Equality and Diversity Awareness

The aim of this blog post is to raise awareness about equality and diversity.

So, first of all, a brief definition of each is needed.

Equality is about ‘creating a fairer society, where everyone can participate and has the opportunity to fulfil their potential’ 

Diversity literally means difference. When it is used as a contrast or addition to equality, it is about recognising individual as well as group differences, treating people as individuals, and placing positive value on diversity in the community and in the workforce.

If these two principles are not followed then it can lead to stereotypical prejudices. Click on the picture below to make it bigger and see if you can remember a time when you felt something similar. How did that make you feel? If you are in a group, and feel comfortable enough, share these feelings with your peers.

We will now run through a number of labels that can lead to a lack of diversity and equality and each will include a link to a relevant news article that you can read in your groups, or alone, and think about the message that the article is putting across.


AGE

A number of age discrimination obstacles that you may come across:

• Too old
• Too young
• Not enough experience
• Over qualified

 Here is a news article looking at age discrimination within the South Wales police force: http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/South-Wales-Police-faces-huge-legal-bills-losing/story-20575768-detail/story.html

 GENDER

From a young age we are told that there are 'boy jobs' and 'girl jobs.' Why not have a think about what could be called a 'boy job' or a 'girl job.' Do you think that some jobs are more geared towards men/women?

Here is a news article about sex discrimination in the workplace: http://mg.co.za/article/2014-01-30-female-graduate-wins-first-gender-bias-lawsuit-in-china/ Do you agree that the woman in question should have sued?

SEXUAL ORIENTATION

It was only in 2010 that the Equality Act changed to its guidelines to include that it was unlawful to discriminate against workers because of sexual orientation.

Take a look at the article below on gay rights in regards to the winter Olympics:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26043872 

RACE

The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against employees because of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin.
There are four types of race discrimination.

• Direct discrimination: treating someone less favourably because of their actual or perceived race, or because of the race of someone with whom they associate. An example of this could be refusing to employ someone solely because they are a particular race
• Indirect discrimination: can occur where there is a policy, practice or procedure which applies to all workers, but particularly disadvantages people of a particular race. An example could be a requirement for all job applicants to have GCSE Maths and English: people educated in countries which don't have GCSEs would be discriminated against if equivalent qualifications were not accepted.
• Harassment: when unwanted conduct related to race has the purpose or effect of violating an individual's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual
• Victimisation: unfair treatment of an employee who has made or supported a complaint about racial discrimination.

 There has been a number of recent cases regarding racism and football. Have a look at the below news articles and discuss how racism can affect both the players and fans of football.


 http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/racism-football-probe-after-accused-6678407

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/10588987/Stan-Collymore-calls-for-Twitter-action-over-racist-abuse.html

DISABILITY

The Equality Act 2010 provides disabled people with protection from discrimination in the work place:

• Employers must make reasonable adjustments to accommodate a worker with a disability.
• Disabled employees are protected from harassment at work.
• Employers should have polices in place to prevent discrimination.

Below is an article looking at employment opportunities for disabled young people in Scotland:
 http://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1562261/scotland-boosts-employment-oppertunities-young-disabled-people

Do you agree that some jobs should focus on employing people with disabilities?

 RELIGION AND BELIEF


The Equality Act 2010 states that it is unlawful to discriminate against workers because of their religion or belief or lack of religion or belief.
Discrimination covers four areas:

• direct discrimination: treating someone less favourably because of their actual or perceived religion and belief, or because of the religion or belief of someone with whom they associate
• indirect discrimination: can occur where there is a policy, practice or procedure which applies to all workers, but particularly disadvantages workers who hold a particular religion or belief
• harassment: when unwanted conduct related to religion or belief has the purpose or effect of violating an individual's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual
• victimisation: unfair treatment of an worker who has made or supported a complaint about discrimination because of religion or belief

Do you agree with what is being discussed in this online article?:

http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/291230/Discrimination+Disability+Sexual+Harassment/Do+We+Live+in+Society+Where+Blessing+Someone+is+Religious+Harassment


Hopefully this blog post has helped your understanding about the different types of discrimination that some people may face during their working life.

Paige & Sophie

Conflict Resolution

Welcome back to BYEP's latest blog post! This post will be focusing on conflict resolution.
A number of scenarios that you may come across during your working life will be discussed and it is up to you to decide how best you would resolve these conflicts. Remember, there is no 'right' answer.

