Improve Workability Skills

Lesson 1 on Workability Skills

Presented by: Prof Sheryl Sharima Renomeron-Morales Diploma in Office Management Technology Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Quezon City Campus

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Work hard (for making a living and survival) as if you are going to die Al-Albani

Improve Workability Skills

Getting a job is only one part of fitting into the world of work. Having the right attitude, developing the right skills and getting the knowledge needed are all equally important. Together, they are measure of ones workability. To some extent, employers are looking for the same characteristics in their employees that your clients admire in some of their friends: a positive attitude; the ability to listen; dependability; and a commitment to friendship. These characteristics paint the portrait of someone who will go out of his or her way to help when it is needed.

Improve Workability Skills

Workability Attitudes
Employers hire on attitude over Skills --Richard Tyler, May 2011 Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill --Harvard Business Review, in an article in February 2011

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Reliability and Dependability
When it comes to employment, reliability is one of the most important workability attitudes. It's absolutely critical to success in the workplace. Unreliable employees cost money and customers, two things employers don't want to lose. Have your youth clients ask themselves the following questions to help them get a sense of how reliable or dependable they are on a daily basis: How many times have I been late for work? How many times have I been absent from work? Did I complete all the tasks assigned to me at work today? Am I in a good mood when I'm at work?

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Honesty and Integrity
Young people sometimes don't realize that honesty is more than just telling the truth. They don't always see it as a measure of their personal integrity, personal values and moral standards, the very code they live by. Honesty is the yardstick that employers use to measure by. Employers are constantly asking, Is this person being honest or straight with me? How much can I trust this employee? Have your clients ask themselves these questions: How honest have I been with my employer or coworkers? What are my values in terms of what's important to me in life? If something doesn't seem right at work, do I set the record straight? If I witness something dishonest at work, what do I do about it?

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Commitment
Commitment is responsibility. In terms of an employer, it means they have trusted someone to do a job. They have asked for a commitment to do the best work possible. There are a number of ways to show commitment: do the job well; show the employer there is a real desire to work. Show a positive attitude. What's really important for employers is that employees know what is expected of them and that they anticipate what needs to be done. When youth start doing this for their employer, it's an indication of the commitment they've made to work.

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Courtesy and Care

"Hello," "please," "thank you" and "what can I

help you with?" are basic behaviors that some young people have forgotten, don't think about, or don't know. It could be that for some youth, no one has ever treated them with care or respect so they don't know what acceptable behavior is. You may have to point these youth in the right direction. This may be a good opportunity for you to model behavior for your clients as you deal with them in your work environment.

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Here are some situations and questions for clients to think about: Do I say "please" and "thank you" when dealing with others? Do I treat people with respect? No matter how old they are? Or what they look like? How sensitive am I to the other people I work with? Do I help others out even before they ask for my help? How well do I listen when others are speaking?

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Tolerance

Take a look around; society has changed. There are more people from many different backgrounds making up the identity of a particular community/workplace/country. Today's youth will need an attitude of tolerance or acceptance of others when heading in to the workforce.

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Accepting differences isn't just about race and culture. It includes accepting gender differences and alternative lifestyles, not discriminating on the basis of age or religion. Whatever the difference, young people should learn to be tolerant, and value these differences and look for the contributions these differences can make.

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Initiative

Young people need to show initiative if they want to make a difference in the workforce. And the way to do this is to look for opportunities; for things that need to be done. If they can do it, then they should try and do it. If it's something theyre not sure about, then they should consult with someone else first. Employers will appreciate any extra efforts a young employee makes to improve performance or efficiencies on the job. Two key questions to ask themselves in the workplace: What else can I do? How can I make improvements?

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Risk-Taking

Risk-taking is taking initiative to the next level. It means trying something new, even when not entirely sure of the outcome. If you have a youth client who feels that he or she would like to take a risk in the workplace, here are some questions to ask:

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How is risk-taking viewed in this workplace? What are the parameters for risk-taking? What is the new method, approach, or improvement you want to make to the workplace? How can you estimate how well your new method will work? What's your backup plan if your new method doesn't work out?] Once you've tried the new method, how did it work out? How successful was it? Risk-taking is all about trying things out. It's an attitude of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

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Workability Skills

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Communication skills Building relationships Work and lifestyle balance/Handling stress Adaptability Time management Appearance and dress Problem-solving/Decision-making Negotiation skills Overcoming unfairness Information skills Money management Anger management

