Unit 23 Employability Skills Assignment Waitrose

Introduction

Unit 23 Employability Skills Assignment Waitrose has been executed over the topic employability skills. Employability skills can be understood as the qualities or skills which need to be possessed by an employee for getting a job, performing its duties well and to get successful in the job. Every employee need to have these skills so as to contribute towards the development and growth of the organisation it is working in. There are different types of job available which need different skills and qualities so as to fulfil the responsibilities in an effective manner. This program helps in providing knowledge of various aspects related to employability skills. This program discusses responsibilities and performance objectives decided by an individual, evaluation of effectiveness in the attainment of objectives, recommendations are provided so as to improve the performance and role of different types of motivation in enhancing the performance of an individual (Miller, et. al., 2013). It also covers the work based problems with its solutions so as to solve these issues and the impact of working as a team has been explained so as to develop an understanding of the importance of working in a team. For the better understanding of these aspects related to employability skills a supermarket of United Kingdom has been selected named as “Waitrose” a chain of British supermarket. It’s headquarter is located in Bracknell, Berkshire, England. It is having around 344 branches across UK and is the sixth largest grocery retailer in the UK. As a manager there are various duties or responsibilities which need to be fulfilled. This program has been executed and discussion has been made about various aspects related to employability skills in relation with a store manager of Waitrose supermarket chain (McMahon, et. al., 2013).

 

LO1 Be able to determine own responsibilities and performance

This section of the program covers the set of responsibilities and performance objectives, evaluation of the performance objectives so as to determine the difference. This is done so as to provide recommendations for improving the performance. It also discusses the manner in which motivational techniques helps in improving the quality of the performance of an individual.

1.1 Develop a set of own responsibilities and performance objectives

As a store manager of a supermarket there are various responsibilities which need to be fulfilled so as to perform the role in an effective manner which leads to attainment of the objectives of Waitrose. Being a store manager of a supermarket there are various duties and responsibilities which includes providing guidance to other employees, supervising the activities of the store and to look after the availability of right amount of stock at right time. The responsibilities and performance objectives as a store manager are as follows:

• Look after the inventory so as to maintain the adequate level of inventory which helps in avoiding the condition of access inventory and shortage of inventory.
• Guiding, motivating and encouraging other employees for performing their duties and responsibilities well on time (McMahon, et. al., 2013).
• Providing quality services to the customers for improving their experience so as to ensure customer satisfaction and sales of the organisation. The main performance objective as a store manager is to ensure the  customer satisfaction  so as to satisfy the needs of customers as well as attracting the new customers by retaining the existing customers so as to comply with the acts and policies of the organisation as well as of the government of United Kingdom.
• Assigning duties and roles to the staff and evaluation of the performance of the staff and providing feedbacks.
• Identification of the requirement of the staff and appointment of the staff.
• Management of the product storage so as to ensure the elimination of the wastage or damage of the products (Haasler, 2013).
• To make sure the products are managed in an organised manner and in a hygienic manner.
• Ensuring the products are labelled, priced and placed in a right manner.
• Identification of the requirement of providing training to the staff and maintaining the ethical code of conduct at the workplace.
• Following the policies of the store and informing about the policies to the staff so as to follow them in an effective manner for the attainment of the desired objectives of Waitrose. Objective as a store manager is to comply with these policies.
• Helping the management team by providing adequate information in the decision making process (Haasler, 2013).
• Ensuring the health and safety of the staff and satisfying the needs of the staff by providing a healthy environment.

