Work cooperatively with others

Use problem solving when necessary so work is completed according to organisation policies and practices

Reflect on a problem you encountered recently—at work. (Otherwise, consider problems at home or in a social setting or personal problems.) What strategies did you use to deal with your problem?

Organisational polices and practices guide us in the processes and procedures that we implement in order to solve problems when working within the children’s service industry. Previously we have discussed the need for team members to consult written policies or request verbal confirmation of unwritten policies to guide their actions and practices in different situations that arise. The organisational structure, philosophy and practices recorded in policies influence the way in which problems are solved within children’s services.

Ideally problem solving through collaborative or participative management strategies would be implemented, as there are great benefits in encouraging team members, parents and management to contribute their valuable ideas, experiences and knowledge to the decision-making process. As we have discussed, the more people involved in the decisions made, the greater likelihood that the decision will be accepted and understood due to the knowledge about the process and its implications for the stakeholders of the service. Depending on the management structure of a children’s service and the individuals with management responsibilities, this form of problem solving and decision making will be actively facilitated or it will not exist.

Problem solving is a challenging aspect of working within an organisation, but it can also be a creative and positive challenge.

Problem-solving steps Following is a summary of the most frequently used steps in the problem-solving process.

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As you read through the steps, keep one of the following scenarios in mind. Also, think about how the process could be assisted if more than one person at the centre took responsibility for problem solving.

1. Parents have expressed concern over excessive noise levels at your centre. A test found that it was sometimes above 110 decibels and continuous.

2. Jason’s parents have just informed the centre that Jason is allergic to peanuts. They have provided you with a letter from a specialist which says that his allergy can be life threatening.

Step1: Define the problem• Pay careful consideration to the aspects of the problem that you already know.• Write down the identified problem and the aspects that you have thought of.

Step 2: Think of possible solutions• Be creative, think of all possibilities—not the practicalities at this stage.• Write down all the ideas that you have come up with.

Step 3: Consider advantages and disadvantages of each possible solution

• Address each of the possible solutions developed in step 2. • Record the strengths and weaknesses of each idea that you came up with.

Step 4: Choose most practical/comfortable solution• You are able to make an informed decision from all the analysis that you have

performed.• When making the final decision—ensure that you consider the philosophy, polices

and procedures of the organisation, as well as your legal obligations and responsibilities.

Step 5: Generate a plan• Develop a plan of action or time line, considering how/when you will implement

the decision made. • An important part of this stage is to ensure that others are informed of the process

that you have been through (or ideally they have been completing this process with you).

• You need to encourage others to make suggestions or inform you of any concerns that they may have.

• Other stakeholders will need to be informed of their role and/or how this decision will influence them.

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Step 6: Implement and evaluate• Implement your plan and evaluated it.

As you would realise from reading through this process and working through it, it is a very time consuming process. Therefore it is hoped that you would realise that in a busy children’s service, you would implement this problem-solving process when solving the larger issues that affect a service, such as the need to increase fees.

With smaller everyday issues, such as purchasing more nappies, you may use this process in an informal way to generate possibilities for solving the problem. You will also experience the weight that this responsibility has for one person and that it is more productive and beneficial to have several people involved in the problem-solving process.

Activity 1

Dealing with problemsProblem solving occurs on a daily basis in a children’s service. The majority of this problem solving occurs as an informal process between children, staff members, parents and the supervisor. Simple problems are usually resolved through discussion and simple changes. At other times, there may be a need to implement a more formal problem-solving procedure for resolving larger problems that develop.

Consider the scenario below. Do you think the childcare workers had problem-solving skills?

A number of staff at Magic Garden Childcare Centre are sitting around at lunch-time talking. They are talking about parents’ concerns about lead poisoning at the centre.

Rory: A number of parents have expressed concern about whether there is lead contamination at our centre.