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Communication skills
Communication skills are the cornerstone for maintaining the relationships at work, the foundation for achieving goals. Verbal, written and body language skills let other people know what a person is thinking, wants to do, and wants others to do. Effective communication in the workplace depends on: being a good listener being able to get a message across to someone paying attention to body language being able to communicate in writing working out conflicts with others communicating in a professional manner

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Building relationships
Building relationships contributes to a comfortable work atmosphere and increases productivity and sales in the workplace. Employers know that workers who can build relationships with co-workers and customers add value to their business. Here are a few tips to give your clients about building relationships: don't be afraid to ask for help make friends with people in similar circumstances show a willingness to help others listen find people who can give you advice connect people with other people who may be of help to them thank people for their help

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Manage Work Life and Home Life
When it comes to balancing work with lifestyle, youth have to learn to juggle and they have to know where to draw the line. There's good stress, which gives you momentum, and there's bad stress, which interferes with happiness and accomplishment. Managing stress means knowing what causes bad stress for you and knowing how to do something about it. Coach them to ask themselves these questions: What impact is my work having on my family? What child-care arrangements do I/we need? Am I fulfilling my commitments to my family, my work, myself? What activities am I doing for myself? If I made a list of all my commitments, would I see a balance between work and personal/leisure time? What could I drop if I had to?

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Adaptability
Adaptability and the workplace go hand in hand, especially in today's ever-changing workplace. Not only has the typical workday changed, so have many of the beliefs about how work and people and technology go together. One thing is certain: the more adaptable a person is, the better able to find and keep work. For young people, that means: be realistic about the situation be prepared to make changes; to adapt know that making changes can cause a certain amount of stress be flexible; compromise when necessary don't try and control everything; life is full of curve balls

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Time Management

When it comes to work, time is money. For some young people, this might be a new concept. However, most young people have experience in managing schoolwork and their other activities. They generally know that not managing one can cost the other. So it shouldn't be too much of a leap from there to realize what impact poor time management has in the workplace, (i.e., if you're not getting your work done in a reasonable amount of time, then you are costing your employer money).

Improve Workability Skills

Here are a few tips to give your clients about time management: make a plan for the work that you have to do decide how long each activity should take ask yourself how well you use your time ask yourself what you could do to improve the ways you use time check that you are balancing your time in all aspects of your life

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Appearance and Dress skill

If youth want to work, then they'll have to meet the standards set by the employer; sometimes for reasons of safety. That might mean that the nose ring and ten earrings have to go. Furthermore, clothes that make a fashion statement on the street don't work at the office.

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Problem Making/Decision Making Skills

When employers are questioned about the skills they value most in employees, the ability to problem solve is near the top of the list. An employee who problem solves knows how to handle things and is not taking time from other employees every few minutes with questions. Problem solving is about learning to distinguish those situations that can be worked out independently from those that need backup, and, for the former, having the skills that will enable you to find the best possible solution on your own.

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Here's a checklist to pass along to your youth clients to help them problem solve: identify the problem look at the pros and cons come up with a solution to the problem choose the best solution for you right now do it

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Negotiation Skills

Here's a workability skill that you will want to help the young people you work with develop. Negotiation skills will not only help them in the workplace, but in their personal relationships as well. You can sum up the art of negotiating in a few lines, but it's not always easy to do and it takes practice.

Improve Workability Skills

steps in negotiation: 1. determine what the problem or situation is 2. describe the situation or problem calmly, clearly and honestly to the person you are negotiating with 3. express your point of view 4. ask for what you want; be fair and specific 5. let the other person express their point of view and acknowledge it 6. work toward a resolution 7. if necessary, can you compromise or adjust your expectations of what you want 8. try and make it a situation that will be positive for both of you: win-win

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Overcoming Unfairness

Everyone experiences unfairness. It's a fact of life. But for some young people, those first experiences on the job can be disturbing. And sometimes it's being a youth that's the cause of the unfairness. People judge them, take advantage of them, assume they don't know things, treat them like kids. The best way to deal with it is to acknowledge it. Then, if they can, do something about it. If they can't address the unfairness, coach him or her to continue to believe in herself and know that ultimately she can still reach her goal. If youth can do this, then they have the skills needed to overcome the unfairness that happens in life.