It may be a good idea to get into groups with your friends and go through the scenarios so that you can discuss how best to resolve each of the issues brought up in the five scenarios!

Scenario 1

"You have been the last to go home for the past few days and because of this your boss has said that you can go home early. Your colleague has plans with friends and is annoyed that you get to go home while they have to stay late. You hear through the grapevine that they have been complaining to the other staff members about how the boss favours you."

What do you do?

 Scenario 2

"You are working at a clothes shop and a customer comes in and informs you that they have ordered something online to collect in-store. You take her details and the product code which should inform you of the item location within the stock room however the item is not there. You ask for a colleague to help but they too cannot find it. You inform the woman and she becomes extremely angry and starts using abusive language. After several minutes you ask her if all the details she has provided are correct and looking at the details she realises she has ordered the item to the wrong store."

What do you do?

Scenario 3

"You are working in a busy restaurant and you go to take a table their food however a customer claims you have got their order wrong. You remember taking the order and are 100% certain that this is what they ordered, and is what you wrote down on your notepad."

What do you do?

 Scenario 4

"A customer comes into the store with their young children who begin to misbehave. The mother has noticed but ignores them however they are damaging stock."


What do you do?

Scenario 4 continued...


"You politely ask the mother to stop the children from damaging store property and she becomes extremely aggressive."

What do you do?

Scenario 5



"Your boss calls you into their office and tells you that your recent performance has been unacceptable. You ask them for specifics and they reference two occasions, neither of which were actually you but a colleague of yours who you are close friends with and know has been having some problems at home."
 


What do you do?

We hope you find this post helpful and will feel more comfortable in dealing with conflicts that can occur in the work place.

Paige & Sophie

Customer Service Skills

What else could you offer potential employers?
Well, most jobs nowadays deal with customers so if you have the ability to work well with others, to remain calm in stressful situations, and are always polite then the employer will be lucky to have you!

This blog post will now go through a few things to bear in mind to show off your skills.

Listening skills

If the customer you are dealing with comes to you with a complaint or asks for a service, listen carefully to make sure you have all the correct and necessary facts in order for you to do your job efficiently and properly.

Communicate clearly

During an interaction with a customer make sure you know when to listen, when to speak, and how to speak.

Keep your word

Remember:

• Don't agree to do tasks that you are unhappy about or can't do
• Don't be afraid to say no
• Don't put things off

Make sure you keep up to date with your company's policies so that any promises you make to customers, you are able to keep.

 
 Product and Organisation Knowledge

Customers will look to you for answers regarding products that the company offers and information about the company itself so it is a good idea to keep in mind the following points:

• What are the company policies?
• Who are the organisation's main competitors?
• Know the chain of command
•  Familiarise yourself with new products
• Know the location of products so that you can inform customers where they will find them

Positive Language


Ensure that whoever you are speaking to, be it your manager, your collegues, or customers, that you speak in a positive and friendly manner at all times.

Going the extra mile

• Know what people want and where you can do more or do it more thoroughly
• Make the service personal. Treat each customer like an individual, not just another customer
• Always ask customers if there is anything more you can do to help or give them a better service
• Never be without a task - if you finish something ask your supervisor for a new one, this will show initiative

 







 Leadership skills

Showing that you are capable of providing new solutions for customers proves your leadership and increases your professionalism. Also, this might be a skill that your employer will look for when considering promotion.

Time management

Be on time for work! Time management skills are important in showing both your boss and customers that you are punctual and reliable.

Be goal-orientated

Don't waste precious time faffing arounf, set yourself clear and acheivable goals that you can work towards.




Remain Professional

Whilst at work, bear in mind the following things:

• Dress smart
• Be polite
• Keep your cool
• Always be aware that you represent the company
• Be careful about how you word things

Working under pressure


Changes and unexpected events, problems or challenges can - and do - often occur, regardless of how well-planned or organised you are.  The ability to respond effectively to pressure and stress is therefore extremely important in any line of work. How you respond will vary from person to person; some people thrive on it and perform better when under pressure, others may panic or become ineffective. It is important that you are aware of how you act in such situations and what steps you can take to improve your effectiveness in such situations if necessary.

GOOD LUCK
Paige and Sophie

Managing your money and income

Once you have your job, you will be receiving a wage! Now, getting all that money will be fun but it is important that you know how to manage it appropriately.

