Learning Resource. Babcock International Group. Allocate and monitor the progress of work.

Transcription

1 Babcock International Group Learning Resource Allocate and monitor the progress of work Introduction This handout is about ensuring the work required in your area of responsibility is planned and carried out effectively, that work is allocated fairly to teams and/or individuals and monitoring the progress of the work to ensure that standards and quality are maintained. This involves updating plans in response to new developments. Successful communication Communication in one form or another takes up most of our working day and if we use the wrong form, the information we give will not be effective. To be successful in communication, you must use the most appropriate method. Methods of communication Open ended questions An open-ended question encourages conversation. Closed questions This type of questioning has a limited value. Face to face The main advantage is that you can observe people s reactions. Eye contact Your eyes can be used very effectively, showing signs of sincerity and trust when you make eye contact with someone. Facial expressions Be aware of your facial expressions as they can also be misinterpreted. Stance and gestures Non-verbal communication Your stance and gestures can tell someone whether you are relaxed and confident or evasive and uninterested. The skill of reading body language is being able to recognise and understand the signs that are being displayed. Questioning and listening skills Using questions and answers to check your understanding. 1

2 Briefing sessions When planning and implementing work activities, communication happens on two levels: Obtaining information and instructions. Giving information and instruction. The first bullet point refers to gathering and receiving information, including instructions from your line manager and making sure you have been fully briefed. The second relates to interpreting this information and briefing others to carrying out these instructions. In these situations you are either asking questions to confirm your understanding of the information from your line manager or confirming others have understood your instructions, again by questioning. Briefing sessions should be clear, instructive but not lengthy or complicated. Work plans Work plans are often confused with to do lists and therefore fail to fulfil their purpose. A work plan needs to have a structure to be effective. A formal work plan will: Describe a problem and its background. Explain the priorities of the work being carried out. List the goals and objectives. Describe the actions to be taken to form part of a strategy. Describe the critical activities that must be carried out. Identify the resources available and/or requirements. Identify the barriers or obstacles expected. Have a time frame in which the task/s should be completed. Where practical, everyone should be involved in team briefings. Give details of individual roles and responsibilities. Whether you are producing a large scale work plan involving other departments, on long term projects or simple, short term work plans involving a small team, always follow a clear structure and encourage staff involvement. Tips for planning work Spend sufficient time prioritising team workload to achieve the maximum level of productivity. Objectives should be obtainable and measurable. Discuss and clarify your priorities with others (manager, colleagues), as they could be working towards conflicting priorities or objectives. FACTS Work plans do not need to be lengthy but they do need to follow a structure. Do not impose or agree to unrealistic demands. Ensure everyone understands what is expected of them. Encourage team members to be honest with each other and be prepared to refuse unrealistic requests. Plan work activities with the full involvement of your team. Give team members the opportunity to ask questions, clarify details and encourage open discussion. Check that the team understands the task and individuals are clear of their roles and responsibilities. Take into account any health and safety issues during the planning, allocating and monitoring of work. 2

3 Using sustainable resources Some resources can add a substantial cost to work plans and the general running of the business. These costs can be controlled with careful planning and a focus on sustainable resources. A resource that is sustainable refers to something which will not run out or were its supply can be maintained. However, in this context, we are thinking of ways we use the resources in our work plan that is not wasteful and uses recycled or eco-friendly materials, wherever possible. Many businesses use waste prevention methods, such as reusing single-sided paper for draft documents or returning packaging back to their suppliers after use. As well as the savings gained by reducing waste, your organisation will be contributing to the environment. Waste reduction tips: Encourage waste reduction suggestions from staff. Promote the use of reusable and refillable items. Avoid excess packaging and hard-to-recycle items. Seeking the views of others A manager can identify and use the experience and knowledge of their colleagues to great effect by seeking and taking into account their views during the planning process. This will develop a team relationship of mutual co-operation and can lead to a productive, supportive environment where everyone is willing to: Seek and take into account the views of others when planning work activities. Be open in the way feedback is given and taken. Provide information to decision makers which might influence the planning of work. Identify potential difficulties which might affect plans. Avoid damage to relationships when conflict occurs. Honour promises and the undertakings of others, whist also taking into account other priorities and commitments. Dealing with conflict Problems in a work team may not be immediately obvious and although some of these problems may be of a personal nature and need a more diplomatic, respectful approach, the effects of these problems often has an affect on the employee s work. Some organisations have facilities for counselling, however, if this is not possible you may need to refer employees to qualified personnel. Recognising possible conflict or difficult situations is important to ensure action is taken promptly and reduce the effect on team performance. These situations may be evident when: There is a clash of personalities. There are disruptive members of the team. Current methods of working are not effective. Responsibilities are being duplicated. Problems arise through missing targets and deadlines. Although disagreements with colleagues are to be expected, if they develop into tension and ill feeling between team members, productivity is affected and a poor team spirit develops. It is for this reason that you should be aware of the early signs of potential conflict and take action to find a solution quickly. Destructive conflict is often the result of a breakdown of communication and can be made worse if the situation is not handled correctly. In serious situations, the company disciplinary/dismissal procedures may need to be implemented. If this is the case, the manager/team leader MUST follow their organisation s disciplinary procedures precisely. Failure to do so may result in prosecution under unfair discrimination or wrongful dismissal laws. 3