Robyn: Yes, I have been concerned too myself. When the painters were contracted over the holidays to paint the buildings, we didn’t check to see whether their methods were safe, did we?

Quan: I suspect they used the dry-sanding method. When I came back after the holidays, I noticed bits of paint.

Koray: This is very serious. From what I’ve read, even low level lead poisoning can lead to learning and behaviour problems in children. At one childcare centre, they had to replace all the topsoil and all surfaces had to be wet-wiped. Some parents even withdrew their children from the centre. I suggest that we let the Director know about this.

Robyn: Good idea. But let’s do some planning and research—before we approach the Director. Perhaps we could begin by defining the problem.

Rory: Let’s write all this down. Define the problem. We can do some preliminary research on the Internet to find out more about lead poisoning.

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Robyn: Let’s suggest to the Director that a sample of the dust and soil be taken to a laboratory for testing.

Koray: Let’s also say that we’d like a meeting with parents and management. We need to invite environmental health experts to discuss possible solutions and advise us on what to do next.

The management structure of organisations directs how problems are solved within the service. The expected roles and responsibilities that are to be completed by specific team members are documented in job specifications. Organisations have a legal responsibility to have a formal grievance policy published for all stakeholders of the service to refer to when necessary.

Problem solving is a necessary and challenging aspect of working within an organisation with a team of diverse individuals. However, the process and the outcomes achieved at the end of the process can be an empowering experience and should be seen as a challenge to be met by a team of valuable and capable individuals.

When we encourage the solving of problems within an organisation in a collaborative way, workplace relationships and understandings are strengthened due to the shared achievement by the cooperative team. These benefits of the collaborative problem-solving process can been seen in the achievements and challenges that many children’s services face during the process of meeting the QIAS and FDCA quality areas and principles. Each children’s service that participates in this process needs to problem-solve as a team and creatively meet the indicators specified in the documents in ways that are unique for their particular service and team.

At each stage of the process of QIAS and FDCA, there are challenges and achievements for staff to share and at the end of the process when the accreditation decision has been made there is a huge team achievement to be celebrate. To have all stakeholders in a children’s service involved in all stages of this process allows all the stakeholders to own and celebrate their achievement too.

The QIAS and FDCA processes are just one example of how collaborative problem solving within a children’s service fosters the development of cooperative workplace relationships and practices.

Activity 2

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Demonstrate respect for individual differences of workers in workplace relationships

As children’s service workers, we interact with children of varying ages, stages of development, interests and social and cultural backgrounds. To be effective in interacting and understanding individual children and their needs, we adjust our verbal and non-verbal communication strategies according to observed behaviours of the child and seek additional information from other staff and the child’s family. By implementing these strategies, we are demonstrating respect for the individual’s unique abilities, interests, feelings and needs.

The same strategies that we use for communicating with children are effective in communicating appropriately with all individuals within the working environment.

Demonstrating respect for an individual is conveyed through the way in which we:

• attend to others with our verbal and non-verbal communication skills• actively listen to others• respond appropriately and with interest to others • observe the behaviours and needs of others • address others by their name • acknowledge and try to understand another’s point of view, concerns and needs.

Case studySue is a parent whose child attends long-day care at Rainforest Children’s Services. She’s concerned about what she believes is the excessive noise level at the centre. She decides to raise the issue with the Assistant Director, Kim. Below is an excerpt from their positive exchange.

Sue: I am very concerned about the level of noise at this centre.

Kim: It’s rather noisy here, Mrs Lee. Why don’t we go into the Toddlers’ Room? They’re outside playing so we can talk uninterrupted.

Kim: Here we are. I’m sorry, you were saying that you’re concerned about the noise?

Sue: I’m worried about the effect that excessive noise must be having on the well-being of the children. It’s noisy both indoors and outdoors. I hear slamming doors and squeaky furniture. The metal slide resonates like a drum. Yesterday the fire alarm and the burglar alarm went off at the same time. Why are the two connected?

