be able to do if we were all the exact same. The different ideas can impact directly on the way I work and can help me to become more efficient. Working in a diverse workforce means that I need to remember the organisational procedures and legal requirements regarding discrimination legislation in the work place, I need to respect others and their points of view.

1.5, 7.2 It is very important to be aware of any serious issues a person is having as their workload may be affecting them. It is important to be sensitive to what they need. A Line Manager may discuss with them what they would prefer, whether it be compassionate leave, less work or a referral to Occupational Health. If I had a work colleague with issues from outside influences I would offer to listen to them and possibly give a solution to the issues that they possibly hadn’t already thought of. I would need to be supportive and reassuring to the colleague and ask if there was any way I could help them during their work time. I will be respectful towards my colleagues and take their view in to account and be sensitive to any outside situations and influences that may affect them in the business environment.

1.6, 7.1 It is important to respect a person’s abilities, background, values, customs and beliefs. The main reason is that you will build an excellent working relationship with your colleagues which will lead to efficient work. It is important to listen to a person’s point of view as it would be considerate

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as they may have an ability that you are not aware of. It is important to not be disrespectful to people about their background, customs as it could potentially ruin a working relationship which would be inefficient and cause many issues in the work environment. I regularly work with other people to complete tasks and I must always be mindful to respect their backgrounds, abilities, values, customs and beliefs. When working with others I also work to build our relationship so it is important that I do respect their beliefs and customs.

1.7, 7.3 It is possible to learn from others because other people make mistakes. The benefits from learning from mistakes is that it can help build a relationship with the other person as they realise you are willing to not only take responsibility for a mistake but you are willing to learn from your mistakes. You can also be aware of not making the same mistake again or seeing other people make the same mistake. I will use the feedback from my team and during supervisions and PDP’s to improve my own way of working and to give myself a target to work towards.

Another way of learning would be to shadow the person whilst they work. This is really useful for people starting a new role within the business. When I began, I had little minute taking experience therefore when I was asked to minute a safeguarding meeting, my Line Manager came in with me and showed me exactly what I should be writing down during the meeting and then we did the meeting minutes together. This way I was able to have an input and ask questions that my Line Manager could answer because they had been in the meeting with me.

Outcome 2: Understand how to maintain security and confidentiality at work and deal with concerns

2.1 The purpose to maintaining security and confidentiality at work is to protect the customers and the company from external threats. The company can face severe fines and loss of trust for breaching confidentiality therefore take measures to prevent this from happening. Another purpose and benefit is that it builds trust and gives the company a good reputation as the customers are put at ease knowing that their personal information is not going to be shared with 3 rd parties.

2.3 People are trained to understand the Data Protection Act if they work with sensitive information and must have a thorough knowledge of the following main 8 points:

processed fairly and lawfully processed for limited purposes

adequate, relevant and not excessive

accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date

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not kept longer than necessary

processed in line with individuals' rights

kept secure

not transferred to countries abroad without adequate protection

2.2 The training that Cheshire East Council offer is from the National School of Government’s Data Protection Level 0 to Level 4 as well as guides regarding the Data Protection Act and information on what to do if you suspect a breach. All this information is freely available to all employees and you must agree and sign a policy stating that you have read and understood the Data Protection Act when you join Cheshire East. We are also provided with encryption software on emails, USB’s and documents.

In terms of sensitive paperwork, we keep all documentation in locked cabinets with limited access. All files are checked in and checked out when moving between teams.

2.4 If we suspect a breach in confidentiality, the correct procedure would be to highlight the risk immediately with our Data Protection Compliance Officer and evaluate the situation from there. I would also inform my Line Manager and if need be, any security in the area.

Outcome 3: Understand how to assess, manage and monitor risk in the work place

Outcome 9: Be able to assess, manage and monitor risk

3.1 There are many risks in any organisation. Any organisation with offices have to look at the risk of electrical appliances and need to do risk assessments of the desks, lighting and take in to account any other factors. There are other risks such as the fact that it is a building open to the public and therefore any risk assessments must include the general public.

It is important to ensure that the risks identified on the risk assessment are in some way reduced if possible and reasonable to do so. For example, all electrical items must be regularly tested by a qualified electrician and the office must have a qualified first aider in case an electrical incident occurs. If these measures were not taken then the business would probably be liable for any financial claims made against them costing time and money to have the matter resolved.

3.2, 3.3, 9.3 To assess a risk I need to find the potential threat, and think about whether the outcome of the risk is likely or not to happen and how much injury it could cause a person. It is

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important to use a risk assessment when assessing any risk as it gives you a good structure. You can assess the risk using a degree of how serious the risk is, explain the changes you will/have put in place to reduce the risk, and then the overall risk after the changes. I have given examples of 2 risk assessments below; evidence B shows the risk assessment of the office and evidence A is the desk assessment I used when I was organising a meeting in a meeting room. It is important to monitor any risks by putting any accidents in an accident book and also to update the risk assessment as and when it is appropriate.

3.3 There is an outside risk of external influence as well. Working in Social Services, we have had death threats made and potentially dangerous service users coming in to the office. The way we minimised the risk and the chance of this reoccurring is to put in locks on the doors so that you can only get past with a swipe ID card.