1.2 Evaluate own effectiveness against defined objectives

For the purpose of attainment of the objectives decided there is a need to evaluate the performance so as to identify the deviation of actual performance in relation with the targeted performance. For the purpose of evaluation of the effectiveness against the defined objectives there are various aspects related to the role need to be considered. Strengths and weakness need to be considered so as to analyse the effectiveness in achieving the objectives. This identification of the strengths and weakness has helped in overcoming the shortcomings which were affecting the duties and responsibilities performed as a store manager. Evaluation of the different responsibilities is done on the basis of the actual performance of the responsibilities with the targeted performance. Effectiveness of the maintenance of the environment of the workplace has been done with the help of identification of the behaviour of the staff towards each other and towards the customers and level of satisfaction customers are deriving from the services provided by the staff of Waitrose. The quality of the products needs to be evaluated so as to evaluate the effectiveness against the defined objectives (Amy Yeo Chu May & Carter, 2012). The objective in relation to quality of the product is to provide high quality services and products to the customers so as to improve the performance of the organisation and to improve the chances of growth and survival of Waitrose. For this purpose surveys and interviews are conducted from the customers, which will help in identification of the effectiveness against defined objectives. For managing the self-job the results of the activities are managed and evaluated the desired results and past results so as to analyse the effectiveness. It the responsibility of a store manager to ensure the health and safety of the staff at the workplace so as to effectively perform the activities of the business as well as to comply with the rules and laws for avoiding any legal consequences. The effectiveness of this responsibility is measured by the number of absenteeism or leaves taken by the staff due to health issues and by the number of accidents occurring at the workplace due to lack of proper precautions (Hogan, et. al., 2013).

1.3 Make recommendations for improvement

For the purpose of improving the employability skills there is a need to motivate the employees which will help in enhancing their performance. For the enhancement in the performance various techniques and measures have been applied. These techniques help in the improved performance as well as reduce the cost, time and efforts involved in the execution of the operations of Waitrose. These techniques and measures are discussed below:

• Mentoring and guiding: for improving the performance of the employees or staff or for self-development there is a need to provide guidance so as to provide a direction in which efforts need to be focused. Mentoring has helped in the identification of the deviations of the actual performance from the desired performance and improvement in the performance and helps in effectively performing the activities.
• Changing working patterns: working style has created a huge impact over the performance of the staff as well as of the organisation. Change in the working pattern can help in the development of the environment of the workplace as well can help in improving the performance by maintaining the level of effectiveness.
• Continuous training: for the purpose of improvement there is a need to provide training so as to develop the capabilities and skills which will help in dealing with the changing situations and conditions due to the change in the various factors which have direct impact over the performance of the organisation as well as enhances the quality of the services offered by the staff or employees.
• Evaluation of the opportunities: for the improvement in the performance of the employees there is a need to identify the opportunities. Identification of the opportunities helps in the identification of the scope for the development of the organisation and gaining a chance for improving the performance (Jayaram, et. al., 2014).
• Promotion of healthy and safe workplace: for the improvement in the performance there is a need to develop a healthy and safe environment which will help development of every individual with the help and support of each other. This can help in improving the performance of the staff.
• Effective communication: communication helps in the flow of ideas and information. Effective flow of information helps in better execution of the operations and building trust and team spirit.
• Setting appraisal criteria: appraisal criteria need to be decided so as to motivate staff and employees for achieving the criteria which will help in the development of the individual as well as enhancing the performance of the staff.
• Motivation: it is one of the most effective tool which helps in improving the performance of the staff. Motivation can be in monetary or non-monetary form which encourages the staff for performing in a better manner (Jayaram, et. al., 2014).

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

There are various needs of employees which need to be identified and fulfilled so as to motivate or encourage them for performing better. There are various theories given by different people over motivation. Maslow has developed a theory on motivation named as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory. For the purpose of motivating employees management need to adopt motivational techniques which helps in improving the performance of the employees. When one need to a person is satisfied, it moves towards other needs. Needs have been categorised into different levels and these are fulfilled in a sequence. For the purpose of motivating employees of Waitrose motivational techniques and methods are discussed below:

• providing rewards to the employees helps in motivating the employees and enhancing the performance of the employees.
• bonus is also a monetary form of motivation which helps and supports employees in financial form.
• Recognising performance and appreciation: this technique of motivation helps in providing satisfaction to the employees as their work is recognised and they are appreciated for their work.
• Offering other facilities: other facilities include transportation facilities, housing facilities, healthy workplace and flexible timings help in boasting the morale of employees (Ejere, 2010).