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Kim: They are indeed connected. I don’t know what the rationale is. I’ll have to look into that and get back to you. About the other sources of noise you mentioned, perhaps we should get the noise levels recorded. This centre has undergone a number of changes since I first joined three years ago. There are more children and staff and we’ve added more play equipment.

Sue: I was just going to suggest recording the noise level. You must have had other parents and staff raise this concern.

Kim: Well, no. But that, of course, does not mean that there’s no problem.

Sue: My child is especially at risk. He has hearing loss as a result of glue ear.

Kim: Yes, I understand that Brian has hearing loss. I will speak to our Director this morning and request that our noise levels be tested right away. I do realise that there are some doors that slam. I have been concerned myself. Apart from the noise, young children can get hit by these slamming doors.

Sue: There are actually some practical ways—which are not very expensive—to help remedy the situation.

Kim: I’m very interested in hearing about them. Go ahead.

Sue: Firstly, don’t connect the fire alarm to the burglar alarm. It’s deafening during a fire drill. I notice that the caps of your table and chairs are worn. Why not replace these? The metal gates are always clanking. Why not install rubber mounts and striker plates on the clanky metal gates?

Kim: Great ideas! Why don’t I speak to the Director about your suggestions? Would you be able to meet with me and the Director—sometime over the next few days?

Sue: Oh sure. Any time in the mornings this week.

Acknowledging the individualIn conjunction with demonstrating respect in our communication with others, we also need to be aware that each person is an individual. Each person has specific abilities, interests, feelings and needs.

In the rewritten scenario, Sue had given Kim the opportunity to explain what her concern was. Sue took Kim and her concern seriously. She showed respect for Kim.

To communicate appropriately with anyone, we must take the time to first listen to what the other person has to say. In other words, obtain information from the person. Do not make generalisations or assumptions about people—and do not stereotype them. Listening is an extremely important communication tool.

© NSW DET 2007

Demonstrate understanding and application of the value of cultural differences and diversity when working with others

Communicating information in a culturally-appropriate wayThroughout this topic, we have discussed that effective communication is essential for developing working relationships with parents, children, staff, management and the community. Communication should be positive, effective and respectful to enable us to understand individual needs, thoughts, feelings and strengths. Communication is also necessary for us to inform others about ourselves, our practices, policies and responsibilities—thus helping foster trusting relationships. Effective communication requires services to be respectful and sensitive to cultural or other forms of diversity including beliefs, family structure and religion.

Within the stakeholders of a children’s service work environment, there will be people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This may mean that we need to provide translations of information both verbally and non-verbally to others in a way that is appropriate to their culture and their individual needs and understandings.

You may wish to communicate in the following ways:

• face-to-face meetings with bilingual staff or specialist support services• noticeboards, posters, photo displays that incorporate the home languages

represented in the service • videos, open days and information nights.

The implementation of cross-cultural communication strategies within a children’s service is essential for developing meaningful relationships with others. To be able to communicate information in culturally-appropriate ways we are encouraging an atmosphere of acceptance and respect for diversity.

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Body language and cultural differences

Diferent cultures may have different weays of communicating

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Different cultures and individual people may have different ways of relating and communicating with others. Body language in particular is quite often misinterpreted.

Think of a culture you’re familiar with. Are there certain aspects of body language that can be misinterpreted by people outside of that culture?

You may have come across people who do not make much eye contact during conversation. Remember that this is not a sign of disrespect or insecurity on their part. It may be because making eye contact is considered disrespectful in their culture. However, remember that there are many people from the same cultural groups who will make eye contact during conversation from the very first meeting. In other words, it is important to remember that there is a lot of diversity within each culture—and generalising or stereotyping may be dangerous.

