CHCORG303BParticipate effectively in the work

environment

Topic 2: Review and develop own work performanceSection 1 Monitor own work according to requirements for job quality & customer service.2

Monitoring job quality and customer service...........................................................................2

Being a reflective practitioner..................................................................................................2

Section 2 Plan work activities to achieve individual objectives & organisation expectations. 4

Developing a self-driven work performance plan....................................................................4

Self-appraisal............................................................................................................................5

Section 3 Report to supervisor when work requirements are unable to be met....................9

What is a supervisor’s role?.....................................................................................................9

Section 4 Clearly communicate to supervisor/appropriate person, need for additional support to improve performance.........................................................................................11

Requesting and obtaining additional support and training....................................................11

Section 5 Report need for training to supervisor, as required.............................................13

Seek and obtain training from staff........................................................................................14

Section 6 Undertake training as appropriate......................................................................15

Undertaking training..............................................................................................................15

Section 7 Take opportunities for support and supervision as required....................................17

Section 1 Monitor own work according to requirements for job quality & customer service

You may already be working in a children’s service or you may have had some experience in another type of workplace. All workers need to evaluate themselves and think about possible changes in their work performance if they want to be effective workers and stay enthusiastic about their work. This is particularly so if you want a change in position or a promotion. Undertaking some form of professional development is part of working in most professions. How do you go about it?

Monitoring job quality and customer serviceWhen you are monitoring your own work performance, you need to be able to look closely at yourself and the way in which you complete the tasks expected of you and recorded in your job or position description. You need to begin to become a ‘reflective practitioner’, reflecting upon the practices that you implement on a day-to-day basis.

Activity 1

Being a reflective practitionerIn the previous activity, you reflected on your day-to-day activities. This is a valuable process for you to consciously participate in during your studies and work placement experiences, as well as continue doing when you are employed in the children’s services industry.

Once you feel that you know everything and you don’t need to learn anymore, you will have become stale in your practices and your own professional development.

Challenge yourself—use your own reflections, as well as feedback that you receive from children, parents, other staff members, your supervisor, management and the community to develop your skills, knowledge and practices even further. We should all see ourselves as life-long learners.

The National Quality Standards (implemented January 2012) promotes the notion that all of us in the children’s service community (including the children) create and maintain a learning culture. Basically, a learning culture is one of:

• reflection• ongoing evaluation• openness to change• openness to diversity• continuous improvement.

List your skills, knowledge and qualitiesA good place to start is to list all of the skills, knowledge and qualities that you consider you have. These are your identified strengths. Then you would list those skills, knowledge or attributes that you know, or think, need to be developed further. These are your identified weaknesses or potential areas of development. Consider the scenario below.

Marie, aged 20, was born in Australia but had lived most of her life abroad (her parents worked in many countries). The family has returned to Australia and Marie would like to work in children’s services. Below she lists her strengths and weaknesses.

Maria’s strengths and weaknesses

Strengths Weaknesses/Potential areas of development

Certificate in Child Studies attained at a college in Chile

Needs to gain Australian qualification in children’s services

Experience working with children in South America

No Australian experience

Multi-lingual (Spanish, Portuguese, English and Japanese)

Needs more practice in written English.

Good communicator. Also cheerful, outgoing honest and warm.

Appreciates cultural and linguistic diversity.

Now do this same excise for yourself as Activity 2.

Activity 2

Section 2 Plan work activities to achieve individual objectives & organisation expectations

Developing a self-driven work performance planWork through the steps outlined below. Then, in a journal or portfolio, record the process.

Self-driven work performance plan

Step 1 Set yourself a goal.

Step 2 Listen to and observe your own practices within the workplace.

Step 3 Evaluate your own practices—honestly.

Step 4 Identify the areas you wish to address for your own professional development.

Step 5 Generate a plan of ideas and strategies that will assist you to reach your goal. Think about resources such as people, journals, colleagues and training too.

