Manage Workplace Operations: D1.HML - CL10.12 D1.HRM - CL9.03 D2.TRM - CL9.17

MANAGE WORKPLACE
OPERATIONS
D1.HML.CL10.12
D1.HRM.CL9.03
D2.TRM.CL9.17
Slide 1
Subject Elements
This unit comprises three Elements:
 Monitor and improve workplace operations
 Plan and organize workflow
 Maintain workplace records
 Solve problems and make decisions.
Slide 2
Assessment
Assessment for this unit may include:
 Oral questions
 Written questions
 Work projects
 Workplace observation of practical skills
 Practical exercises
 Formal report from supervisor.
Slide 3
Element 1:
Monitor and improve workplace
operations
Slide 4
operations
Performance Criteria for this Element are:
 Monitor efficiency and service levels on an ongoing
basis through close contact with day to day operations
 Ensure that operations in the workplace support overall
enterprise goals and quality assurance initiatives
 Identify quality problems and issues promptly and
make appropriate adjustments accordingly with
relevant approvals
(Continue)
Slide 5
operations
 Adjust procedures and systems in consultation with

colleagues to improve efficiency and effectiveness
 Consult colleagues about ways to improve efficiency

and service levels.
Slide 6
Role of a manager
 Organisations are places where groups of people work
together to achieve a common goal, or goals
 It is the role of the manager to ensure that staff have all

the necessary ‘resources’ to be able to achieve these
goals
 The manager must also monitor to ensure progress

towards these goals.
Slide 7
Role of a manager
Because most organisations aim to make profits and meet
customer expectations, managers are also required to
make sure the work is done:
Efficiently
 On time
 Within the given resource constraints.
Effectively
 Service or product meets quality standards
 The job is done well.
Slide 8
Management functions
Typically a manager has four functions:
 Planning
 Organising
 Leading
 Monitoring.
Slide 9
Planning
 Setting goals and targets
 Overseeing the development of plans, systems and
processes for achieving goals
 Working out how best to get there within a budget.
Organising
 Coordinating the resources, staff, plant
and facilities to achieve goals.
Slide 10
Leading
 Providing the direction, support, encouragement,

feedback and training staff need to do their job well.
Monitoring
 Supervising staff, monitoring and adjusting

systems and procedures to make sure goals
are achieved as planned.
Slide 11
Management responsibilities
 Why do managers seem to work so differently from
each other?
 Why is it sometimes so hard to pin down
exactly what they do in a day?
Managers will work differently depending

on a number of factors.
Slide 12
Their level in the organisation
Their management tasks and approach will change

depending on their level of responsibility within the
organisation.
 Chief Executive Officer
 Middle manager
 Supervisor.
Slide 13
Chief Executive Officer
They are more reliant on conceptual skills.

 Dealing with the board of management
 Broad organisational planning
 Positioning the enterprise in the marketplace
 Securing large contracts for the business
 Balancing the finances of the organisation
 Leading the enterprise as a whole.
Slide 14
Middle level manager
Need strong planning and interpersonal skills.

 Operational planning
 Establishing staffing levels within given budgets
 Dealing with unresolved problems
 Setting up systems and procedures
 Supervising sales and contracts
 Encouraging staff and setting up
systems to support them.
Slide 15
Supervisor
Need technical, operational and strong interpersonal skills.

 Work directly with staff on a day-to-day basis
 Monitor their workload and workflow
 Handle queries and issues as they arise
 Verify systems are implemented and
suggest changes if they are not working.
Slide 16
The size and type of the organisation they work in
In large organisations
 Roles and responsibilities are more likely to be defined
and separated
 Managers will work in specific teams or units.
In a smaller organisation
 Managers required to work across a
number of areas.
Slide 17
Management and culture
The culture of the enterprise
 All organisations have a culture or a mind-set or a
particular way of operating.
 The culture of a business is often described as ‘the
way we do things around here’.
What influences culture in an organisation?
Slide 18
The culture could be:
 Supportive of staff
 Customer-oriented
 Friendly
 Comfortable
 Casual
 Total quality management in nature
 Blaming
 Negative
 Stressful.
Slide 19
In large organisations
 Clear protocols about almost everything
 Staff have unambiguous roles according to their
classification
 Its culture may be described as
structured and safe.
Slide 20
In a smaller organisation
 Encourage staff to wear casual clothes
 Work in a team circle and interact constantly
 Allow for creativity and to attract a
particular customer base
 Its culture may be described as
flexible and creative.
Slide 21
Management style
Their preferred style of operation
Their management style could be:

 Laissez faire
 Team-oriented
 Task-oriented
 Autocratic
 Outgoing.
Slide 22
Monitor work operations
 Monitoring is a process of determining how well our
plans are being implemented
 You cannot monitor something if you don’t have a plan
or basic structure of how something should be done or
a defined goal
 Work operations refer to the work itself and includes
- Systems and procedures
- Staff performance
- Levels of service in the workplace.
Slide 23
These operations can include:
 Service delivery
 Customer satisfaction
 Products supplied and the nature of them
 Dealing with paperwork
 Financial performance.
Slide 24
Management have responsibility for ensuring that
operations in the establishment support the:
 Overall enterprise goals
 Quality assurance initiatives.
Slide 25
Total Quality Management
 Many organisations have a way of operating called
total quality management (TQM)
 This basically means all employees are involved in

continually improving the level of service, productivity
and customer satisfaction
 TQM is regarded as a positive thing for organisations

to be or strive to become.
Slide 26
Total Quality Management
In a TQM organisation:
 There must be full, top-down management
commitment, support and understanding of the TQM
philosophy
 It is important to get work systems and processes right
 Involvement of the whole workforce is necessary and
this is done through teams
 Customer needs are identified and met
 Problems and issues are promptly identified
and adjustments are made accordingly.
Slide 27
Purpose of monitoring
There are good reasons to monitor progress and adjust plans.
 Things are more likely to happen as planned
 Management and staff actually know what’s
going on in the business
 Problems are identified and corrected
 Service and product are consistent over time
 Work operations fit with work and organisation goals
 Staff feel supported and involved
 Customer needs are met
(Continue)
Slide 28
Purpose of monitoring
 Monitoring in a quality environment doesn’t just rely on
the inspection and checking of procedures and work
done
 It is a total concept whereby quality is built into every
aspect of work operations and there is a continual
process of improvement
 It doesn’t blame individuals but rather concentrates on
seeking better ways to do things.
Slide 29
Areas to monitor
Any aspect of work operations can be monitored with a
view to improvement including:
 The procedures or systems
 The workflow
 Gaps or overlaps in service provision
 The workload of staff
 The time it takes to do a task or job
 Job design
 Level of customer satisfaction.
Slide 30
Who does the monitoring
Manager has the final responsibility for determining
whether the goals set by the organisation are achieved.
Managers should involve staff in:

 Setting the goals
 Reviewing the progress
 Coming up with ideas and solutions to problems.
Slide 31
Identify and resolve problems
Managers need to identify quality problems and issues
quickly and take appropriate action swiftly.
Failure to identify these can lead to:
 Lack of repeat business
 Damage to the reputation of the venue
 General decline in sales and profit.
Slide 32
Identify and resolve problems
Scope of authority
 The ability of staff to take unilateral action in response

to an issue is called their ‘scope of authority’
 It will be prescribed by management
 Different positions have different scopes of

responsibility.
Slide 33
Scope of authority
Where an issue falls outside their scope of responsibility,
approval to take action may need to be obtained from:
 The department manager
 More senior or experienced staff
 The owner
 The establishment manager.
Slide 34
Scope of authority
The extent of approval (‘authorisation’) required will depend
on the factors that apply to the issue under consideration
including:
 Costs involved
 Alterations required to existing Standard Operating
Procedures
 Impact on other areas
 Impact on other staff
 Impact on customers
 Impact on service levels.
Slide 35
When to monitor work operations
Monitoring should be occurring all the time.
You can predict problems:

 Before the event
 During the event
 After the event.
Slide 36
Before the event
 This involves being able to ‘read ahead’ and see
certain systems or behaviours are probably going to
result in problems or poor results
 How can you anticipate problems?
Slide 37
During the event
 This involves being able to identify and solve problems
as they occur, and being able to see the effects of
making certain changes
 This is not necessarily an easy thing to do,
because of workload and time constraints.
Slide 38
After the event
 Sometimes it is just not possible to anticipate a
problem or to correct them as they happen
 The benefit of hindsight allows us to take time to
review, reflect, consult and then make changes
 Also, sometimes problems are cumulative,
meaning that many small instances can lead
to a bigger overall problem.
Slide 39
Steps in monitoring work operations
Work out what needs to be monitored
Generally, things to be monitored include:

 Areas showing early warning signs things are not going
according to plan
 Areas of critical activity to the organisation including:
 high revenue raising streams
 areas subject to intense legal scrutiny
 Areas due for scheduled review.
Slide 40
Decide on methods or measures to use
This is where you decide how to measure your progress

including:
 Observation
 Statistical and written reports
 Surveys
 Checklists
 Flowcharts
 Benchmarking.
Slide 41
Compare what is happening with what should be

happening
Here you review and analyse what’s actually happening:

 Refer back to your original goals
 Compare your progress against these targets
 Identify difference and causes.
Maybe original target is unrealistic and

needs to be changed.
Slide 42
Take appropriate action
 This involves making the necessary adjustments to

improve the level of service, productivity or customer
satisfaction
 Depending on what is being monitored, involving staff

in all or some stages of the monitoring process is likely
to achieve better results.
Slide 43
Methods of monitoring
There are many tools or methods available to monitor
progress or outcomes of work operations including:
 Reports
 Obtaining customer feedback
 Using a pretend customer
 Walking around and observing
 Use of checklists
 Brainstorming sessions
 Staff input and review.
Slide 44
Adjust procedures and systems
Adjustment of internal procedures and systems to improve
efficiency and effectiveness is an on-going exercise.
It involves:
 Monitoring of the internal and external environments
 The integration of findings into current practices
 Influences future planning.
Slide 45
Types of workplace changes
Management changes
 New management
 Change in orientation to service
 Setting of some new directions in relation to several
other factors
 New management focus.
Slide 46
Organisational re-structures
 Change of personnel structure
 Elimination of positions
 New job roles
 Changes in job roles
 New knowledge or skills.
Slide 47
Introduction of new equipment
New equipment means:

 Possible interruptions to operations for installation
 Training for staff
 Requires that staff can explain the new
equipment to customers
 Changes in job roles
 Changes in procedures
 Changes to workflow.
Slide 48
Recruitment practices
 Need to establish comprehensive job descriptions and
job specifications
 Seeking of new knowledge and skills
 Change advertising strategy
 Revised interviewing and selection process
 Revised selection criteria.
Slide 49
Influences on workplace changes
There are a number of external factors that dictate the
need for workplace changes.
These include, but are not limited to:

 Competitors
 Economic climate
 Trends in customer preferences
 Environmental issues
 Technological development.
Slide 50
Developing standards and plans
The time spent actively considering your establishment’s
orientation to adjusting procedures and systems should
result in a set of standards and plans.
These must be in writing so everyone can:

 Be sure about them
 Understand what they mean
 Know what is expected of them.
Slide 51
Developing standards and plans
Types of standards and plans
 Response times
 Service guarantees
 Pricing guarantees
 Product quality
 Document presentation standards
 Personal presentation standards
 Complaint management.
Slide 52
Changes in workplace
Approaches to the staff may include:
 Providing education and training service
 Involving staff in planning and implementing quality
improvement
 Building a spirit of working together towards goals
 Improved communication channels
 Promoting open communication and feedback
 Encouraging and recognising innovation
and teamwork
 Recognising the right of every employee.
Slide 53
Changes in workplace
Approaches to the customers may include:
 Making the customer a ‘member’ of the organisation as
opposed to a ‘customer’
 Rewarding faithful customers
 Communicating with customers in a way that promotes
goodwill, trust and satisfaction
 Identifying customer’s un-stated needs
 Ensuring customers’ needs and reasonable
requests are met
 Providing friendly and courtesy assistance
without having to be asked.
Slide 54
Identify and manage customer
service problems
Monitoring and adjusting customer service also involves:
 Identifying customer service problems
 Making adjustments to standards, systems and

procedures
 To ensure continued service quality.
Slide 55
service problems
Types of customer service problems
 Rude staff
 Lazy staff
 Inconsistent service
 Offering not as expected
 Difficulties in contacting service staff
 Lack of information about the services
offered by the establishment
(Continue)
Slide 56
service problems
Types of customer service problems
 Poor products
 Unclear or incomplete price information
 Unclear or incomplete deals
 Handling of complaints
 Unclear content and form of the bill.
Slide 57
Improving customer service
The following actions can greatly improve the delivery of
quality customer service levels:
 Give benefits to key customers
 Systematise customer complaints
 Learn from complaints
 Train staff in customer care.
Slide 58
Improving customer service
 Give staff the authority, discretion and resources to
make quick decisions
 Stimulate employees to be creative in developing

customer care activities
 Invest in meetings and regular contacts with customers

via newsletters or customer magazines
 Making it easy for customer to complaint.
Slide 59
Consult with colleagues
Effective managers will recognise the need to consult with

colleagues about the best ways to:
 Improve efficiency within their unit or department
 Raise customer service levels.
Slide 60
Useful consultation means that staff must be actively
encouraged to:
 Provide input to the development of quality customer
service
 Identify and solve of issues that impact on its delivery.
Slide 61
Consultation advice
Consultation with staff should include:

 Encouraging staff to feedback all relevant comments
from customers
 Not shooting the messenger
 Establishing agenda items
 Providing written protocols
 Providing for written feedback.
Slide 62
Provide feedback
Provide feedback to colleagues and management to
inform future planning
Businesses always look for managers to make incisive

and intelligent contributions about:
 How the property should be operated
 How things can be improved.
Slide 63
Provide feedback
Suggesting ideas
Managers have many suggestions for improvement.
Ideas may have been collected through:

 Discussed with staff
 Watching customers
 Over-hearing their comments
 Receiving direct feedback
 As a result of having seen a good idea
at another venue.
Slide 64
Provide feedback
Types of suggestions
 Changes to food items
 Changes to beverage lists
 Offering new packages or changing the
inclusions that are offered within packages
 Offering greater selection of food and
beverage products
 Offering secretarial services to business clients
 Installing air conditioning or heating systems.
(Continue)
Slide 65
Provide feedback
Types of suggestions
 Up-dating booking and operating systems and
protocols with a movement to a more effective
computerised system
 Purchasing updated cleaning equipment
 Increasing recycling activities
 Making several floors totally
non-smoking or ‘women only’ floors
 Treats for regular customers.
Slide 66
Provide feedback
Seeking customer feedback
All establishments should aim at collecting feedback from

customer by:
 Asking for customer feedback on present products,
services and promotions
 Asking the customer for suggestions as to how the
establishment could better meet their needs and
expectations into the future.
Slide 67
Evaluate emerging industry trends
Keeping up-to-date with what is happening in the industry
is an essential pre-requisite for managers.
The dynamic nature of the industry demands managers