LO2 be able to develop interpersonal and transferable skills

This section covers the discussion of the solutions so as to solve the work based problems arising at the workplace of an organisation. Communication plays a vital role in every organisation. There is a need to effectively communicate with the employees so as to ensure the attainment of the objectives of the organisation. There is a need to select the medium of communication so as to gain an advantage form this concept. There is a need to manage the time so as to execute the activities or tasks in a better manner. And solutions of the problems faced in an organisation are discussed.

2.1 Develop solutions to work based problems

Problem solving is an important aspect for every business as it provides strength to the business by eliminating the chances of risk. It can be understood as a risk management approach which provides safety to the organisation from the problems arising at the workplace due to various factors. Various types of problems or issues arise at the workplace which needs to be solved well on time so as to reduce the impact of these issues or problems. For this purpose there is a need to develop solutions for these problems related to work. This process of solving the issues there is a need to identify the issues and the impact it is creating over the performance of Waitrose. There is a need to adopt solutions for the purpose of solving problems occurring at the workplace. It helps in maintaining a healthy environment which helps in enhancing the performance of the employees. There is a need to involve different levels of the organisation in this process so as to generate effective results. The ways of solving the problems arising at workplace are as follows:

• Proper communication: for the purpose of solving the problems arising at the workplace there is a need to develop effective mediums for communication which helps in the effective flow of the information. This will help in gathering information regarding the issues (Sturmberg, et. al., 2013).
• Customer service providing: this will help in collection of the information related to the issues from the customers so as to improve the quality of the services offered to the customers.
• Feedbacks: feedbacks helps in the collection related to the issues faced by the different stakeholders of the business.
• Proactive techniques: proactive techniques help in planning in advance for the future issues or problems which may arise so as to formulate plans for future uncertainties (Sturmberg, et. al., 2013).

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

Communication is an important aspect for every organisation. For the execution of the operations of Waitrose there is a need to adopt a method which helps in effective communication among the organisation. There are different levels in an organisation which need to coordinate with each other so as to exchange the information with each other. Waitrose is having large number of employees and these employees to need to communicate with each other for conducting the activities of the business.  Communication process  need to be done in such a manner that it complies with the ethical code of conduct and manages the professional behaviour. There are various techniques which can be used so as to communicate in Waitrose. For the purpose of communicating with top level management, meetings are arranged where information is communicated with other members of the top level management. For the purpose of communication with middle level management supervisors and managers verbal as well as non-verbal methods of communication can be used in the form of conferences and seminars (Siddiqui, et. al., 2015;2014). There is an increasing trend of using mails for the purpose of exchange of the information so as to manage the information in written form. For the purpose of communicating with the lower level management, conferences can be conducted at large level or open meetings can be held so provide equal opportunities to the employees for participating in the decision making as well as operations of the business. Employability skills includes communication skills also as it is one of the most important aspect for every organisation. Communication is a basic and complex task which needs to be done in a proper manner so as to avoid the risks. For the better functioning of the operations of the Waitrose clear channels of communication are required. Waitrose need to communicate with employees, customers, investors and other stakeholders also so as to convey the information regarding the products and services to them. Informal channel of communication are also followed (Alhassan, et. al., 2014).

2.3 Identify effective time-management strategies

Time management is an element which needs to keep in mind so as to generate the desired outcomes. Effectiveness in the time management process helps in using the time in an effective manner so as to gain advantage over the others in the industry. Employability skills need effective time management as strategies are required to be framed for the purpose of execution of the activities of the business. Time management involves planning and organising the tasks or activities of the business on the basis of priority so as to attain the objectives of the business in an effective manner. These strategies focus helps in focusing over the important tasks so as to utilise the time in a better manner for the generation of the desired outcomes. There is a need to implement an effective time management strategy so as to improve the performance. Effective time management strategies for Waitrose are as follows:

• Distributing the work into different tasks and arrangement of tasks on the basis of priority: in this strategy the work can be divided into smaller parts so as to gain information about the whole task. And arrangement of the tasks on the basis of priority helps in the identification of the major tasks which are of much importance.
• Decentralisation of the activities: this strategy helps in the management of the activities of the business in a better manner as the tasks are delegated to the other employees, which increases the efficiency (Sanmartin, et. al., 2010).
• Allocation of time for different tasks: this strategy helps in the completion of the tasks on time so as to gain effectiveness in the operations of the business.