ObserveBeing aware of differences by observing the actions and reactions of others to our attempts to communicate with them both verbally and non-verbally is essential. Researching different languages and cultural practices as well as asking for information about what is appropriate and what is not is a valuable method of ensuring that we are able to communicate with all people in a respectful, welcoming and accepting manner. These strategies are required to be implemented to be able to meet the NCAC’s criteria.

Age, cultural and linguistic background of individuals and groupsConsider the scenario below.

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Fatima, four years old, has just started at Sunny Valley Children’s Service. She has a hearing impairment and Arabic is her home language. What strategies could the centre implement to assist in communicating with her?

Listed below are some strategies that will assist in developing practices so that communication is appropriate to the age, cultural and linguistic background of individuals and groups.

• Use specialist resource people to gain information and support for cultural and linguistic diversity.

• Include the individual’s home language in verbal and written communication.• Use particular communication methods such as signing, and pictographs within the

service.• Develop the attitude that we are all life-long learners and by being an active

participant in different life experiences, we are able to learn new and different ways of thinking, doing and responding to others.

• Develop a positive and welcoming attitude towards diversity.

Always remember that you are part of a team—a team that has varying levels of responsibility, knowledge, skills and experience. Use communication and professional development opportunities, such as staff meetings and interactions with your team and supervisor, to share and develop your ideas, suggestions and concerns. The development of effective communication skills that are appropriate to the age, culture and linguistic background of individuals requires everyone to participate in learning.

Valuing cultural differences and diversityYour work with others needs to reflect understanding and application of the value of cultural differences and diversity. You need to communicate in ways that are appropriate to the age, cultural and linguistic background of individuals and groups. You need to understand how communicating appropriately requires us to recognise, research and meet individual communication differences in our daily interactions within children’s services. By doing this, workers convey respect for and value of the individual, their culture and diversity.

For our work with others to reflect understanding and application of the value of cultural differences, we need to:

• use effective communication skills to share and gather information • listen and respond appropriately to communications with others.

Staff who are able to relate well to one another are also able to develop an appreciation of one another’s differences and diversity. An appreciation or sensitivity to the individuality of others allows us to develop knowledge and understandings of another’s cultural differences and diversity. Within a work team that facilitates an atmosphere of trust, individuals will be encouraged to share knowledge and their experiences with other team members. Staff members need to value the different background, attitudes and beliefs of their colleagues.

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Children’s services are composed of people who are diverse in many ways. Diversity within children’s services is represented in areas such as:

• age• gender• abilities • lifestyles• socio-economic status• family structure• personal beliefs and values.

We need to embrace this diversity—and see it as providing us with learning opportunities. We need to build respectful and positive working relations among all stakeholders involved in a children’s service (eg, management, children, parents, staff and community members).

Identify and show respect for different roles and responsibilities

In a children’s service, the people you work with will be diverse in many ways. Individual differences, the uniqueness of each individual child, parent, staff and management member will influence the children’s service that you work in daily.

To develop respectful workplace relations, we need to develop understandings about individual people through the use of effective communication skills. Through communicating with others, we are able to learn about each individual staff member’s knowledge, skills, feelings, needs and interests. We are developing respect for their individuality and their differences. We are also sharing information that helps us establish and maintain good working relationships that are respectful and equitable.

Consider your individual strengths and interests. What aspects of your individuality would you like recognised in the workplace? By having these differences acknowledged, do you feel respected and valued?

Consider the following scenarios:

Scenario 1: Your colleagues decide to go to a seafood restaurant for the annual staff Christmas dinner. This decision was made despite the fact that it is well known at the workplace that you are a vegetarian.

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Scenario 2: It is your birthday. There is a need for you to attend a staff meeting. The supervisor organises the signing of a group birthday card as well as a birthday cake for the staff meeting. The staff sing ‘Happy Birthday’ too.

Scenario 3: You have recently been following your interest in yoga by attending evening classes. During a lunch-time discussion with some children they ask what yoga is. You explain it to them. The other staff in your room encourage you to begin doing yoga as part of the self-directed learning environment in the morning. Interested children begin to complete yoga stretches with you each morning. Several parents ask you for information about the stretches that you are doing with the children so that they will be able to do them at home with their children.