stay in touch with:
 New trends
 New technologies
 New practices
 New legislation
 Successful promotions.
Slide 68
Sources of emerging trends
information
Written material
 Reference books
 Trade magazines
 Newspapers
 Relevant newsletters
 Brochures
 Advertisements.
Slide 69
information
Internet
Develop a list of Favourites and Bookmark them for ready

reference including:
 Suppliers
 Industry associations
 Government bodies
 Specific venues.
Slide 70
information
Other sources
 Conferences and seminars
 Product launches
 Industry associations
 Colleagues, supervisors and managers
 Market research data
 Developing your own industry network
 Talking to the reps.
Slide 71
information
Steps after collecting information
Information is of no value unless it is used.
When you have the information you should:
 Take the time to read, digest and understand it
 Determine the impact of incorporating this knowledge
in to the operation of the property
 Consider the costs of implementing the knowledge
 Talk to others
 Generate a proposal
 Make a presentation about your idea.
Slide 72
Element 2:
Plan and organise workflow
Slide 73
Plan and organise workflow
 Schedule work in a manner that enhances efficiency
and customer service quality
 Delegate work to appropriate people in accordance
with principles of delegation
 Assess progress against agreed objectives and
timelines
 Assist colleagues in prioritization of workload
through supportive feedback and coaching.
Slide 74
Managing work operations
 As a manager you are required to ensure that staff are
able to meet targets and goals that have been
established
 This involves an understanding of and an ability to

organise and manage work operations.
Slide 75
Managing work operations
Some of the essential elements of being a manager
involve:
 Motivating staff
 Determining workloads
 Scheduling work
 Prioritising work
 Organising workflow
 Delegating work.
Slide 76
Motivating staff
As a manager you can increase their job satisfaction by:
 Being fair
 Good remuneration
 Taking an interest in their development
 Being clear to them about how you judge and measure
their performance
 Caring about their safety, health and well-being
 Treating them personally
 Giving them achievable objectives
 Giving them positive feedback.
Slide 77
Motivating staff
What motivates people to do their best?
 Much of the motivation on research talks about

incentives and rewards, which can be very successful
in marketing and sales positions
 However for many people, job motivation is driven by

more personal reasons
 Money is frequently not a prime motivator.
Slide 78
Motivating staff
What motivates people to do their best?
The motivating factors can be:
 A sense of achievement
 Recognition for a job well done
 Enjoying the work itself
 Having responsibility
 Having opportunities for advancement.
Slide 79
Workloads
 Workload is the amount of work an employee is
required to do in a set period of time
 As a manager your task is to ensure employees are not

under-utilised or overloaded with too much work
 This is hard to predict in advance.
Slide 80
Workloads
Determining workloads
There are a number of ways of determining an appropriate

workload:
 This is worked out over time through practice and

observation
 Ask staff for their feedback
 Be aware of other factors impacting on staff

time and contributing to their total workload
 Prioritising tasks into primary and

secondary tasks.
Slide 81
Workloads
Workload considerations
Effective managers will always be aware the nature of staff

roles vary over time.
Managers must realise these changes and their impact on

staff workloads including:
 Do staff need more time to do their job?
 Should more staff be employed?
 Should certain services be revised or eliminated?
 Will technology help?
Slide 82
Schedule workloads
Scheduling work means planning and allocating what
tasks have to be done in a specific period of time, and by
whom by:
 Working out the unit’s priorities
 Working out the most appropriate workflow
 Assess staffing levels and the appropriate
workload for individual staff members
 Delegate tasks.
Slide 83
Prioritising work
 Prioritising involves deciding on, and placing tasks in,
their most effective order of importance
 This order must match with the identified goals and
targets of the organisation, and the objectives of
individual work units, teams or departments
 Managers should look to organisational goals for a lead
as to which tasks should take the highest priority.
Slide 84
Prioritising work
Steps in prioritising work
The four basic steps in prioritising work are:
 Involve staff in the process wherever possible
 Make three lists:
 Essential tasks
 Non-essential tasks that add quality
 Non-essential tasks that would be nice to do
(Continue)
Slide 85
Prioritising work
Steps in prioritising work
 Compare the lists you have generated with the overall

goals and objectives of the unit
 Adjust the lists accordingly, allocate the work and take

action to achieve the lists in priority order.
Slide 86
Prioritising work
Assisting staff to prioritise their own work
 A manager is judged by how well or how poorly your
staff perform
 Therefore time spent helping staff is beneficial.
How can you help staff prioritise their work?
Slide 87
Prioritising work
 Ensure a quiet and private time to sit down with the

person
 Talk with them about their position duties, the goals of

the organisation and the department or unit
 Ask them to identify the most important tasks they do
(Continue)
Slide 88
Prioritising work
 Assist them to consider how they will do these tasks,

and the priority order they will allocate to each of them
 Assist them to come up with a work plan to use as the

basis for the actual implementation of their plan
 Set a time to review their plans and their