Step 6 Begin implementing your professional development plan.

Step 7 Record your progress and evaluate your development—set time frames that are regular and attainable.

Repeat the process with the next goal that you have identified for yourself.

When participating in this process it is necessary for you to refer to your job description or specification to assist in the identification of the level of quality expected of you in performing your duties.

Children, parents and the community are other resources where you can gain information or feedback that relates to your work performance.

This feedback is similar to receiving customer feedback in any service industry; it can be positive or negative. How do the children and parents react to you? What do the children or parents say about what they have experienced during the day or discussed at home, regarding you? What is the general feeling within the community about your service? This information is another source for you to evaluate and respond to when monitoring your own work.

Am I doing a good job?

Reflect on the work you do. (If you are not already in the workforce, reflect on any other work or your studies.) Ask yourself how you are doing.

It is reasonable to ask yourself ‘Am I doing a good job?

This is especially true when you are working in such a busy environment as a member of a team with all team members being just as busy as yourself. When is there the time to receive feedback about your individual work performance?

Consider these options:

• self-appraisal• informal feedback• formal feedback• professional development.

Self-appraisalYou self-appraise by monitoring your own work performance. You do that through observing other team members and the way that they work and then evaluating your own standard of work and completion of activities.

Informal feedbackAsk for informal feedback from your colleagues or supervisor about your standard of work. This means that your supervisor or another team member will oversee what you are doing on a day-to-day basis and will then be able to evaluate your contributions and strengths and ascertain where you might need to improve.

It is, therefore, a good idea to be able to approach your supervisor and ask for feedback about your work performance. While this may be a rather scary thought, remember that by seeking feedback you are showing that you are willing to make changes and eager to perform at your best. By acting on feedback, you will gain support from your colleagues and supervisor.

Formal feedbackAsk for formal feedback or assessment from your supervisor or colleagues, known as a performance appraisal. These tools usually directly relate to your job specification and will give you feedback that relates directly to the standards expected in the workplace.

Professional developmentResearch current theory and professional practice in the early childhood profession and attend in-service professional development training. The National Quality Standards provide rating levels that allows children’s services workers to self-assess their standard of work practice.

Other current theory and best practice indicators for consideration by staff members in evaluating their standards of work performance are:

• Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) documents• Emergent curriculum philosophy• Reggio Emilia philosophy• Rudolf Steiner philosophy• Montessori philosophy.

The Early Years Learning Framework documents and these philosophies provide staff with professional development opportunities for themselves and their workplaces.

In-service professional development training is another way for staff to assess their ability to complete activities to meet expected standards in the workplace.

To make use of these options, here are some guidelines about seeking and receiving feedback.

Seeking feedbackWhat do we mean by ‘feedback’? Can you think of situations when you’ve been asked for your feedback? Or when you have asked for feedback (e.g., ‘what do you think of my suggestion?’)

Put simply, feedback is about what you think of something you have seen or experienced (eg, a service or product). In your feedback, you might voice a concern, complain, point out a factual error or express your opinion or thoughts.

Consider the scenario below:

Jean Park is a new employee at Magic Treetop Children’s Centre and she has begun training doing a Certificate 3 . She would like reassurance about her work so far from her supervisor, Thea Sinclair. Below is an excerpt from their conversation.

Jean Excuse me, Thea. I’d like to talk to you about what you think about how I’ve been performing, particularly in relation to a number of areas.

Thea I have made a few observations—although it’s still early days.

Jean Well, perhaps we could tell me what you’ve observed so far.

Thea I suggest we make a time for sometime this week and find a quiet room where we can speak in confidence. The first parents are about to arrive to collect their children—and we need to be around. I’ve also had a stressful day. How about Tuesday morning? I suggest you prepare questions you could ask me as I might overlook some areas that you’d like feedback on.