In Scenarios 2 and 3, the individual differences, interests and skills of the staff members have been shared, supported and respected. The value of their personal differences has been acknowledged and implemented into the development of the service. Staff members feel that they belong. They support each other by listening and responding appropriately to the information they share about themselves.

Good workplace relations also require all staff members to ‘ pull their weight’, as there are tasks for each team member to complete each day. Job specifications are generalised statements that do not take into account individual differences. Therefore, in developing respectful workplace relations, all team members need to work effectively in the completion of their duties, while making allowances for individual differences. Individual differences may relate to the feelings of a staff member on a particular day (eg, feeling tired or upset) or it may be an individual difference (eg, their religion or beliefs) that influences their practice every day.

Activity 3

Behave appropriately in the workplace, in a manner likely to promote cooperation

Developing a sense of belonging is one of the main aims that workers within children’s service need to attain for children, parents, and staff. Without this sense of belonging, it is difficult for individuals to feel respected and valued.

When a person feels as though they belong to a group or team, it is then that they feel valued and are able to form trusting working relationships to cooperate with the completion of duties and collaborate in the development of the team.

© NSW DET 2007

Effective communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal, affect an individual’s ability to develop a sense of belonging to a group. Therefore, to develop good work relations within children’s services it is essential that our communication skills convey respect, understanding and a value for individual differences and diversity. Knowledge of each individual team member’s role and responsibilities, expertise and skills support the development of respectful and cooperative workplace relations.

Displaying appropriate behaviour to promote cooperationWorking cooperatively requires team members to complete their individual responsibilities and duties, but to also use their initiative and assist and support the other team members within the workplace. These behaviours are regarded highly within children’s services and demonstrate an individual’s ability to be an effective team member.

Other behaviours that should be assessed in relation to promoting cooperation in the workplace are:

• Maintain confidentiality when information has been shared with team members.• Ensure decisions and practices are fair and equitable.• Discuss issues and concerns openly.

Work complements that of others In working as a team, there is a need to ensure that all work responsibilities are met. To ensure all work responsibilities are completed in an equitable and clear manner, job specifications are written for all individual team members.

Service policies and practices specify formally how these responsibilities are to be met by individuals in order to ensure that the legal responsibilities and obligations of the service are attained.

These policies also ensure that work tasks completed complement the work tasks of another member of the team, facilitating the development of ongoing cooperative work relations between team members.

When working within a team, however, there are many occasions when one team member completes a task expected of another team member. This teamwork is valuable and cooperative and is the type of supportive environment that should occur in a children’s service.

There are also times when staff members forget to or are unable to complete a task because they are busy. Or they may even choose not to complete a task. This is when conflict arises. Some staff members may become frustrated as because of their colleagues’ failure to complete tasks, they would have to complete the tasks themselves.

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The following table demonstrates how it is necessary for all work tasks to be completed to complement the work of others in the team, according to policies and practices of the workplace.

Teas work tasks

Examples of my work tasks When my work is completed on time...

If my work’s not completed on time...

I place the non-perishable breakfast items on the meal trolley in the evening (items such as bowls, cups, spoons, toaster, cereal containers and spreads).

My team members can relax and organise breakfast routine with the children and parents in the morning.

Team members will have to rush to set up the playrooms and breakfast.

I write down messages I receive in the late evening for the early staff next morning.

My team members are kept informed. In the morning, they can make alternative arrangements (if I alert them to any changes) and address any pressing issues.

Team members are left in the dark and surprised by events that may occur early in the morning.

Remember: It is important to report to your supervisor any tasks that are not completed. When working within a cooperative team environment, it is also necessary to inform other team members when tasks have not been completed and why.

Consider the scenario below.