progress on a regular basis.
Slide 89
Organising workflow
 Workflow is basically the order in which work is best
done
 Organising this involves determining the logical
sequence of tasks
 The aim is to make sure the job is done efficiently and
effectively.
Slide 90
Organising workflow
Things to take into account when organising workflow
include:
 How long each individual task should take
 Recognition of staff needs and award requirements
such as breaks
 The number of people to best achieve a result or task
 Occupational health and safety requirements
 The most logical order of tasks to avoid
duplication and gaps in service
 The suggestions of staff who are actually
doing the job.
Slide 91
Delegate work to staff
In this workplace context, delegation has two meanings:
 It can mean the allocating of tasks to staff that are part

of their normal duties
 It can also mean allocating some of your own duties to

staff who are willing to take these on.
Slide 92
Delegating tasks to staff that are part of their duties
 Be clear about the task to be done
 Explain why the task has to be done and in a certain
way
 Choose an appropriate time to inform and explain
delegation
 Provide whatever instructions are necessary in the
correct sequence, explaining all of the steps
(Continue)
Slide 93
 Provide training and demonstration
 Continually encourage and check if the

employee has any questions
 Check their understanding
 Give them positive feedback.
Slide 94
When delegating you may run up against problems such as:
 Age differences
 Experience differences
 Gender issues.
Slide 95
Delegating some of your own duties to staff
There are real benefits in delegating some of your own work to

other staff:
 It frees you up to do other things
 It gives staff experience at managerial skills
 It promotes a team approach by sharing tasks
amongst everyone
 It supports the career advancement of staff.
Slide 96
However, in some instances, staff could feel exploited by taking

on what they see as your work.
As a result, there are a number of rules to follow when

delegating your work to others:
 Only delegate to those staff who are interested
in taking on the work
 Delegate interesting and varied work, not the
jobs you don’t like doing yourself
(Continue)
Slide 97
 Make sure the work is suitable and achievable
 Provide the necessary encouragement, training and support
 Inform other staff of the delegation before the delegated
work has started
 Review progress at agreed times
 Be available for questions and queries
at all times.
Slide 98
Principles of delegation
By way of providing a summary of the above, the principles of
delegation relate to:
 Knowledge of team strengths and weaknesses
 Knowledge of context-specific factors
 Self- knowledge
 Evaluation.
Slide 99
Assess delegation progress
Managers should assess the performance of staff against their
agreed objectives and timelines.
This should be done:
 On an ongoing basis during work hours
 At scheduled times in terms of formal performance

appraisals.
Slide 100
Assess delegation progress
Assessing workflow and progress during work
The three keys are:

 Walking around the venue to observe what is happening
 Mentally matching what has been achieved against what is
needed
 Taking action to assist where indicators show
the necessary work will not be completed.
Slide 101
Staff appraisals
Questions
 What is a staff appraisal?
 How often should they be done?
 What is the benefit of a staff appraisal?
 Who is involved in a staff appraisal?
 What is covered in a staff appraisal?
Slide 102
Staff appraisals
The general focus is on the staff member’s performance:
 Overall feeling of personal performance
 Reasons why targets were or were not attained
 Relationships with other staff which appear to be beneficial
or a hindrance
 Problems with equipment and process
 Timelines for work giving rise to problems
 Problems with patrons
 Resourcing issues.
Slide 103
Staff appraisals
The meeting should conclude by:
 Re-capping issues raised by both parties
 Setting targets and measurable objectives for the next
period
 Identifying support or training required to achieve the set
goals
 Setting a time and date for the next review.
Slide 104
Assist colleagues in prioritising
workload
Times will arise when there is a need for you to assist staff
members in the prioritisation of their workload.
Critical elements in providing this sort of help are the use of:
 Feedback
 Coaching.
Slide 105
Feedback
Feedback may be seen as the on-going support provided
to staff as they seek answers to the perpetual question
“How am I going?”
This support can be:
 Verbal
 Non-verbal.
Slide 106
Feedback
Verbal Support
Verbal responses include answers to both asked and implied

questions with statements such as:
 “Looks like you’ve got the hang of that pretty well”
 “Well done”
 “Looking good”
 “Good job”.
Slide 107
Feedback
Non-verbal support
Non-verbal responses can include:

 A smile or grin
 A nod
 A silent hand clap
 A physical pat on the back
 The thumbs up sign
 Making a circle with the thumb and the
forefinger.
Slide 108
Feedback
Giving negative feedback
 Should be communicated in a sensitive and empathetic
fashion
 Usually in private
 Must concentrate wholly on actions not the person
 Stick to the demonstrated facts
 Best delivered using a technique called
the ‘Positive-Negative-Positive’ sandwich.
Slide 109
Coaching
 It focuses on the continued development of an individual
 It can be seen as a process of providing information,

including feedback, to an employee
 The purpose of coaching is to reinforce and extend

knowledge and skills developed through other training.
Slide 110
Principles of coaching
Involvement
Employees should be encouraged to participate actively in

coaching sessions through:
 Prioritise their own workloads
 Giving reasons, explanations and justifications for decisions
 Actively learn
 Appraising problems, issues, situations, demands
or scarce resources for themselves
 Outlining possible courses of action.
Slide 111
Understanding
 Mutual understanding of the topics being discussed and the
tasks being prioritised
 Coaches must describe and explain the ‘big picture’
 Coaches provide information and context clearly
 Information should not be ‘kept secret’.
Slide 112
Understanding
An excellent way of ensuring mutual understanding exists is to