LO3 Understand the dynamics of working with others

This section of the program focuses over the role of working in a team in the attainment of the performance objectives of the individuals as well as objectives decided by the organisation. Working in a team helps an organisation in numerous ways. Various ways are discussed which helps in the completion of the tasks as well as achieving the objectives decided by the teams.

3.1 Explain the roles people play in a team and how they can work together to achieve shared goals

There are various roles which are played by the people in a team. The Belbin theory has suggested that there are nine roles which are played by an individual in an organisation. These nine roles are as follows:

• Coordinator: Coordinators plays a vital role as they maintain the team work. These people promote coordination in the organisation by providing opportunities to the team members for performing their activities. They act as a guide who provides guidance to other employees for execution of their duties and responsibilities (Batenburg, et. al., 2013).
• Shaper: shapers are the persons who frames the activities or tasks and decides the manner in which these tasks need to be executed.
• Plant: these people are innovative and creative who provides solutions for the problems occurring during the execution of the team work.
• Monitor: Evaluator: these people review the performance of the employees so as to match it with the desired performance. They analyse the work of the team so as to evaluate the deviations. These people take decisions regarding the measures which need to be adopted.
• Implementer: these are the people who implement the tasks prepared by the shapers so as to implement it in an effective manner.
• Resource investigator: Resource investigators are those people who act as a link between the organisation and the external stakeholders of the organisation and deal with these external stakeholders on the behalf of the organisation. This helps in attainment of the objectives of the organisation.
• Team worker: team worker refers to those who perform the activities assigned by team leader in a team by helping other members of the team. These people are responsible for the execution of the work of the organisation.
• Completer-Finisher: these are the people who complete the task and review it before others so as to ensure the execution of the activities in a right manner and in a right direction.
• Specialist: Specialists are those who possess particular skills or capabilities on a particular task or on a particular project (Kumar, 2013).

3.2 Analyse team dynamics

Team dynamics refers to the psychological and unconscious forces which creates an impact over the direction of the behaviour of a team and its performance. Team members perform the activities of the business together so as to perform their roles in a better manner and to provide a direction to the growth of the organisation in a right direction. There are various problems faced by an organisation during the management of the team. All the members of the team perform their activities with the help and support of others. Team dynamics helps in understanding of the objectives and goals of the organisation in a better manner. Every team member contributes towards the achievement of the organisational objectives so as to provide better chances for the future growth and survival. It is the responsibility of the manager or team leader to supervise the activities performed by the team members. For the better understanding of the team dynamics a theory has been selected named as Tuckman’s model (Warner, et. al., 2012). According to Tuckman’s model there are four stages involved. These stages are forming, norming, storming and performing. According to the forming stage all the team members work together so as to create an understanding among them and to get familiar with each other. This helps in better coordination among the team members and attainment of the targets. According to storming stage team members forms a group and discusses the views with each other so as to perform the activities in a better manner. It helps in understanding the capabilities of each other so as to eliminate the gap between them due to various reasons. In the norming stage team members make efforts to resolve the problems among them so as to gain advantage from the strengths of each other so that opportunities can be grabbed. In the last stage performing the efforts of the team guides it towards the attainment of the objectives and goals (Georgiadis, 2015).