So, you should be aware of what your income actually is. You need to know about the following:

• How much are you getting each month?
• Know how much of it is being taxed
• Should you be taxed? This is dependent on how much you are getting paid as well as whether you are still in full time education. This handy link will give you all the information you will need to answer these questions..http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/working/startleave/firstjob.htm

You should also keep on top of your outgoings. Know how much money is going out of your account each month such as phone bill, car insurance, rent etc.
Make sure that you are getting the best deal possible too, websites like Money Supermarket (http://www.moneysupermarket.com/) offer advice on which companies give the best policies for different bills.

Have you considered savings? Why not think about the following:

• Are you saving up for anything?
• How much do you want to put away each month?
• Consider going to the bank to set up a separate savings account- some accounts are set up to stop you taking money out-this avoids temptation
• Think about setting up a direct debit from your current account to your savings account so that a specific amount comes out each month

Once you start getting an income, it might be a good idea to start budgeting. In order to efficiently budget you should think about the following points:

• How much do you want left over each month?
• What do you want to spend your money on?
• How much on clothes, nights out, video games etc are you spending each month?
• Having occasional quiet/dull weeks allows you to save up for fun weeks!
• You should aim to keep on top of your finances by checking how much money you have left regularly. 

GOOD LUCK!
Paige & Sophie

Interview Techniques

Welcome to BYEP's third blog post!
This time we will be focusing on interview techniques. We know from previous experience just how nervous you can feel when you have an interview looming so we have put together this post to try and put you at easy with some handy tips.

Fistly, think about what you are going to wear. How you present yourself will be the first thing an employer sees and will form the basis of an opinion about you before you even start talking!
Remember the following:

• What you wear reflects who you are
• Body language will give a lot away about you
• Be polite!
• Ensure that you are on time to the interview, timekeeping is very important to prospective employers

 

Secondly, make sure you enter the interview preaped. For example:

• Know when you can start the job and exactly how many hours you are looking to work
• Know what the minimum wage for your age group is
• Know what the company does (research!)
• Know what your role entails
• Come with questions to ask the interviewer about the role

Thirdly, know your stengths and make sure the interviewer knows about them too! Let them know if you are hardworking, if you are computer literate, if you enjoy working well in a team, a problem solver etc..
Also, know your weaknessess. 'What is your biggest weakness?' is a popular question that interviewers like to ask so ensure that you prepare an appropriate reposnse prior to the interview. Whatever you state is your weakness (puncuality, perfectionist, shyness etc..) make sure that you are able to turn it into a strength or show how you would overcome it.

It might be a good idea to meet up with a friend and practice interviewing each other to build your confidence so that when you get to the real deal, you will feel more relaxed.

Also, find below a link to more advice regarding interviews including a virtual job interview!
http://career-advice.monster.co.uk/job-interview/careers.aspx

GOOD LUCK!
Paige & Sophie

Writing a cover letter

Welcome to our second blog post. This time we will be running through the best way to write your cover letter.
So, why do you need a cover letter? Well, the covering letter adds flesh to the bare bones of your C.V. It shows your prospective employer that you have the specific  qualities that the job calls for, and makes a statement about yourself and your suitability for the job. The inclusion of a cover letter gives the personal touch that your C.V. won't.

 

First things first... 

You need to focus your letter and you can do this in a number of ways:

• Do your research! Make sure you read up on the job you are applying for and the company. This shows the employer that you have a keen interest in the job on offer.
• Find out who you are sending the letter to.
• Ensure that you have a clear understanding of what the company does.
• Clearly state in your letter why you are interested in the job
• Take keywords from the job advertisement

Second of all...
Tell them about your previous experience (this can include both paid and unpaid work). Tell the employer about the following:

• Any previous work experience that relates to this role
• Any skills you have that are useful to the this role
• Any extra-curricular achievements that you have which are relevant (e.g. first aid training)

Our third and final point..
Don't be afraid to sell yourself! You need to give the employer a reason why they should hire you rather than anyone else. So tell them about the following:

• What are your strengths?
• What is special about you?
• How in the past have you gone beyond expectation and requirements of any previous roles?

By following the website link below you will be able to access free cover letter samples for a number of job roles:
 
http://career-advice.monster.co.uk/cvs-applications/free-cover-letter-samples/jobs.aspx

GOOD LUCK!
Paige & Sophie