Unit 23 Business Employability Skill Assignment

Introduction

One can describe employability skills as the skills which individuals need to posses for getting and retaining their employment which can either be interpersonal or transferable or progressive such as leadership, team building, self-managment etc. With aggressive market competition, organizations are always in look out of skilled and multi-talented employees for gaining competitive advantage. Hence, in order to gain job security it is essential that employees keep their skills updated.

Qualities like communication, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership etc. are few qualities which employees need to possess for easily adapting and succeeding in any workplace culture. Employability skills are the characteristics enabling individuals in successfully growing in their professional lives. For developing a better understanding about the employability skills, Brown Bayley Steels has been considered as the case study.

Qualities like communication, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership etc. are few qualities which employees need to possess for easily adapting and succeeding in any workplace culture. Employability skills are the characteristics enabling individuals in successfully growing in their professional lives. For developing a better understanding about the employability skills, Brown Bayley Steels has been considered as the case study.

TASK 1

1.1 Develop a set of own responsibilities and performance objectives

Currently I work with Brown Bayley Steels as an Operation Executive and discussed below are the job responsibilities:

As an Operation Executive my key job responsibilities are taking care of everyday activities at the factory. The activities involve overseeing the inbound raw materials logistic supply from the supplier to the vendor. In addition, I am also responsible of supervising the team by allocating their job duties. I need to regularly report the Operation Manager about the work progress and convey information or team’s message, if any. My job responsibilities also cover maintaining the financial activities involving documenting of the daily expenses of the manufacturing site and submitting it every month end to the Operation Manager.

Based on the key responsibilities the performance objectives are usually the outcomes of my work activities. I need to monitor the utilization of the available raw materials so that it can be saved from been misused apart from ensuring right quantities have been delivered by the suppliers according to the orders placed. In addition, I need to carefully handle the team for ensuring that the daily production quota is achieved based on my job responsibility of supervising the team. Moreover, the daily expenses needed to be controlled with an objective of reducing the overall costs based on my job responsibility of overseeing the financial reporting activities.

1.2 Evaluate own effectiveness against defined objectives

Mentioned in the table is the evaluation of my own effectiveness against the defined objectives

1.3 Make recommendations for improvement

Employees are always prone towards getting promotions and are keenly interested in showcasing the preferences related with improvement. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the employees to make successful attempts in giving support to the job, say Operation Executive at every stage by focusing on cost reduction, improved services, cordial working atmosphere etc.

Mentioned below are the recommendations for improvement:

• Documentation of performance: it is important that both I and my superior keep a track of performance growth at different intervals by documenting them which can be evaluated during annual appraisals. With the help of this approach the management can extract the real picture thereby, identifying the specific period where my performance is declining. (Heathfield, 2016)
• Giving feedback: it is important that the Operation Manager gives weekly feedback based on my performances. He/she needs to identify the real reasons behind my ineffectiveness in certain areas and suggest measures that I can implement for achieving the daily objectives.
• Giving chance: the management should give me chance to directly discuss the problems that I face in the production site. This will boost my confidence levels. (Heathfield, 2016)

Other recommendations for improving team’s performances are:

• Teams should be formed after assessing each member’s strengths and weaknesses for integrating the skills gap which eventually will reinforce teamwork culture at work.

• Team members should be instructed evidently about the core objectives like computing the team’s common goals and commending its expectations and diversities. Conflicts should be dealt with productive negotiations.
• Reproduction and group activities exercises should be considered and exhibited for encouraging more participation while working as a team further helping in determining the problem areas and scope of its improvement. (Heathfield, 2016)

1.4 Review how motivational techniques can be used to improve quality of performance

One can relate motivation precisely to employees’ self-confidence, productivity and their performances at work. Organizations adopt intrinsic (non-physical rewards) like feeling of success, praise from superiors, recognition, work freedom etc. and extrinsic (physical ones) like pay, bonus, incentives, promotion, better working conditions, fringe benefits, profit-sharing etc. factors for enhancing employees’ motivation. Hence, motivation has a significant role to play in boosting employees performances. (Maharjan, 2016)