Guidelines for seeking feedbackAsk for feedback as soon as possible after you have done something that you would like feedback about. The only exception to this is if you are very angry, as it may come across as a demand rather than a request.

Choose the time and place for feedback. If your supervisor is obviously very busy or stressed, it may not be advisable to seek the feedback immediately. It is also not appropriate, for example, to ask for feedback in front of the families of the children.

Sometimes immediate feedback won’t be possible. If that is the case, carefully prepare your questions as close to the event as possible. This way, when you get a chance to ask for feedback, your recollection will be better.

Ask for the feedback you want but don’t receive. Sometimes we receive feedback about certain aspects of our behaviour when it is really other aspects that we want to know about. Ask for it if you think it will be useful.

Receiving feedbackConsider the scenario below.

Thea and Jean are in a quiet room and they’re talking about Jean’s performance. Below is an excerpt from their conversation.

Thea I’ve been very busy but I’ve tried to observe you whenever I have the opportunity. I’d have to observe you over a longer period to really be fair in my observations. But I will talk about what I’ve observed so far. I see you ignoring questions from Thomas.

Jean He’s a very curious child and asks a lot of questions. Sometimes I don’t have the time or the energy to answer him. It’s constant.

Thea You must try. If you can’t answer him right away, it’s good to let him know—rather than just remain quiet.

Guidelines for receiving feedbackListen carefully. Don’t immediately reject or respond to the feedback. It is better to ‘digest’ what has been said.

Check your understanding. Ask for clarification if you are unsure or unclear.

Do with it what you will! The feedback is the giver’s opinion. You don’t have to do anything with it. You don’t have to change. It is your decision. Remember, though, if it is coming from your superior in the workplace, it may be advisable not to ignore it!

Check it out with others. If more than one person gives you the same feedback, it is probably worthwhile doing something with it.

Make a decision about what you will do with the feedback. Assess the value of ignoring or using it and decide what you will do as a result.

Thank the person for giving you the feedback. It may have been painful to hear but it may also have been difficult to give. Also it is a valuable practice worth encouraging.

Section 3 Report to supervisor when work requirements are unable to be met

What is a supervisor’s role?Your supervisor is the person who is responsible for ensuring that you understand your role and responsibilities within the children’s service team. They are also responsible for supporting and guiding your professional development through the provision of informal and formal feedback about your work performance. In fulfilling their responsibilities, supervisors are developing a workplace relationship with you that should encourage the use of open and honest communication between you.

Due to your participation in the children’s service team, you contribute to the development of the service on a daily basis. You are a valued member of the team.

When you have monitored your own work performance, received feedback and evaluated your standard of work in relation to workplace expectations, there may be aspects of the work requirements that you do not feel you are able to meet. It is your responsibility to inform your supervisor of any work requirements that you are unable to meet. By doing this, you are being open and honest with your supervisor. You are also being a responsible team member and you are meeting your legal responsibilities and obligations.

Reflect on the following scenario.

Jean is having difficulty completing all the tasks allocated to her—plus additional tasks that occur unplanned. She decides to let her supervisor Thea know. Below is part of their conversation.

Jean I feel that I am not giving the children in my care the attention and time that they deserve. I feel that if I were to concentrate on only my duties, I’d be in a much better position. As it is, I’m feeling very stressed.

Thea I see. What other duties are you doing?

Jea: I have to set up the indoor play area as well as the outside one practically every day. That is because the staff rostered to share these tasks with me are not always available. I usually have to do these tasks single-handedly.

By informing your supervisor of your inability to meet any work requirements, you may be identifying an area that you can receive support from other staff members, or attend professional development training on.

It may also mean that certain aspects of your job specification may be identified as being unrealistic or that a service policy, practice or procedure needs to evaluated and updated to reflect current practices within the service.

The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that all tasks are being completed. Therefore, if you communicate to your supervisor your inability to complete work requirements they will need to make decisions and alternative plans to ensure that someone on the children’s service team does the tasks.