Ariel is feeling overworked. When he arrives at 6.30am to start his shift, he has to complete tasks not completed by the evening staff. This then means that his duties are not finished by the time children arrive for breakfast at 7am. He is concerned that he looks disorganised and stressed when parents and children arrive. When he thinks about it, he realises that for the past two weeks there have been several casual staff working the late shift.

In Ariel’s situation, the late staff were not completing all their tasks. He reported the situation to the supervisor. The supervisor realised that Ariel’s concern was valid—the problem was due to the fact that the staff members on the late shift are casual staff. Perhaps the casual staff weren’t fully aware of the duties expected of them or perhaps the implications in not completing the expected duties doesn’t concern them—their attitude may be that they are only a casual and who cares about the early morning staff.

There will be times when the completion of our work tasks do not complement those of others, but as long as you are aware of the implications of this you will be better informed and prepared for the consequences.

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Share information with others in order to complete set activities

Information sharing and problem solving Sharing information with others is an important aspect of working in a team situation. Sharing information assists in the:

• development of the service policies and practices• functioning of the service• meeting the individual needs of children, parents, staff, and management.

By sharing information, you may assist another person in the completion of their work, or ensure that your legal responsibilities and obligations are being met. Confidentiality needs to be maintained at all times when information is being shared about any other people within the service or community.

Problem solving is part of our daily work in a children’s service. In our interactions with children, staff and parents, many small and simple problems will need to be resolved. There will be times in our working life when bigger problems will arise that require the use of more skilled and knowledgeable people and practices.

One of the most effective ways to problem-solve a big or small problem is to involve others in the generation of possible ideas and solutions. Again, we are talking about participative or collaborative management practices and, depending on the structure within a children’s’ service, this will be actively facilitated or it will not exist. Usually problems that develop within children’s services do not occur in isolation—there may be several children, families and staff that will be affected by the circumstances of a particular problem and the development of a possible solution. Therefore, the more people involved in the problem-solving process, the greater the likelihood of more creative possibilities and solutions.

If we can communicate effectively, we will be able to develop good working relationships with people—whether they are children or other stakeholders. Our relationships will be based on trust and respect.

If our relationships are built on this solid foundation of trust, we will find it easier to share information and problem-solve cooperatively. Our team will then be more motivated to work collaboratively as they are able to contribute equitably to the development of the service in real and meaningful ways.

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Sharing information with others in order to complete job responsibilitiesThink about your role as a student. What do you think would be the easiest way in which to learn to change a nappy? Would it be by watching a video or observing a staff member or parent in a children’s service or reading the procedure from a book?

We all learn and process different information in different ways at different times, depending on our familiarity with the information, our interest in the information and the number of distractions that are occurring at the same time.

Children’s services are busy places with children, parents and staff arriving and departing at different times of the day sharing information and experiences with one another. There is never a day in a children’s service that will be the same as another day—you cannot predict what will happen.

Reflect on your own day, today. What things have occurred that you have not been able to plan? Has there been a need to inform others of the changes in your day because it affects them too? Record below any factors that are relevant to this reflective task for you.

An example

Anne is a staff member at Magic Bilby Children’s Centre. Below she recounts her day.

So far today, I have had a number of things happen that had been totally unplanned.

I received a phone call from Marie (my colleague). Her car had been stolen. So I had to leave home earlier than usual so as to be able to give her a lift to work.

When I arrived at work, I received the message that Juan (another team member) was ill. He had not been able to find a casual staff member to replace his late shift. This meant I had to ring several contacts to find a casual replacement.

As a result, I wasn’t able to complete the outdoor set-up. So Garry (the other staff member working with me) had to set up the outdoor environment, after he set up the indoor environment.

Planning as a result of receiving this information means that the staff throughout the middle of the day will need to try to help have late shift duties reasonably organised. This will assist the permanent staff member cope with the additional duties in the late shift. As there will only be one familiar staff member available for the children and parents to talk to in the evening, as well as being responsible for the completion of late shift tasks in conjunction with the casual staff member.