3.3 Suggest alternative ways to complete tasks and achieve team goals

The main motive behind the formation of a team is to attain the pre-decided goals and objectives of the organisation in a better manner. There are various ways which can be used so as to complete the tasks and to achieve team goals. These are discussed below:

• this method will help in generating expertise in every team member so as to develop the team members and make them expert in performing a task. This will provide effectiveness to the team members as they will perform the same task on repetitive basis which helps in the development of the skills of the members and provide them expertise in the particular field and completion of the tasks in a better manner.
• Channels of communication: the channels of communication affect the flow of information among the organisation which affects the effectiveness of the organisation in the attainment of the organisational objectives. These channels helps in coordinating with each other and results in execution of the activities of Waitrose in a better manner. Lack of proper channels of communication creates misunderstandings and conflicts among the team members (Baranik, et. al., 2010).
• Team spirit: team spirit generates unity among the team members which makes efforts towards the attainment of the objectives of the organisation in a better manner. For the completion of the tasks or activities there is a need to coordinate and cooperate with each other so as to complete the tasks in a successful manner. Team spirit acts as a key to success for every organisation as efforts are made in a common direction.
• motivation is an important aspect which helps in encouraging the team members for performing in a better manner so as to successfully complete the tasks assigned to them. Motivation is required as needs of the employees must be satisfied which will help in enhancing the performance of the employees or team members and attainment of the objectives or goals of the organisation with the completion of the tasks.

LO4 be able to develop strategies for problem solving

This section of the program covers the discussion related to tools and methods which helps in the development of the solutions for the problems, development of strategy for the purpose of solving the problems faced and evaluation of the impacts of the implementation of this strategy over the performance of business.

4.1 Evaluate tools and methods for developing solutions to problems

There are various problems or issues faced by an organisation during the execution of its activities. These issues or problems need to be identified at the initial stages so as to reduce or minimise the impact of such issues or problems over the activities of the organisation. For this purpose Waitrose need to adopt tools or methods which will help in the development of solutions for the problems. Waitrose need to consider various aspects before the selection of the tools and methods for the development of solutions to the problems. For the identification of the solutions there is a need to evaluate the problems in a proper manner. Management tools and methods can help in the development of the solutions for the problems with the help of the other employees or staff of Waitrose. These tools and methods are discussed below:

• Feedbacks: feedbacks are an effective tool which helps in the identification of the issues or problems faced by the stakeholders of the Waitrose. These feedbacks not only help in the identification of the issues or problems but also help in the identification of the suitable solution for the issue or problems. It ensures the evaluation of the experience of the stakeholders which provides the knowledge of the problems faced by them (Hedman, 2016).
• Group discussions: group discussions help in the evaluation of the various factors related to the organisation which helps in identification of the issues or problems faced by Waitrose and in the development of solutions with the help of mutual decision.
• Evaluation of the internal and external environment: evaluation of the environment of the organisation as well as environment in which organisation exists helps in the better disclosure of the issues and solutions for these issues or problems.
• Motivational techniques: motivational techniques help in the development of the solution which reduces the chances of issues as employees will feel motivated and perform their duties well (Hedman, 2016).

4.2 Develop an appropriate strategy for resolving a particular problem

There are various steps involved in a strategy which are executed in a sequence so as to solve the problems in a better manner. For the purpose of resolving a particular problem a strategy has been developed. This strategy is as follows:

• Identification of the problem: Waitrose is a chain of supermarket which provides various products to its customers. And it faces various problems during the process of providing services to the customers. For the purpose of eliminating these issues the first step is to identify the problems so as to understand the various aspects related to the issue or the problem.
• Developing a plan: next step in this strategy is to develop a plan, which will help in resolving the problems faced by Waitrose. This step or stage helps in the formulation of plans for the purpose of coping with the problems or issues faced by the organisation. All the aspects are evaluated before the development of the plan.
• Implementation of the plan: in this stage the plans which are formulated are implemented so as to resolve the issues or problems and maintain the level of effectiveness in the functioning of Waitrose. This stage involves proper implementation of the plans.
• Monitoring or Evaluation of the implemented plans: the implementation process is monitored and reviewer so as to identify the loopholes in the process or strategy prepared for the purpose of solving the issues or problems (Gerpott, 2015).
• Adoption of corrective steps: under this stage of the strategy the corrective steps are taken so as to rectify the loopholes or issues diagnosed during the monitoring an evaluation of the implemented plans. These stages help in the effective implementation of the strategy so as to increase the changes of growth and survival of the organisation as well as attaining the goals of the organisation.