Section 4 Clearly communicate to supervisor/appropriate person, need for additional support to improve performance

Requesting and obtaining additional support and trainingThe quality of children’s services depends on the knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities of all stakeholders involved in the service. The value of the human resource factor in children’s services cannot be reinforced enough. You should be developing an understanding of the importance of encouraging all members of a children’s service team to evaluate their work place performance. Staff, therefore, also require opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and interests through the provision of training and additional support within the workplace.

Communicating clearly You have monitored your own work performance. You have received informal or formal feedback from your colleagues and supervisor. You have identified an area of your professional skills that you would like to develop.

It is now your responsibility to communicate your need for additional support to your supervisor, in order to improve your performance.

Before you do that, make sure you are familiar with:

• effective communication strategies• service policies, practices and procedures • job roles and responsibilities.

When you ask for additional support, your supervisor might provide the following:

• meet regularly with the supervisor to plan, evaluate and reflect on your work performance

• offer additional support from the team members you work with most of the time• discuss with your supervisor (and other team members) solutions to the problem.

• Additional support for you may come in the form of:• adjusting the duties expected of you• changing your shift times.

Additional support or considerations within your workplace may be necessary when there are changes, pressures or issues within your personal life and responsibilities that may be influencing your work performance. Again, it is your responsibility to inform your supervisor of your needs as well as reasons for needing additional support.

Section 5 Report need for training to supervisor, as required

In-service professional development and training is invaluable for maintaining and developing staff’s knowledge and enthusiasm for their role within the children’s service. The provision of training and development opportunities is a shared responsibility between management and staff.

Management is responsible for providing the financial support for staff to attend in-service training and development. This may mean providing for the costs of a particular training course or meeting the costs of the replacement staff for the absence of a staff member who is attending a training course. The extent to which the management financially supports the in-service training and development of staff will vary from service to service.

Staff are responsible for attending in-service professional development opportunities. Staff may also be responsible for researching the different training opportunities that may be available and that meet their professional development needs. Staff or the supervisor will be responsible for requesting to attend an in-service course from management as well as completing the registration requirements for attending an in-service training opportunity.

The way staff report the need to attend training to their supervisor will depend on the structure of your organisation. However, reporting to your supervisor directly would be preferred in all services.

If the children’s service in which you are employed is part of a large organisation such as a council or management body, you may need to just fill out a form to attend a relevant training opportunity and give this to your human resource management team. Your supervisor will probably need to sign the form before the human resource department can process it.

If it is a smaller organisation that you are employed in, you may just need to verbally inform your supervisor of your need to attend training, and it will be the responsibility of the supervisor and management to organise your attendance for you.

Whenever a staff member reports a need for training, the supervisor and management must try their best to provide for this training. All team members in a children’s service would benefit from being encouraged by both the supervisor and management to regularly participate in professional development.

Seek and obtain training from staff

ColleaguesColleagues or team members are the most accessible resource available to us when working in a children’s service. Each member of the team has professional skills, knowledge, ideas and experiences to share with us.

SupervisorsSupervisors provide us with support and guidance in the completion of our job roles and responsibilities. In the development of our working relationships, we should have developed the ability to communicate openly and honestly with one another, so that when we seek assistance it is responded to. Supervisors are responsible for listening to your professional development needs and assisting you to meet those needs. Your supervisor should have experience and knowledge that will be a valuable resource too.

ManagementManagement’s role in supporting team member’s requests for assistance in their professional development relates to the provision of adequate polices, practices and procedures, funding and relevant resources. We have already discussed the need for financial support for in-service professional development.

Another way in which management assists staff is by making available current resources to help staff with their training needs. Resources such as journals, books, Internet sites and videos are valuable for referring to and including in staff meetings. Some of these resources should be provided within the workplace to support and encourage staff members to keep up-to-date and develop their knowledge.

Your confidence in using one or more of the suggested resources to seek and obtain assistance for meeting your training requirements will be based on your individual preferences.