4 Awareness of different cultures Most people need to develop their cultural awareness in some way. The benefits of cultural awareness include: Building good interpersonal relationships. To foster mutual understanding and respect. Understanding of cross cultural differences. This involves examining the values, ethics, faiths cultural conventions, perceptions and expectations of people from other cultures and how our culture may be perceived by other cultures. Cultural awareness is becoming increasingly necessary for work, home, community social lives and we need to understand that our values and beliefs about equality may be inconsistent with our behaviours. Understanding other cultures within the team promotes clear communication, breaks down barriers, builds trust and will lead to positive results in business. This includes gestures, body language, tone of voice and other non-verbal communication which might vary from culture to culture. It is strange how people can form opinions of others from a set of beliefs that are often too simplistic, out of date and untrue. These are known as stereotypes and can cause offence. You need to be able to identify the features of stereotyping, avoid using them and base your judgement on the individual. Allocating work There is more to allocating work than just issuing instructions to someone. Good delegation saves time and develops your staff, but poor delegation can be demotivating, frustrating as well as being very confusing to individuals. You must be fair to everyone when allocating work and avoid choosing the same people. Although you need to choose the right person for the right job, you also need to develop new people to carry out these jobs in the future. If you always choose the same person, your staff will not be able to develop new skills. Take time to brief everyone concerned, either as a group or individually. Make sure you have fully explained the standards of work which must be met and the expected levels of performance. Check your team s understanding of these standards and provide them with a source of reference should they need to follow-up on this later. During your briefing, show team members how their work will fit in with your organisation s plans, vision and objectives. This will motivate them and provide a clear purpose. Providing prompt and constructive feedback Some people see feedback as criticism and a way of finding fault with someone s performance. Reactions from people can be defensive, fearful and occasionally aggressive. Feedback must always be constructive, relevant and recorded. This is important because it allows individuals to identify areas for their self improvement and will also motivate them when the feedback is positive. Recording the feedback given will provide a reference point and a way to measure progress. Feedback can be given when work reviews are carried out, during appraisals, after projects or tasks, or when good/poor performance has been identified. The bullet points below provide tips on the right way to give feedback. Give positive feedback when praise is due. Comment on the behaviour you dislike, not the person. Be specific, constructive and unambiguous in your comments. Give feedback that is non-judgmental about the other person. Be accountable for your thoughts, feelings and opinions. Speak directly to someone not about them. Describe the behaviour you would prefer. Always end your feedback on a positive note. 4

5 Dealing with unacceptable performance There are many factors that can affect the performance of your team. These can be factors that are outside of your control, or those that you can do something about. When your team under perform, it can seriously damage your team spirit as well as the business. Think about what can happen in your team that might indicate under performance and the possible causes. Then look at what action you could take to rectify the cause. Some of the more common causes of under performance could be related to: Shortage of staff. Low motivation. Lack of tools, equipment or training. Poor pay and conditions. Conflict within the team. Poor communication. When you look at the causes of under performance, produce an action plan to tackle each cause. However, if there are situations outside of your authority. These situations may need to be brought to the attention of your line manager. Identifying opportunities to improve team performance is an ongoing activity and is not reserved for improving unproductive teams. It also involves improving teams which are already successful. Opportunities for improvements can present themselves through meetings, feedback sessions or discussions with your line manager. Disciplinary policies and procedures Unfortunately, there will be occasions when extreme cases of under performance or conflict will result in implementing disciplinary procedures. In such situations your organisation will have a strict policy and procedures which follow their legal obligations. You must follow these procedures precisely and keep detailed records. Make sure you are familiar with the policy and procedures for implementing disciplinary action in your organisation. Selecting and applying methods of motivation There are many different opinions relating to what motivates people at work. Some of them have quite different conclusions in their theories but all of them value motivation as an important factor. Quality standards There are several types of quality standards. They can be related to your organisation, in which they would state the level of performance or end product they expect you to meet and then there are those standards set by regulatory bodies within your particular industry. They are there so that your customers can expect a certain level of performance which is constant and of an acceptable quality. This might include for example, that your organisation will answer telephone calls within three rings. 5

6 Reviewing and updating plans Work plans need to be monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure they are continuing to meet objectives. A review must take into account: New developments incurred after work commences. Possible relocation or reallocation of work and resources. Informing interested parties of changing priorities or new developments. Barriers and problems that delay work or which change priorities. All information from individual and team performance activities must be monitored, logged and then stored in accordance with legal requirements. This information can be valuable when conducting formal appraisals as events, achievements, disappointments and development needs can be acknowledged and discussed. There will be various requirements for the development of skills and knowledge within your industry. In addition to this, work plans will need to comply with relevant legislation, codes of practice and organisational guidelines for all work being carried out in your organisation. You must make yourself fully aware of these requirements and ensure that you fully comply with them. The skills of a manager who allocates and delegates work: Takes pride in delivering high quality work. Makes themselves available to support others. Takes the responsibility for making things happen. Is aware of their own values, motivations and emotions. Is vigilant in identifying possible risks to health and safety. Shows consistency, fairness and integrity when making decisions. Seeks to understand the needs of others and what motivates them. Encourages and supports others in making the best use of their abilities. Agrees with others what is expected of them and holds them to account. Recognises changes in circumstances and adjusts their plans accordingly. Able to prioritise their objectives to make the best use of time and resources. Uses a range of leadership styles which are appropriate to different people and situations. R6220v