Employee attributes

Assignment 2 Task 1

1.   Employee Attributes

Two examples of employee attributes that may be required from the Rainbow FULL TIME staff – 1 specific to the job and 1 general (soft skill)

The important point to remember is WHY the attributes are valued

Definition:  Some attributes are specific to a given job but many apply to all jobs. Some attributes relate to you as a person, while others relate to the type of organisation that you hope to join. The job-related attributes necessary to carry out the job and the knowledge of the good working procedures which your employer will expect you to follow.

Job-related Specific Attributes: The job-related attributes necessary to carry out the job and the knowledge of the good working procedures which your employer will expect you to follow. If a particular technical skill is essential to an advertised job, it should be made clear to all prospective employees.

General Attributes: There are particular requirements that are needed in a workplace, these skills are called soft skills that everyone is expected to have, to some extent; these skills make you better able to carry out the tasks for any job. Some skills would be organisational skills, time management, team working, verbal and written communication skills, numeracy skills and other skills such as creativity. The more knowledgeable you are in these areas, the more attractive you will appear to a future employer.

Planning Skills: Planning involves thinking ahead to decide what you need to do to achieve a goal within a given timescale. The progression of planning is about establishing goals, deciding on strategy, setting objectives and then matching your performance against your objectives this can be chosen as a level of. If you don’t achieve the correct level of success you will be able to work from it in a future environment.

Good work procedures: Working procedures is when an employee has any health and safety and security issues. If you are unwell, you should stay off work until you recover. The health and safety act protects any employee if they require taking care of themselves if they are sick and need take time off of work. Any personal details that have been recorded by any employee are confidential and should not be revealed to anyone else.

How to Prioritise: Prioritising means that you complete the most important tasks first and should help you to make more sensible plans in future. Do not try to fit too much into your day or assure to complete work that will prove that it is not possible to complete all work given to you.

How to Plan: Planning can involve a group of people, with each member of the group agreeing to finish all of their tasks given to them in a specific time to be completed in. The organisational skills involved in overseeing a group is more difficult and involves more complicated tools.

Organizational Skills: A system or routine can help you to complete everyday tasks efficiently. If you organise your workspace so that the things you need most pens or pencils, your calculator, a stapler, a dictionary. You may require books or folders on and to store your written work. You may want to keep in contact with suppliers or any other departments in a phone book. Organisational skills can be learnt. First, focus on one aspect of your life that you want to organise, then consider the purpose of organising and set yourself a target.

Time Management: To make the best use of your time, you need to manage your time efficiently; in order for you to do this you could use a diary to track your time or protect your time space by handling interruptions or fortify time when scheduling meetings. People who record times need to keep track of their time schedule. Some employers would need to allocate time maybe once, twice or three times a day; they will also need to check their incoming to check your incoming messages to make sure that all appointments scheduled are not overlooked whether it is urgent or not. This strategy will prevent material piling up in your in-tray and should reduce the amount of time spent thinking about what to do with each item.

Team Working: It is important that everyone understands exactly what roles are undertaken by each team member, and that everyone in the team works well together. Each member of a team has to look after certain responsibilities. This flow of communication helps to prevent confusion of what people are doing in a group. Team spirit, once established, is a motivating force that can help everyone in the team to perform better.

Verbal and written communication skills: Communication within a team and within an organisation is essential for the flow of information. This communication may be verbal e.g. one to one discussion or written e.g. e-mail to a person. Effective communication relies on verbal and written communication skills.

Numeracy skills: Although certain jobs require an employee to have a high degree of mathematical skill, all jobs require some level numeric skills. If you need to solve a mathematical question with a calculator you will need to be precise when using it and they should also know how to estimate an answer on a calculator as well.

IT Technical Support: In the working environment of a support technician you will need to have a good knowledge and understanding on how you would work in an IT environment. When you are carrying out hardware activities you must be able to use hand tools such as screwdrivers, but will also need to be skilled in using electronic testing equipment such as a multi meter.

Creativity: Creativity involves original thoughts and for this your mind will require more space to let the ideas that you have thought of flow more conveniently. Artists, writers, painters and musicians all have certain activities to ready themselves for a creative activity. Frequently they would choose when and where they work in certain environments. Some writers assume they work best earlier in the morning but spend time preparing before they start to write on the day. Some increase their creativeness with fine wine or have loud music playing in their surroundings. The creative procedure requires authority and practice. In a team working environment, creativity has to be channelled in spite of background noise such as machinery or conversation. To allow ideas to be completed to its best ability, you might need to form your own space within this hectic environment. The attitudes an employer expects depend very much on the job specification and conditions of working.

Two examples of employee attitudes that may be required from the Rainbow FULL TIME staff – 1 specific to the job and 1 general (soft skill)

The important point to remember is WHY the attributes are valued

2.    Employee Attitudes: Definition

·        Two examples of attitude that may be expected of a Rainbow Volunteer

·        Explain why the attitudes are valued

Definition:  The way a person views something or tends to behave towards it, often in an evaluative way.