Another way of minimising risk is to counteract the risks in the workplace mentioned on the risk assessment. For example, in a workplace with a lot of computers, there will be a lot of wires. In my own office, each computer has 6 wires; it is crucial to keep these away from walk ways by ensuring that the wires are kept neat and tidy under the desk. Another way of minimising risk would be to ensure that all the carpets are kept in a good condition. Torn or worn carpets can cause trips and falls. This can result in workers being off work and claims being made against the company which will cost money. The risk is reduced by hiring cleaners to regularly clean the carpet and report any worn or torn areas.

9.4, 9.5 I have carried out a risk assessment of my work place and I will continue to monitor potential risks. I have agreed the risk assessment with the team manager. I will review the risk assessment every 6 months and be aware of any obvious risks and will take these in to account immediately if necessary.

9.1 One risk that will need addressing which I picked up from the risk assessment is that currently we have a heavy fax at the top of a portable storage cabinet so it will need moving to a lower shelf to prevent it from toppling over. I will bring this to the attention of the Team Manager immediately.

Outcome 4: Understand the purpose of keeping waste to a minimum in a business environment, and the procedures to follow

4.1 It is important to keep the workplace waste to a minimum as it is cost effective and environmentally friendly. In the long run, this will not only save the company money, but it will lower the carbon footprint which is an important focus for the company.

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4.2, 4.3 In my department, the main source of waste is paper therefore we ask people to think about what they are printing before they print it. If possible, print double sided to half the amount of paper used. Not only this but most paper in this service has confidential details on them and must be destroyed professionally so not printing everything out would save on the Confidential Waste bill.

We also minimise waste in the office by ensuring that all computers are turned off when not in use and all screens are turned off overnight. We also email external providers rather than sending a fax or letter which can waste paper and electricity and the letter will cost the price of a stamp as well. Also, letters from Cheshire East Council need to be printed on to colour Letter Headed paper which will incur additional costs therefore it is more efficient and cost-effective to send emails

4.4, 4.5 The benefits of recycling are that it saves the company money as well as boosts awareness of the issues not recycling can cause. It increases the morale of office workers as even the smallest office can make a slight difference on the environment and it is easy to do. In our office, we have separate recycling bins for paper, plastic, cardboard, tins and glass. The company procedure is that we recycle as much as we can within reasonable limits; for example if we use a lot of cardboard, we should recycle it. The purpose of having this procedure is so that as employees we understand that it is important to recycle company-wide.

4.6 By regularly maintaining and looking after equipment such as the photocopier, it means it will breakdown less through neglect. Every time it breaks down we must call out an engineer from the photocopier supplier company which is based miles away so this costs in man hours as well as fuel. When the photocopier is not maintained it will frequently jam or spew ink on to paper in thick stripes. This is both a waste of paper and ink which is extremely expensive proving that regular maintenance of the equipment is cost-effective to the business.

Outcome 5: Understand procedures for disposal of hazardous materials

5.1 We have procedures in place to dispose of hazardous materials and substances safely and professionally to prevent any harm to the environment and to the public.

5.2 We currently would use external companies to remove any hazardous materials such as needles in the yellow boxes which are collected and destroyed. The toner would be removed by the janitor as it is toxic to inhale. If necessary, he would handle the toner cartridges with protective clothing.

Outcome 6: Understand ways of supporting sustainability in an organisation

Outcome 12: Be able to support sustainability in an organisation

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Unit 303: Work in a Business Environment

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6.1 Improving efficiency and minimising waste can affect a business in the long term as they will save unnecessary costs to the business. These costs may seem small at the time but over a 10 year period the cost can be a chunk of budget that would have been better used on something else such as updating equipment or staff training etc.

6.2 I continuously improve myself by using self evaluation, feedback from the team and from supervisions or Personal Development Plans. I like to keep myself up to date on technology to help the team when need be. For new pieces of technology such as new software brought out, I volunteer to go on the training course and then feedback to the team so they don’t have to attend the training too and saving man hours and travel expenses. This is extremely efficient and eco-friendly.

12.2 Rather than train everyone individually, I can set up coaching sessions for about 5 people at a time which would save my time. For example, at the moment if it takes 30 minutes to show one person a piece of technology plus questions, training 5 people at once with questions may only take 50 minutes. I will also send out group emails using a distribution list which will save time in sending everyone an individual email with the same information on it.

6.3 When I order stationary for the team I select the best value for money looking at how cheap I can get it and if there is an eco-friendly version, I will consider this too. I do this by using the Suppliers catalogue which gives me detailed descriptions and costings. When ordering, I will order large amounts at a time or combine orders with other teams saving the company as lots of little orders will cost more. For example, when I need paper for the office I will order 10 boxes (50 reams) of economically friendly basic quality paper which will last 3 months rather than 2 boxes a time which will last 3 weeks. Each time I order paper it will cost me the administration fee of ordering it plus the delivery fee. When ordering 10 boxes rather than 2 boxes saves me over £100.00 in the long term.

12.4 Supporting other people maximises the effectiveness and efficiency within a company as treating people with honesty, respect and consideration builds excellent working relationships. This means that you will work as part of a team all towards the same overall goal instead of unhealthy competitiveness and distrust which would make a company fail.

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Evidence A

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Evidence A cont.

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Evidence A cont.

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Evidence B

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Evidence B cont

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