As this example demonstrates, it is necessary to share information with others to complete the set activities (job responsibilities) within the team.

Sharing information with other team members happens many times throughout the working day in relation to the care and needs of the children, the needs and expectations of parents, as well as the needs for the staff and the day-to-day running of the service.

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Relaying information to the right peopleIt is not enough for us to simply share information. We need to know who to communicate the information to. You may receive information from parents, children, other team members, and the supervisor. Who do you tell?

Consider this scenario:

When Sau drops off her children at the centre, you notice that she does not look her normal self. Her children do not look happy. She tells you that she and her husband had a big argument yesterday. You notice a big bluish bruise under one eye.

What do you do? Who do you tell?

Alternatively, reflect on an experience you’ve had where someone told you something important that you had to pass on.

To deal with the situation, you need to consider the following:

• What are the roles and responsibilities of the various staff members? At the same time, you need to correctly follow the procedures of the organisation.

• What can happen if I do not pass the information onto the right person? What if I took my time and did not pass on the information quickly enough?

Information may be received from face-to-face conversations, telephone calls and informal notes (eg, daily caregiving communication systems between parents and staff about children or the sign-in/sign-out sheet).

Remember too that confidentiality is to be maintained at all times. Therefore, you need to make a judgement about the content of the information that you have received and which would be the most appropriate way of communicating that particular type of information.

Consider these examples:

A large notice on the main noticeboard of the service stating that a particular family had had a domestic violence incident at their home would not be appropriate. However the birth of a sibling for one of the families using the service would be appropriately displayed on the main noticeboard—after first checking with the family if it was alright to do that.

Activity 4

Examples of sharing informationReflect on the following examples of sharing information with others. Hopefully you will be able to relate the content just discussed to several of the examples.

Message 1: Daniel (1.5) has had little sleep last night. Please try and put him to sleep earlier than normal.

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Person responsible: Caregiver in the 0-2s room

Method of information others: Write informal note in the caregiving diary and/or communicate message verbally

Appropriate time: At a moment in the morning when staff are able to discuss the caregiving needs of the children

Consequences if message is not received: Daniel may become distressed and irritable during the morning needing one-to-one care from caregivers.

Message 2: Abbi’s father informs you that they have discovered that she is allergic to wheat products.

Person responsible: All staffmembers who may be responsible for providing Abbi with food.

Method of information others: Write the message in the staff communication diary, in the child’s file and in the kitchen and/or food preparation areas. Verbally discuss with the children their responsibility not to share food with others. Talk to Abbi about the foods that she can eat and cannot eat.

Appropriate time: Within the morning, before Abbi receives any food at the service.

Consequences if message is not received: Abbi could be given food which contains wheat products and cause her to have an allergic reaction.

In order for us to develop good work relations, we, as team members, need to share information with one another. Children’s services are busy places that require the development and use of different communication tools to ensure that all information is shared and given in an appropriate and timely manner to the correct person. The correct use of service policies and procedures in relation to sharing information is essential for the effective, cooperative and trusting workplace relations.

Sharing information with others in order to complete set activities may require you to:

• pass on messages to other team members • pass on information that you have received• share ideas for developing programs• share ideas for the development of the service• request the need for assistance and support• provide feedback • maintain confidentiality.

Sharing information about yourself to others will help develop workplace relations. To enable other people in the team to understand and respect your individual differences, you need to openly share your feelings, ideas, knowledge, values and beliefs with them.

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Consider the following situations when team members shared personal information. As you read each situation, ask yourself whether the information shared will help the team member complete set workplace activities.

Situation 1: Clare is religious. Her particular faith does not approve of celebrations. She tells her colleagues that she feels uncomfortable participating in the birthday celebrations of children at the service.