Organizations from the time of revolution and Fredrick Taylor’s theories have exercised uncounted ways for improving employees’ performance and driving their motivational levels and moral. Few companies drive employees’ performance through intense competition whereas there are few who walk an extra mile for ensuring a cordial, team-based working environment. No organization can claim of finding a consistent method for driving employees’ performance. Keeping the employees motivated is a challenging job which requires more than just reviewing annually or noting certain points

Mentioned below are the ways motivational techniques can improve performance quality:

• Clearing the expectations: providing employees with well-defined feasible goals with a set measurable standard for performance evaluation will enable them in improving their individual performances. Vroom’s expectancy theory emphasizes on keeping the employees aware of what is expected from them for yielding desirable performances. (Burkus, 2016)
• Providing feedback regularly: giving on-spot feedbacks will help the employees in understanding the fact that Brown Bayley gets affected by their actions. Edwin’s goal-setting theory asserts that employees feel motivated by set goals and regular feedback on the daily progress made.
• Redress in private: employees feel de-motivated when negative feedbacks are given in public because they feel humiliated. The best place of discussing performance-related issues is behind closed doors. Consider correcting employees’ performance as a learning opportunity for him/her. Deming’s 85/15 rule advocate that most of performance problems are beyond employees’ control
•  Believing in the employees: whether reviewing employee’s performance in private or public, if the manager invariably calls him/her useless in whatever they do, the employee will not be motivated in improving his/her performance. Managers’ trust on employees is the main element of transformational leadership. (Burkus, 2016)
•  Praising in public: the sense of being unappreciated gives rise to complacency and this is why many organizations have introduced ‘Employee of the Month’ motivation programs.  Some research suggests that employees love being praised and crave for public recognition. Brown Bayley should exercise this practice of recognizing hardworking employees for their contributions.
• Making rewards attainable: rewards like annual bonus trip given to the top-performer leaves the left out employees feel that there is no use of working hard because it the same few employees who receive the rewards. The other end of Vroom’s expectancy equation bids that an employee also should see the desired performance and link it with the rewards. Brown Bayley, on the other hand, should introduce few smaller rewards all through the year for keeping the employees motivated. Take for example, an alternative of annual trips can be many three-day breakouts for each quarter. (Burkus, 2016)

 TASK 2

2.1 Develop solutions to work based problems

One can describe work based problems as issues leaving negative impact on Brown Bayley’s profitability and productiveness. The biggest problem the steel manufacturing is facing is that if any employee is charged of poor performance or errors, either they blame others, if involved or avoid the matter from getting highlighted. This attitude of few employees is not only creating problems for others but is emerging as a serious workplace issue affecting the overall productiveness.

Mentioned below are the solutions to work based problems:

• Identifying the problems: the first and most important step involved in developing solutions to work based problems is identifying the issue. It is obvious that every employee will present the problem in their own way; hence it is necessary to differentiate the exact problem from individual interests. For example, if the problem is with any working activity further stopping the employees from knowing what is expected from them that is raising the levels of de-motivation amid them. (BizMove, 2016)
• Noting the interests: it is important to listen calmly to the employees’ which can be done by encouraging their open participations into meetings organized for sorting issues they face. Giving priority to real problems over individual interests should be the key purpose of such meetings.
• Viable solutions: it is equally important of either documenting or recording the solutions that are conceived through brainstorming. Assessment of bona fide issues and individual interests should be done. For example, if employees have grievances that they are been ignored in decision-makings or the problem is with poor incentive scheme then the reason behind the real problem is unstructured process. For resolving the problem, organizations should opt for employee involvement. (BizMove, 2016)
• Assess the choices: assessment of available choices is very important. In the context of Brown Bayley’s, the option of redesigning the working process will be suit all the employees because they can participate into decision-makings and get better incentives further give them more satisfaction. (BizMove, 2016)
• Deciding on the choice: at this stage, the choice that will satisfy interests of both Brown Bayley and the employees will be finalized
• Documenting the arrangement: once the solution to work based problems is finalized, it is necessary to document the same further signed by the team leaders for averting future complications. With this documentation, the execution of the new process will start where employees are subjected in following the guidelines otherwise face the penalties. (BizMove, 2016)

2.2 Communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels

One can consider communication as an integral part of Brown Bayley’s organizational success which encompasses of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The management needs to develop an understanding that it can evolve smooth communication only through its organizational circle. Furthermore, the employees too need to understand that employability skill is relevant to communication. (Johnson, 2016)