get the employee to:
 Define the problem in their own words
 Describe the proposed solution in their own words.
Slide 113
Listening
 The coach must do more listening than talking
 Effective listening will be achieved when both spoken and

hidden doubts of staff are identified and addressed.
Slide 114
Coaching, then, is aimed at bringing about desired changes in
the actions and attitudes of employees. .
Coaches or managers may achieve this change by using one of

the following approaches:
 Changing the situation
 Changing the employees’ perception of the situation
 Changing the individual’s skills.
Slide 115
Understanding staff needs
An important part of your role as manager is to make sure the
staff who report to you are:
 Engaged in interesting and meaningful work
 Fully occupied but not overloaded
 Have clear tasks to perform.
Slide 116
Involving staff
In doing the work of a manager you will find you have more
cooperation and interest from staff if you:
 Involve them
 Consider their suggestions for change or improvement.
Slide 117
Reasons for performance problems
 There is actually too much work to do
 There are problems in other areas or outside the organisation
which are impacting on your unit’s work
 There are unreasonable demands on your unit
 Your staff have not been provided with the necessary training
to do their job effectively and efficiently
 Wrong staff have been hired or engaged in
the first place
 You have equipment breakdowns.
Slide 118
Notify senior management about staffing needs
 Choose an appropriate time
 Decide method of communication
 Be clear about what the problems and the needs are
 Spell out in detail how you have tried to addressed the issue
 If possible, come up with recommendations

to address the situation.
Slide 119
Element 3:
Maintain workplace records
Slide 120
Maintain workplace records
 Complete workplace records accurately and submit

within required timeframes
 Where appropriate, delegate and monitor completion of

records prior to submission.
Slide 121
Workplace records
Workplace records are an important part of any work
environment and should be accurately maintained within
the required timeframes.
 What workplace records are completed by managers?
Slide 122
Workplace records
Types of workplace records
 Staff records
 Performance reports
 Fire safety checks
 OHS inspections, risk assessments and reports
 Security records
 Incident register
(Continue)
Slide 123
Workplace records
 Gaming incidents register
 Customer comments and feedback forms
 Orders
 Receipt of goods documentation
 Accident and illness register
 Injury claims
(Continue)
Slide 124
Workplace records
 Insurance claims
 Lease agreements and renewals
 Banking details
 Linen cleaning records
 Equipment maintenance records
 Subcontracting agreements and
compliance documentation.
Slide 125
Staff records
 These are records relating to any and all aspects of
staffing the premises
 May be divided into overall records and individual staff
records
 Overall records are those records kept that relate to
staff as a whole
 Gain an overview of what is happening with staff
movements and training.
Slide 126
Staff records
Types of staff records
Overall records
 Staffing rosters
 Training details by operational area
 Annual leave planning chart
 Salary and overtime payments
 Injury records.
Slide 127
Staff records
Individual records
 Position description
 Letter of appointment
 Signed employment contract or offer of employment
 Performance review records
 Copies of certificates held by the employee
(Continue)
Slide 128
Staff records
Individual records
 Leave records
 Record of uniform orders
 Training schedule
 Direct salary deduction details
 Injury claims.
Slide 129
Maintaining records
Ensure you:
 Understand which records you are responsible for
 Complete required records
 Maintain confidentiality and privacy of information
 Records are kept up-to-date
 Make records easily accessible.
Slide 130
Delegating preparation of records
In some cases there can be a need for you to delegate the
completion of workplace records to other staff.
 What must you do to help others prepare documents?
Slide 131
The manager of a work area is unlikely to personally
attend to all of the records in their work area.
 But they are accountable for their accuracy
 A manager must be prepared to delegate such tasks
and have a system for regularly monitoring such
records.
Slide 132
Types of records
Staff may be given required to complete records such as:

 Time sheets
 Requisitions
 Internal transfers
 Requests for maintenance
 Daily takings sheets.
Slide 133
Steps to delegating records
Delegating authority and responsibility for completion of

such records involves:
 Finding the appropriate person to do the job
 Making sure the person is capable or trained to take on
the task
 Ensuring confidentiality is maintained at all times
 Training the person in the tasks required
 Monitoring the process on a regular basis.
Slide 134
Monitor completion of records
Monitoring may include:
 Regular visual inspection and checking of records
 Signing the records to authorise them or indicate they

have been checked and approved
 Comparing the records kept with actual

workplace occurrence.
Slide 135
Element 4:
Solve problems and make
decisions
Slide 136
Solve problems and make decisions
 Identify workplace problems promptly and analyse from
an operational and customer service perspective
 Initiate corrective action to resolve the immediate
problem where appropriate
 Encourage team members to participate
in solving problems they raise
 Monitor the effectiveness of solutions
in the workplace.
Slide 137
Solving problems
 Problem solving and decision making are two key tasks
of any manager
 The ability to deal quickly and effectively with

workplace problems are standard ongoing
requirements for any manager
 It will be a significant indicator of their