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Information Skills
Chances are work will require youth to seek out and organize information regularly. Gathering information is a means to an end that takes a little time. A young worker has to ask questions and know where to look. Here are a few steps for them to consider: What information do I need? Whom can I ask for help with this information? What other sources can I use? (e.g., library, Internet, resource centers, friends and relatives, experts) Is this the information I need? (analyze the information, ask yourself if the information is biased or has a particular point of view?) If it isn't the information you needed, try again. Ask others if they have suggestions for where else you might look.

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Money Management

You may have helped some of your youth clients land that first job and get that first paycheque. And some of them probably told you what they were going to do with it - go on a buying spree; pay some bills; put it in the bank; or maybe dish it out in small amounts. It's a good time for you to help your clients with some advice on money management. No matter how little money they're dealing with, it's not too early to start managing it.

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Here are a few suggestions: start to manage your money now get a financial game plan (there are numerous books/workshops full of advice) pay yourself first: use the 10 per cent solution* (see below) pay off bank loans (that includes student loans) pay off your credit card each month get an RRSP and contribute to it on a monthly basis

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The 10 per cent solution is a way of saving. The idea is that with every pay cheque, before you pay a single bill, pay yourself 10 per cent of what you earned and put it in savings. If your youth clients follow these suggestions, they'd be well on their way to responsible money managementbetter able to keep up with their bills and create some financial stability in their future.

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Anger Management
There are a lot of things that can go wrong in a day. Some of the young people you work with may anger easily. Inevitably, someone or something where they work is going to push their buttons and it could cost them their job. A lot of young people who anger easily will say that it just happens; that they can't help themselves. And often, they might blame others. Talk to your clients about how: they may not be able to control everything that happens to them, but they can control their reaction to it. losing their cool is something they can control, if they want to.

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Tell them about strategies such as: When you feel yourself starting to get angry, start counting, walk away, do something to remove yourself from the situation. By doing this, you are accepting responsibility for your own actions. This is the first step toward dealing with your anger. Ask yourself what triggered the anger and then try and resolve it in some way. Talk to the person who made you angry and explain your point of view. If the anger was triggered by an event, talk about what happened with someone you trust

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Refrence http://ccdf.ca/ccdf/NewCoach/english/ccoa chc/issue_c4.htm Retrieved date: April 21, 2013

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Quiz No. 1
Analyze the following situation. Identify the needed workability skills. 1. The candidate must be able to observe and make assessments from required demonstrations and experiments. 2. It does NOT only include speech, but also interpretation of nonverbal cues, and reading and writing in English.

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Quiz No. 1
3. Exhibits Intellectual (Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative) skills. One must demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and abilities to process multiple situations simultaneously. 4. S/he must be able to work effectively as a member of a health-care team, and must be able to tolerate physically and emotionally taxing workloads, to function effectively under stress.

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Quiz No. 1
5. Exhibits understanding, ranging from basic to advanced, of computer software, word processing, e-mail, spreadsheets, and Internet navigation. 6. S/he can relate well to others, both co-workers and customers even in terms of misunderstanding. 7. Relationship-building and relationshipmanagement are high priorities with many employers.

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Quiz No. 1
8. In todays world, cultural sensitivity and ability to build rapport with others in a multicultural environment is highly valued by employers. 9. The way that you look and the way that you act determines what people think about you. 10. The ability to accept of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

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ANSWER to Quiz No. 1

1. The candidate must be able to observe and make assessments from required demonstrations and experiments.

Answer: Problem-solving/Decisionmaking/Information skills 2. It does NOT only include speech, but also
interpretation of nonverbal cues, and reading and writing in English.

Answer: Communication Skills

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3. Exhibits Intellectual (Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative) skills. One must demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and abilities to process multiple situations simultaneously.

Answer: Problem solving

4. S/he must be able to work effectively as a member of a health-care team, and must be able to tolerate physically and emotionally taxing workloads, to function effectively under stress.

Answer: Work and lifestyle balance/Handling stress

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5. Exhibits understanding, ranging from basic to advanced, of computer software, word processing, e-mail, spreadsheets, and Internet navigation.

Answer: Information skills

6. S/he can relate well to others, both
co-workers and customers even in terms of misunderstanding.

Answer: Negotiation skill

7. Relationship-building and relationship-management
are high priorities with many employers.

Answer: Building relationships

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8. In todays world, cultural sensitivity and ability to build rapport with others in a multicultural environment is highly valued by employers.

Answer: Adaptability
9. The way that you look and the way that you act determines what people think about you.

Answer: Appearance and dress

10. The ability to accept of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

Answer: Overcoming unfairness