4.3 Evaluate the potential impact on the business of implementing the strategy.

The strategy is prepared or formulated with a motive to produce or generate positive results from its operation. This strategy helps in providing a solution to the particular problem or issue for which it has been framed. Waitrose is facing shortage of the human resource for the management of the store in UK. For this a strategy has been prepared which will help in the identification of the problem and requirement of the human resource so as to appoint the required human resource with the help of various methods used for the appointment of employees. And it can also frame a strategy for the purpose of development of the employees. For this purpose the field in which training should be provided need to be identified and after this a plan need to be prepared. The plan will be prepared by focusing on the issue which need to be dealt with. Implementation of the plans needs to be done so as to provide training to the employees in the most suitable manner. The training process need to be reviewed on regular basis so as to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation process. And after the reviewing and monitoring process corrective steps need to be taken which will help in the proper implementation of the strategy prepared. This strategy will have a positive impact over the performance of Waitrose and will help in the development of the employees. This strategy will help in developing the employees for future and for providing better services to the customers for enhancing the satisfaction level of the customers (Moh'd Al-adaileh, et. al., 2012).

Conclusion

This report has helped in providing knowledge of the various aspects related to employability skills and its role in the development of an individual as well as of the organisation. The motive of this program is to develop an understanding of the importance of employability skills in the attainment of the objectives by an individual. This report discusses various motivational techniques and impact of the various leadership styles in motivating others for the purpose of enhancing the performance of others. There is a need to have various skills so as to fulfil the responsibilities and roles in a better manner. It also provides an understanding of the importance of working in a team which helps in the attainment of personal objectives as well as organisational objectives. It also explains the nature of groups and group behaviour perpetuating within an organisation. For the purpose of resolving the problems various tools and methods have been discussed so as to provide a solution to the problems.

References

Alhassan, M.A., Zulkipli, G. & Ahmad Shahrul Nizam Isha 2014, "Role of Organizational Culture, Organizational Communication and Temperament in the Choice of Conflict Management Styles among Plant Turnaround Maintenance Employees in PETRONAS Petro-Chemical Companies in Malaysia: A Conceptual Framework", Global Business and Management Research, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 262.
Amy Yeo Chu May & Carter, S. 2012, "FROM "LEARNING" TO "EMPLOYABILITY": INFORMING SUCCESSFUL TEAMWORK THROUGH SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL COMPETENCIES", Economics, Management and Financial Markets, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 11.
Baranik, L.E., Barron, K.E. & Finney, S.J. 2010, "Examining Specific Versus General Measures of Achievement Goals", Human Performance, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 155-172.
Batenburg, R., van Walbeek, W. & in der Maur, W. 2013, "Belbin role diversity and team performance: is there a relationship?", Journal of Management Development, vol. 32, no. 8, pp. 901-913.
Ejere, E.I. 2010, "A Note on Job Performance and Motivational Techniques", Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research In Business, vol. 1, no. 9, pp. 177.
Georgiadis, G. 2015, "Projects and Team Dynamics", The Review of Economic Studies, vol. 82, no. 1, pp. 187-218.
Gerpott, F.H. 2015, "The right strategy? Examining the business partner model's functionality for resolving Human Resource Management tensions and discussing alternative directions", Zeitschrift für Personalforschung, vol. 29, no. 3/4, pp. 214.
Haasler, S.R. 2013, "Employability skills and the notion of ‘self’", International Journal of  Training and Development  ,vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 233-243.
Hamstra, M.R.W., Wisse, B., Sassenberg, K. & Van Yperen, N.W. 2014, "Transformational and Transactional Leadership and Followers’ Achievement Goals", Journal of Business and Psychology, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 413-425.
Hedman, E. 2016, "Leadership Team Tool for better meaning making: developing leadership team communication and reflexivity", Journal of Management Development, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 592.
Hogan, R., Chamorro?Premuzic, T. & Kaiser, R.B. 2013, "Employability and Career Success: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Reality", Industrial and Organizational Psychology, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 3-16.