effectiveness.
Slide 138
Nature of problems
The very nature of problems is that they are often
unexpected.
They seem to come at the worst of times, such as when

you are:
Busy
Short staffed
Dealing with another problem.
Slide 139
Types of problems
They can show up in many ways including:
 Complaints
 Poor staff performance
 Failing equipment
 Orders not being processed as required, within set
timelines
 Stress
 Staff absenteeism
 Decreases in takings and patronage.
Slide 140
Handling problems
Consideration when handling problems
A solution to a problem has the best chance of succeeding if:
 It is made early on when the problem first surfaces
 It includes those who are directly involved
 Reasons for the decision are explained

to those who are not directly involved
(Continue)
Slide 141
Handling problems
Consideration when handling problems
 It is clear and unambiguous
 It is in-line with stated organisational goals
 It aligns with organisational policies, vision and values
 All the implications of the decision

have been thought through.
Slide 142
Solving problems
Programmed and non-programmed decisions
In the hospitality industry, like many others, decisions can

be described as either:
 ‘Programmed’
 ‘Non-programmed’.
What is the difference?
Slide 143
Solving problems
Programmed decisions
Programmed decisions are those decided beforehand in
response to regular occurrences.
For example, in a restaurant:
Problem Programmed decision
Customer is kept waiting for a table for Complimentary drink or meal

over 10 minutes
Food or drink is spilled on a customer Offer to pay for dry cleaning of
and the customer hasn’t contributed to garment; complimentary meal
this in any way
Course is not to the customer’s Offer of another course
satisfaction
Slide 144
Solving problems
Non-programmed decisions
Where the person responsible uses their judgement and
discretion to make a decision within agreed boundaries or
scope of authority.
This may happen for a problem that:
 Has not come up before
 Circumstances are different
 There are other contributing factors.
Slide 145
Solving problems
Problem solving guidelines

 Look at each situation carefully
 Considering its specific circumstances
 Never rush into a decision
 Don’t be pressured into making a rushed decision
 Think of the implications of any decisions
you make.
(Continue)
Slide 146
Solving problems
Problem solving guidelines
 Make sure you are authorised to make the decision.
 Ask yourself as objectively as possible, whether the
decision is fair and justifiable?
 Check whether the decision fits with organisational
objectives and mission
 Remember, there is often more than
one acceptable solution to a problem
 Spend time looking for second and
third alternatives.
Slide 147
Steps in problem solving
Identifying the problem
Problem identification can be done by:

 Looking at the facts
 Talking with people and listening to their views
 Walking around the premises and observing
 Isolating some factors.
Slide 148
Identifying the problem
 Consider other contributing problems
 Sometimes a real problem can be ‘hidden’ behind a
less serious issue
 You have to be sure you are treating the cause and not
the symptom.
Slide 149
Considering options
 Identify your desired outcomes
 Consider outcomes from an operational and a

customer service perspective.
 Look at what alternative options you have

for solving the problem.
Slide 150
Making a decision
Factors to consider when making a decision are:

 Who will be involved in the decision making process
 How acceptable the decision is to all relevant parties
 The impact of the decision
 The cost of the decision
 The resources to implement it
 Whether your decision is likely to fix the
real problem or just cover it up.
Slide 151
Convey the decision to relevant parties
It is important to convey to all relevant parties:
 The actual decision
 An explanation of the reason for the decision
 In verbal and written format.
Slide 152
Reviewing the decision and making adjustments as
necessary
 It is important to build in a review process.
 This involves checking to see if there has been an
improvement to the original problem.
 If not, you might have to look at another option.
Slide 153
Initiate corrective action to resolve
problems
Actions taken within an operation workplace context can
be seen as either:
 Short term action
 Long term action.
Slide 154
problems
It is sometimes necessary to take short term action to
solve a problem until it can be looked at more closely and
the problem dealt with more thoroughly.
Slide 155
problems
Reasons for short-term action
 Isn’t time to stop and analyse the problem more carefully
and in more detail
 To provide the necessary or expected services to the
customer
 To meet OHS requirements
 To deal with a complaint
 To get staff working together again
 To give you time to analyse and work
through the problem at a later date.
Slide 156
problems
Considerations for short-term action
 Make a definite time to look at it more
thoroughly later on
 Decide who to involve in further problem
solving
 Inform staff and management it is a short
term solution
 Cost the implications of tackling the
problem this way.
Slide 157
problems
Need for long-term action
 Analyse problems for any long-term impact so

appropriate solutions can be devised.
 Identify regular repeated instances

of ‘emergencies’ or situations.
Slide 158
problems
If a situation is a one-off event, then the need for long term

planning is non-existent.
Where something happens regularly, consider:

 How often is regular?
 When does something fall into the category
of requiring long term planning?
Slide 159
problems
In the majority of cases it will become obvious,

because:
 The situation is causing problems for staff
and for customers
 Staff or customers are becoming annoyed
or upset by it
 It is adversely affecting staff performance
and customer service levels.
Slide 160
problems
 It is costing the company money
 It is involving and negatively impacting on a lot of
people
 It is presenting an obvious risk of some sort
 It is breaching legislation, company policies and
organisational values.
Slide 161
problems
Suggestions for long-term action
 Identify the problem
 Describe the nature
 Gain an understand the full extent of the problem
 Identify the cause of the problem
 Check, verify and test that what you believed
to the cause is actually the cause
 Describe and classify the people who
are affected by the problem
(Continue)
Slide 162
problems
 Nominate the nature and result of the adverse effects
on people
 Determine the amount of time that the problem will
occur for
 Identify if it is something that can be tolerated
 Analyse all legal implications
pertaining to the problem
(Continue)
Slide 163
problems
 Determine the costs involved in the problem
 Integrate the loss from the problem into the overall
operation, profitability and viability of the operation
 List all possible solutions
 Discuss, determine and implement
best solution/s.
Slide 164
Dealing with problems raised by staff
 Managers should encourage and motivate staff to solve
their own problems and take responsibility for
implementing them, there will always be times when
they come to you with a problem
 An effective response to these situations is to continue

the theme of involvement and actively engage staff in
helping to identify a solution.
Slide 165
Manager solves problem
 Throughout your working week, problems brought to

you by staff will cover a range of issues
 One way to deal with problems raised by a team

member is to make a decision and ‘solve’ the problem
yourself.
Slide 166
Manager solves problem
This is often necessary if:

 The problem involves calling in others staff
 Things are flat out and you need to make a decision to
keep things moving
 Staff do not have the authority or the ability to
solve it themselves
 Where the matter involves matters of
confidentiality, security or health and safety.
Slide 167
Staff solves problem themselves
 Where possible it is advisable to get the staff member

involved in solving the problem themselves, with your
support.
 How can you encourage staff to solve their own

problems?
Slide 168
Techniques to facilitate this include:

 Asking them to fully describe the details of the situation
 Asking them what they have already done to try to
resolve the situation
 Asking them why they believe their
actions to-date have not been successful
(Continue)
Slide 169

 Asking them what they think the next step should be
and why that is the case
 Contributing ideas to extend and support their ideas
and suggestions
 Encouraging them to think of more alternatives
(Continue)
Slide 170

 Providing your thoughts on resolving the situation
including the reasons why you believe your ideas might
work
 Encouraging them to implement an
identified possible solution.
Slide 171
The key to this approach is to:
Build staff ability to make better decisions
 Gain the confidence and experience to make those

decisions.
Slide 172
Monitor effectiveness of solutions
While it is expected decisions and actions will fix problems
the reality is this is not always the case.
It is essential to track the progress of those decisions to

monitor their:
 Outcome
 Effectiveness.
Slide 173
Monitor effectiveness of solutions
Schedule monitoring activities
 Set a time for monitoring or reviewing progress
 This meeting simply seeks to determine whether or not
the recommended action has been implemented is
working as anticipated
 The intent is simply to verify things are on track, or to
identify if and where they are not.
Slide 174
Finish:
Thank you!
Slide 175

Manage Workplace Operations: D1.HML - CL10.12 D1.HRM - CL9.03 D2.TRM - CL9.17

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Manage Workplace Operations: D1.HML - CL10.12 D1.HRM - CL9.03 D2.TRM - CL9.17

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Manage Workplace Operations: D1.HML - CL10.12 D1.HRM - CL9.03 D2.TRM - CL9.17

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MANAGE WORKPLACE

 Monitor and improve workplace operations

 Plan and organize workflow

 Maintain workplace records

 Solve problems and make decisions.

 Adjust procedures and systems in consultation with

 Consult colleagues about ways to improve efficiency

 It is the role of the manager to ensure that staff have all

 The manager must also monitor to ensure progress

 Providing the direction, support, encouragement,

 Supervising staff, monitoring and adjusting

Managers will work differently depending

Their management tasks and approach will change

 Chief Executive Officer

They are more reliant on conceptual skills.

Need strong planning and interpersonal skills.

Need technical, operational and strong interpersonal skills.

What influences culture in an organisation?

Their management style could be:

- Systems and procedures

- Levels of service in the workplace.

 Products supplied and the nature of them

 Dealing with paperwork

 Overall enterprise goals

 Quality assurance initiatives.

 This basically means all employees are involved in

 TQM is regarded as a positive thing for organisations

Managers should involve staff in:

Failure to identify these can lead to:

 Lack of repeat business

 Damage to the reputation of the venue

 General decline in sales and profit.

 The ability of staff to take unilateral action in response

 It will be prescribed by management

 Different positions have different scopes of

 The department manager

 More senior or experienced staff

 The establishment manager.

You can predict problems:

Generally, things to be monitored include:

 areas subject to intense legal scrutiny

 Areas due for scheduled review.

This is where you decide how to measure your progress

Compare what is happening with what should be

Here you review and analyse what’s actually happening:

Maybe original target is unrealistic and

 This involves making the necessary adjustments to

 Depending on what is being monitored, involving staff

 Monitoring of the internal and external environments

 The integration of findings into current practices

 Influences future planning.

New equipment means:

These include, but are not limited to:

These must be in writing so everyone can:

 Identifying customer service problems

 Making adjustments to standards, systems and

 To ensure continued service quality.

 Give benefits to key customers

 Systematise customer complaints