Wednesday 16 December 2015

Unit 05 - Contribute to Good Working Relationships

(05.1) Understand how to agree working arrangements

1.1 Identify key roles and tasks in the production process

My place of work is a creative youth centre type environment where young people come along and participate in various creative sessions. The evening sessions are more leisure based, whereas activities in the day are more for school groups, young people with behavioural needs, and alternative education one to one support. We also hire out our venue to groups who want to use the space and facilities, and bands and musicians come to rehearse, record songs etc. We also sometimes host/ put on our own events.



There are many different job roles in our work place. Our main manager is in charge of making sure everything is running smoothly and making sure we are getting our jobs done. He also does a lot of filming and editing for the people who decide to use our services. My line manager is the creative, artistic one who runs the Art sessions on a Thursday evening, so a lot of my duties revolve around that. I’m also creative and artistic, so we get along and work very well together. As my apprenticeship is Creative and Digital, as well as having a flair for art and Photoshop, I also need to know the technical side so am receiving media training sessions from our manager. We also have someone who runs all the music based sessions. I work alongside two other apprentices. One of them is the Social Media apprentice who deals with all our online posts and publicity. The other one is the Music Production apprentice who works in the music sessions and events such as a thing we do called ‘DCAS Live’ where we get local musicians come in to be interviewed and filmed performing. These performances then go online. Also the roles of the receptionist and caretaker are important, so people can be informed about us and have a point of contact when they arrive and depart, and also that our building is kept in good condition. 


1.2 Outline how to clarify, agree and revise working arrangements in a way which promotes good working relationships

At Donut Creative Arts Studio, a lot of our duties tend to cross over. We believe in helping each other out and encouraging strong team working skills, but it’s also important that we have the independence to be able to work on our own initiatives. Also when we work together we tend to learn a bit more about each others duties and pick up on new skills we didn’t realise we’d discover. Compromising is also important, so for example, if we’re all working an event, it’s important that we ensure everyone is doing an equal amount of the work so it’s fair.


(05.2) Understand how to communicate effectively with colleagues

2.1 Explain the importance of balancing the needs and tasks of people

We all socialise and get along well with each other. As it is a creative environment, everyone is different and has their own things that they are into, which makes conversation more interesting. Especially with working for Derbyshire County Council, we are all big on Equality and Diversity, so we’re not afraid to go really into depth about our hobbies and interests etc. This gives me a feeling of comfort knowing I can be myself without getting judged, whereas years ago when I was at school I was terrified to say anything. It’s amazing how a certain environment can help a person to show who they really are and feel good about it.






2.2 Explain the importance of sharing information with colleagues

Naturally we work on a lot of things together, so it’s important to make conversation with each other in order to maintain effective team work. Also if someone is struggling for ideas, someone is always able to give good advice. Sometimes last minute events pop up which means we have to alter our hours around, so sometimes if someone for example, is out filming a meeting, this might mean someone else having to take over their job such as filming ‘DCAS Live’ or helping out on a session they wouldn’t normally do. In cases like this it’s important to converse with that person who normally does that job, so we know fully what we are doing.


2.3 Identify ways of tactfully requesting others to change working arrangements to improve own productivity

If someone is called to do a job straight away we work out who is doing what, and whoever hasn’t got much to do, or know that their job could be done alongside that job would take over. We all like to make sure everything is fair and work effectively together, making sure everyone’s amounts of work are equal. Prioritizing jobs and tasks on lists always helps me, so maybe this would be an effective method to use as a group when teamwork jobs occur.

2.4 Describe how to explain own decisions clearly and constructively

I would just talk to people about it directly face to face. If the person I was talking to didn’t understand, I would break it down step by step so as not to confuse them. It’s also important to think about what impact my decisions may have on others, before going ahead with an idea. Using verbal and non verbal (body language, facial expression, gestures etc.) communication, I would tell them about my decision in a positive way, but in a way that is almost asking if they approve and if they would like to make any suggestions.


2.5 Describe how to resolve conflict situations or dissatisfaction

This isn’t something that occurs at my place of work, but if it did, it’s important that a big thing isn’t made of it and that it is addressed as calmly as possible. For example, if myself and one of my colleagues got into a big heated argument, customers who came to use our facilities would feel awkward and see us as ‘Unprofessional’. Also it wouldn’t be fair on other colleagues, as they too would feel awkward or maybe feel the need to get involved, which would most likely make the situation worse.






When resolving these things it’s really important to stress on compromising and making sure everyone is happy. Break down the problem into segments. Think what could be changed that everyone will benefit from.

2.6 Explain the importance of liaison with colleagues productivity 

Liaising with colleagues is vitally important in order to get jobs and tasks completed, especially in my place of work where we often have to work together on sessions or events. Also it’s amazing how much you can learn from each other, whether you be working with fellow apprentices, your line manager, your boss etc. As a creative person, I have learned lots of arty tips and tricks from my line manager, and I’ve learned a lot on the more technical side from a few of the others. Where I work we are always happy to share our knowledge and help each other out, which works out great because we are all so diverse and have our own specialist areas.







(05.3) Be able to develop and maintain good working relationships during the production process

3.1 Clarify, agree and revise working arrangements, promoting good working relationships

At DCAS, we discuss what is happening the next day, throughout the week, month etc. and work out who is in and on what shifts. We also consider the skills required for what is happening, so if one of the other apprentices is more suited to the task, they would alter their hours, which sometimes means I have to alter mine. But we always make sure that everyone is happy with the arrangements, and when decisions are final, we take down notes in our diaries.


3.2 Communicate own decisions clearly and constructively


When telling each other our ideas, we always make sure we are not talking over each other. Before making any decisions, I always start by thinking realistically. Is the idea possible? How will it impact on others? How would they feel about it? As described in 2.4, I would use the right body language and do it in a way that is not demanding, and in a way that shows that other people’s suggestions are more than welcome.


3.3 Resolve any conflict situations or dissatisfaction as necessary

It’s important that everyone is comfortable in what they are doing and who they are working with. If not, it shouldn’t be a big thing. It’s just a case of talking to that person as calmly as possible and working together to find a solution to the problem that everyone is happy with.


3.4 Liaise with appropriate colleagues to ensure effective and productive working

We do a lot of youth sessions and public events which requires a lot of our staff to be involved, so we are very often productively working together and liaising.




It’s important that for these jobs everyone has an equal job amount to do, and that if someone has the job that nobody wants to do, we create some sort of rota. For example, a while ago we were the host for a couple of local theatre companies who were putting on shows at our venue. We were involved in various technical duties, but at all times someone had to be on the doors doing front-of-house duties. I started off on that job. After a while it gets really boring and painful being on your feet for long periods of time, but myself and the other apprentices created a rota system and a fair amount of time to be on the doors until we swapped to the next person. 


No comments:

Post a Comment