Activity 3

Section 6 Undertake training as appropriate

When you are employed in the early childhood work environment, you are expected to attend in-service professional development opportunities.

The National Quality Standard, Element 4.2.3 states “The performance of Educators, Coordinators and Staff is evaluated and individual development plans are in place to support performance improvement”. Therefore, this national scheme expects and reinforces the need for staff to be provided with and to attend professional development opportunities.

In-service training and support can be met in many different forms to enable services to be able meet individual training requirements of staff members and service needs. We will explore these options now.

Undertaking trainingTraining options are available in two different forms—formal and non-formal.

Formal trainingFormal training options would require study commitment as they involve assessments and would result in the attainment of a qualification. In undertaking formal training, you would make use of training organisations such as universities and TAFE.

Informal trainingInformal training would involve participation for a short period of time, without assessment requirements, that would focus on one particular topic area. You may receive a certificate of attendance or participation at the conclusion of the course. This training may be provided by a TAFE college or a community organisation, or it could be conducted by one of your staff members. This may require attendance at a conference or a day seminar to gain information and then share with the rest of the team at the next staff meeting.

In-service trainingIn-service training or professional development may be organised as visits to another children’s service to observe their practices and programs, or as meetings of all your local service providers on a quarterly basis to share ideas, information and experiences. For

example, your supervisor could organise for experts in early intervention services to come to a staff meeting to provide an information-sharing session for the whole team. Your supervisor could also invite family members who may have expertise in a particular area to share their knowledge and skills.

Hopefully, these different methods for gaining additional training will demonstrate the range of options available to individuals and services to develop their skills and knowledge. These options should also demonstrate that there is training available that does not require a great deal of money—which many children’s services do not have a lot of.

This learning topic should, however, reinforce the fact that ongoing training is essential for all team members working in the children’s service industry.

Activity 4

Section 7 Take opportunities for support and supervision as required

Within your work environment, there should be an atmosphere of respect, understanding and support. When support and supervision is offered to you or when you are asked to provide the support and supervision of another team member, you should accept or participate in what is being offered. We are all part of a learning community and at different times in our professional life, support and supervision are needed and valuable.

Activity 5

Did you include some professional development or training in your strategies to meet your work goal? Or perhaps you just needed some support or supervision from a more experienced team member to scaffold your professional learning. Some goals will be achieved relatively quickly while other goals will require more time and effort.

Your willingness to accept support and supervision is a reflection of your professional approach to working in children’s services as it shows your desire for self-improvement.

Why write goals?Consider the following dialogue between Jan, an experienced educator and Van who is new to the children’s services profession. It’s the end of the day—the children have all been collected and the staff have tidied up.

Jan Hello Van. How did your first day at work go?

Van I enjoyed it!

Jan That’s good. I’m just putting together my action plan. How familiar are you with action plans?

Van We did cover action plans when I was doing my Certificate. But it was not in great detail.

Jan Well, each of us usually does one once a year at around this time.

Van How are they used?

Jan To help us get approval for staff development. You see, once a year, management meets and decides on how what they will spend their funds. Some of it they will allocate to staff development. Seminars, workshops, training courses and so on. We put in our requests for what we want to participate in. There’s usually never enough money for all of us to do everything we want to do. However, it really helps if you’ve done an action plan and submit this with your request. If the goals on your action plan are the same as the goals of the staff development you’re applying for, the chances that your request will be approved will be better.

Van I see.

Jan An action plan also helps us evaluate our own performance and development at work. These are sometimes referred to as staff appraisals. This process validates the request for additional support to improve performance for staff, supervisors and management.

Van I suppose the plans also provide supervisors with a tool to discuss, evaluate and provide feedback to staff members about their performance of job responsibilities and performance.

Jan Absolutely.

Formulating goals and action plans to achieve those goals should be an ongoing process throughout your career.