Determination: Personal attitudes for some people can be complicated to learn. Instead, if you deem yourself to be lacking in knowledge, you could try to prevail over your natural inclinations. For many attitudes, there is a field ranging from people who know a lot about this and then another field of people who are not so sure about this.

Some attitudes can get in the way of team work as some people will listen and agree with what some people say and where as some people will disagree and not allow another persons point to get across.

Independence:  An employer may advertise for someone who can think for themselves. They will be looking for somebody who is not completely dependent on being told what to do next, somebody who can demonstrate some initiative. However, they will not desire a new member of staff to do something without checking first or consulting others as to what’s normally done. Most people with common sense and flexibility should prevail.

Integrity: Integrity is crucial for most jobs. An example of this would be honesty when handling money. However, in several jobs, you might be more successful if you can tell the truth and if you say what people want to hear rather than telling the whole truth. In a management position for example, a mix of thoughtfulness and compassion is needed when telling employees bad news which could include being made redundant or if there is a work closure.

Tolerance: Tolerance might be considered necessary in all walks of life. To admit that each individual has their own way of doing things and that each person has different targets to meet and complete. It shows a point of tolerance that allows certain people to work to their own capability. This in particular is significant in team working circumstances. However, in positions of authority you can’t always be tolerant and you might be expected to demonstrate no tolerance at all in certain conditions. An example of this would be somebody who behaves in a manner that might present a danger to others must be stopped from doing so and someone who fails to hit a deadline may be jeopardy of the jobs of fellow workers.

Dependability: Dependability is measured on how dependable you are when being told to complete something. Most employers would desire a worker who is dependable. Who always turns up for work on time, does what is expected and makes no waves.

Problem-Solving: In some situations many people will observe only the problems they face and will be weighed down by them. Others may be quick, possibly too quick to see a solution. They may not welcome the full degree of the difficulty. Having an open mind and a positive approach can be cooperative when problem solving. If you presume that something is impossible, then most times you will prove yourself to be correct. Likewise if you approach the attitude as if nothing is impossible and are keen to look for an answer that works, you will be likely to find one.

Leadership: Everybody has the potential to be a leader and to have an opportunity for leadership to take place on a daily day-to-day basis. However, many people require confidence or leadership knowledge. They doubt that they can lead and so they do not attempt to lead them at all. Learning how to lead would consist of learning how to pursue, so recognising the roles and tasks of leaders and followers is a must for those who work within a group. To lead well, you need to be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses. Before others will respect you as their leader, you must respect yourself. You must be aware of people, so that you can identify what motivates them, what rewards and values matter to them and how, as a team leader, you can motivate them with your visualization of what the team can accomplish.

Confidence: If you lack in confidence, you can approach the problem solving in many ways but some people will be too cautious. You may not have the courage to try the best approach. Confidence in your ability to meet the challenges you face can assist you to accomplish your goals. Other people’s confidence in your abilities can also make a difference to how your ideas are acknowledged. However if you are too confident or superiority may mean that you do not consider things through carefully enough while planning your strategy. You may miss a vital clue or glide over a significant aspect, resulting in problems at some point. So, confidence is significant but it must be based on authentic skill levels.

Self-Motivation: Some people are described as self starters they do not need anybody else to motivate them to do something as they have their own internal drive. People who are not self-motivated either does very little or use up their team mates’ valuable energy to keep them going. Such people are not welcome in a team.

Two examples of employee attributes that may be required from the Rainbow FULL TIME staff –1 specific to the job and 1 general (soft skill)  

1 specific to the job

Qualifications

Essential    

·          A level 4 (or higher) qualification in ICT or in an ICT related area on e.g. HNC/D or above.

·          GCSE English (Grade A*-C) or Essential/Key Skill Level 2 (or higher) in Communication or equivalent.

·          GCSE Mathematics (Grade A*-C) or Essential/Key Skill Level 2 (or higher) in Numeracy or equivalent.

You will need qualifications to get this job as an ICT officer; this job will require some specific qualifications that are needed to apply for this job e.g. GCSE English and Maths A*-C grade and a Level 4 or higher qualification in ICT or an ICT related area. You will also need to have a good knowledge of the hardware and software and the inn’s and out’s of a computer. You will also need competencies that include demonstration needed to perform the role, a flexible and positive team member with a clear and logical approach to work, proven communication and interpersonal skills to liaise with other members of staff, the ability to work under pressure, organize and prioritize a varied workload.

1 general soft skill: Time management

An ability to work under pressure, organise and prioritise a varied work load the required standard and within tight deadline. This will then allow a task to be carried out without having to rush.

Two examples of personal attitudes and why they are needed to do this job:

Dependability: This is measured by how dependable you are able to work when being told to complete something. Most employers would desire a worker who is dependable. Who always turns up for work on time, does what is expected and makes no waves. This attitude can be used when someone is setting up a computer which needs to be given to a new employee. E.g. there is a new employee, they will need a new computer set-up for them to use when they arrive

Self-Motivation: Some people are described as self starters they do not need anybody else to motivate them to do something as they have their own internal drive. This can be used when you are working by yourself as you will not need anyone to motivate you to carry out a job. E.g. Go to a department and fix a computer.