Workplace based social communication might be verbal or nor-verbal. Managing communications made within organizations irrespective of its shape and size might travel both horizontally and vertically. Brown Bayley’s employees including the ones in management need to adopt

Verbal communication

• Spoken: face –to- face, telephonic, video
• Written: e-mails

Non- Verbal

• Physical: body language, dress code, gestures
• Pictorial: statistics, logos, maps

Communication at various levels

• Top-Level Management: at this level communication is made both horizontally and vertically. Horizontal is done through verbal communication like meetings, e-mails etc. and vertical through non-verbal ways like statistics, body language, dress code etc. The top-level management at Brown Bayley’s comprises of CEO, CFO, CMO, President and Vice-President. The nature of communication should be formal and pleasant. (Johnson, 2016)
• Mid-Level Management: in horizontal communication made at this level usually depends upon the situations and the structure is semi-flexible. Most of the communications are made through mails and through actions in case of routine based activities. Same is the case with vertical communication. In Brown Bayley middle level management comprises of General Manager, Operation Manager, Plant manager, Regional Manager and Divisional Manager. The nature of vertical communication should be formal whereas for horizontal communication it should be assertive. (Johnson, 2016)
• Lower-Level Management: both horizontal and vertical communication at this level is dependent on non-verbal or informal communication. Employees at lower level management are mainly responsible for handling day-to-day activities where minimum communication is required. Hence, informal communication suits best to this level. In Brown Bayley lower level management comprises of supervisors, section heads and foremen

2.3 Identify effective time-management strategies

For every organization and employees time management is an indispensible factor especially in terms of effective employability skills. One can describe time management as planning and organizing which is a useful employability skill. Moreover, the time management strategies are helpful in determining where an employee needs to focus his/her energy for achieving improved outcomes. With the help of time management, employees can work more efficiently by avoiding being overburdened and stressed out. Time management is a skill that all employees should posses because it will help throughout ones career. Employees can make improvements in their time management skills by taking online helps from professional or searching for personal development tips, getting enrolled into online courses and seminars, discussing it with the manager or HR department for arranging adequate trainings. (Sicinski, 2016)

Discussed below are the effective time management strategies:

• Being flexible with time: it is rare that a day is spend in the way it is planned, there are times when emergencies turn up forcing employees in changing their course and direction. It is necessary that employees are always prepared for facing such situations by setting up buffer system within their schedule thereby, empowering them in managing time throughout the day by efficiently dealing with unpredictable events and precedence.
• Being obstinate with setting deadlines: although being flexible with ones schedule and routine is important, at times it is critical to remain inflexible while setting timeframes for any job. Being inflexible with setting time will eventually make the employees more effective and efficient.
• Self-Organizing: it is important that employees organize themselves which starts from their thoughts. In case an employee finds that too many things are circling in his/her mind at a time, then he/she opt for penning them down. This not only clears the mind but will also enhance ones productiveness. (Sicinski, 2016)
• Organizing the atmosphere: if an employee’s gets wasted in searching for information or files, it is highly recommended in organizing the files and folders in a way that can be found easily whenever required. In case an employee is consuming much time skimming through icons, folders and files created in laptop then it is advised to rearrange the folder system and email management process. For avoiding being disorganized, it is necessary that crucial files or information are stored immediately further enabling employees to take control of their desks. (Sicinski, 2016)
• Getting organized by reminder setting: employees can make use of sticky notes at work or a voice recorder for reminding themselves of everyday task and activities which one often forgets because of work pressure. These are also helpful in apprehending quick ideas which later on can be transferred into ones to-do list
• Identifying bad habits: for getting organized systematically, it is necessary the an employee identifies the habits that snaps ones times and disrupt individual productivity and growth

Conclusion

In this assignment, my own responsibilities and performance objectives have been stated. Once it is over, evaluation of the objectives has been discussed in brief based on its effectiveness. Discussions have been made on how motivational techniques can improve employees’ performance at work. In the second section, solution to work based problems have been explained apart from various communication styles and modern ways of communication along with the time management strategic. In the third section, roles of people within a team have been highlighted and how team dynamics influence ones performance is discussed briefly. Finally, tools and the methods for resolving organizational problems have been reviewed and a strategy for resolving the problem has been designed.

References

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