Situation 2: Joanne dislikes the way Kerry (one of the other staff members) dresses for work. She tells a number of her colleagues that she thinks that Kerry is ‘cheap’. ‘I’ve seen her with lots of different men, sometimes even in the same weekend,’ she says.

Situation 3: Rina is a vegetarian. She tells her colleagues that whenever the children are eating a meal that includes meat she would rather not join in the lunch-time routine.

Situation 4: Pieter had a big night out with friends last night. When he starts his early shift, he says to the other staff members (laughingly), ‘Oh, I’m got a headache now. I had too much to drink and didn’t get more than an hour’s sleep this morning. Don’t give me too much to do. I’m still drunk.’

Did you feel that it was appropriate for Clare and Rina to share their information? It was appropriate it related to their individual differences and their ability to complete set work activities.

Did you feel that the information shared by Joanne and Peter were inappropriate? Joanne was gossiping. Pieter was being honest but he should not be intoxicated at work (inappropriate behaviour at work).

Report conflicts in the workplace to supervisor

Conflicts in the workplace Just as you will have bad days at work, when you might feel upset, angry, frustrated and annoyed, so will your colleagues. Often when we feel like this, we find it hard to hear others and we tend to take things very personally, becoming easily offended and defensive. We then tend to misinterpret what is said to us, and send messages in a less direct and perhaps more offensive manner. This leads to misunderstandings, lack of cooperation and conflict in the work environment.

Sometimes, an organisation’s policies and procedures manual will have a section that will help you understand how conflict is managed in that particular agency. Each organisation should have a staff grievance policy and procedures.

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However, to prevent the conflict from reaching the point where a formal grievance needs to be lodged, you could use the general problem-solving guidelines discussed previously when faced with conflict at work.

Obviously, such a problem-solving model is going to be far more effective if it is not just you following these steps, but the whole team.

Reporting conflictIt is important that when conflict occurs that you use your judgement in deciding when it should be reported to the supervisor. However, as the supervisor is the person ultimately responsible for the management of staff and the provision of a positive work environment, they should be informed of your attempt to resolve any conflict with another staff member.

There are occasions when the supervisor needs to be informed of conflicts that have occurred. By being informed, the supervisor will be able to evaluate whether the issue is a recurring or ongoing issue that may require changes to be made at a management level. Perhaps the job descriptions are not adequate or the policies, procedures and practices at the service are not realistically supporting the work team.

There may even be a situation within a workplace concerning you that may mean that you are unable or uncomfortable in discussing it with the person or people involved. This may even include your supervisor. It is at this time that you would need to refer to the formal grievance polices and procedures, perhaps meeting with another member of the management committee, a co worker or a union representative to discuss your concern or conflict. However, in most situations conflict will be addressed by individuals and or the supervisor through informal reporting procedures.

Reporting conflicts in the workplace to the supervisorReporting conflicts in the workplace to your supervisor is relevant to the maintenance and development of the cooperative workplace.

It should be evident by now that your role as a worker in the children’s services industry requires you to use many cooperative workplace skills. Some people would not see reporting conflict in the workplace to the supervisor as being a practice that supports the development of a cooperative workplace. However, remember that if we do not report conflict, additional and more complex incidences of conflict can arise.

Incidences of conflict need to be managed. Each job specification within the workplace would place the responsibility for resolving conflict on each individual member of the children’s service team. The supervisor needs to be informed of each incidence of conflict to enable them to be aware of any relevant issues within the workplace and to assist in the future management of other incidences of conflict.

© NSW DET 2007

It is when conflict is not reported that problems remain unresolved. Unmanaged or unresolved conflict has implications for the emotional and social well-being of all stakeholders in the service.

Therefore in a cooperative work place, staff members would discuss issues openly and resolve differences amicably amongst themselves. They would use the organisation policies and practices relevant to the reporting of conflict and report any conflicts in the workplace to the supervisor.

Activity 5

© NSW DET 2007