HENDRA DINATA
Information Technology
Design Organisational Documents using Commercial Computing Packages
Outcomes - What you will learn from this unit Templates - Why are templates used? Word Processing - Word processed templates with examples and practical tasks for you to do. Exercise 1 - Short answer, multiple choice and true or false questions Exercise 2 - Multiple choice questions Spreadsheet template - Spreadsheet templates with examples, a practical task for you to do and some helpful tips Creating a useful Help File - This is a practical task where you will learn how to create a useful help file Creating a form - This is a practical task where you will learn how to create a form Exercise 3 - Short answer questions Sample Work Placement Project - Practical tasks that could complete at your work placement Glossary - Explanation of terms that will help you with this unit Other resources - Useful links
Outcomes
On completion of this unit learners should be competent in creating documents and templates that meet client requirements.
They should have the ability to:
select the appropriate software
manage document design to reflect the needs of the client
provide support mechanisms for the client to use the documents effectively
store the documents in a form and location suitable for the client to use effectively.
Glossary
ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange is the most common format for text files in computers and on the Internet
Bookmark
A bookmark is an item or location in a document that you identify and name for future reference
Desktop publishing
A software application used to combine graphics and text objects to produce high quality publications
Document
A file that is usually printed off. It may consist of many pages
Document status
Where in the creation, use and updating of the document the information is up to
Expiry date
The date by which a document is no longer accurate or viable
Fault log
A listing of faults and remedies in a system to allow trends to be seen and rectified
Footer
A section at the bottom of a page that has consistent information that is the same on each printed page
Form
A document created to provide a layout that a user can use to enter the required information
Header
A section at the top of a page that has consistent information that is the same on each printed page
Help file
Usually an online document that is designed to give the user assistance in using an application
html
Hypertext Markup Language
Hyperlink
Connection from a word, section of text, picture, or information object to another
Inventory
A data store of items
Letterhead
A pre-printed shell used to identify commercial documents. It usually has the organisation details and a logo. It may have a watermark to make unauthorised copying more difficult.
Meeting agenda
A list of the topics to be discussed at a future meeting
Meeting minutes
A document containing the results of discussions at a meeting. It is used to ensure that decisions and actions are recorded to avoid confusion.
OCR
Optical character recognition is the recognition of printed or written text characters by a computer
Print preview
Allows a developer to ascertain if a hard copy will print correctly
RSI
Repetitive Strain Injury is caused by long sessions involving the same physical movement
Scanner
A scanner captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display
Style guide
A document created to identify the spelling, layout and common grammatical issues within an organisation
Target
The destination of a link
Target audience
The intended viewers or users of the file(s) or the people intended to actually enter data when using the documents
Template
A document that has some of the consistent elements already created such as headings, logo
User
A person who employs components of the system to complete a task
Version Control
A method used to ensure that the correct version of the document goes to the specific audience
Wizard
A facility included in many commercial software applications which allows complex tasks to be automated for inexperienced users or to save time for “experts”
WYSIWYG
What you see is what you get. The printout is the same as the screen display
Other resources
The Microsoft Office Home Page . You can find tutorials on applications and design principles at this site.
Whatis.com You can find more definitions and quizzes on this site.
Templates
Templates and a consistent document format ensure that commercial documentation maintains a coherent look and “feel” across an organisation. The use of consistent information (e.g. organisation details, phone numbers etc) ensures accuracy across documents.
Templates also ensure that objects that are applied to a number of documents (eg an organisation logo) can be stored in the one file location and dynamically linked within an organisation’s network. This has many advantages. All documents have the same look and feel and if information needs to be updated, such as a new fax number, logo or email address, the new information needs to be updated only once.
Microsoft Office has several examples of templates. In MS Word there are templates for minutes, memos, faxes and resumes and other publications. These documents have a .dot extension. In MS Excel there are templates for invoices and finance related templates. These have a .xlt extension. Familiarise yourself with these standard templates.
Exercise 1
Questions 1 to 5 are short answer questions.
A template is available for most applications when you store them in a Templates Directory. What is the location of this directory on the computer you are using now? To find where your template files are stored, use the find facility to look for *.dot files.
2. Describe some of the common tasks that are performed when creating a new template.
* setting up headers and footers
adding a logo
placing commercial information to create a letterhead
setting the default font and styles setting page margins
3. Touch typing is a useful data entry skill. What is touch typing? is typing without using the sense of sight to find the keys. Specifically, a touch typist will know their location through muscle memory. Touch typing usually places the eight fingers in a horizontal row along the middle of the keyboard (the home row) and has them reach for other keys. Most computer keyboards have a raised dot or bar on either the F/J keys or the D/K keys (or the keys in the same position, for non-QWERTY keyboards) so that touch-typists can feel them when their fingertips are over the correct home row.
4. What course of action should you take to prevent RSI? RSI or Repetitive Strain Injury is caused by long sessions of the same movement as in the action of touch-typing. Regular rest breaks and ensuring that the fingers are moved through their full range of movement is a good method of avoiding this type of injury.
5. What does “confidential” mean when used in connection with commercial documentation? “Confidential” refers to the fact that some documents are not intended for general distribution and may be protected to ensure that only the specified recipients are able to view the contents when online or via emails. In the past, hard copy documents could be kept locked away from public access. With the advent of networks and electronic storage the concept of confidentiality is more difficult to enforce.
Choose from the options below.
WYSIWYG means: - What you see is what you get
what you see is what you get
the file is displayed on the screen as it is to be printed
the web layout of a printed page.
Answer True or False to the following questions.
A data entry person who uses a template to create a document should then save the file to the document template directory.
TRUE / FALSE
FALSE. If the files have been created from a template that is opened from the templates directory then the user is given the default option of saving the file as a document that they can name. If the template has been saved in other directories then they may have to use the Save As option.
A scanner can only digitize photographic images.
TRUE / FALSE
FALSE. Scanners are merely a device designed to digitise black and white areas or coloured areas of a scanned document. Graphics programs and Optical Character Recognition programs allow the digitised information to be manipulated correctly
Each page of a printout is a separate file.
TRUE / FALSE
FALSE. This is a common mistake of new users of word processing software, especially where different topics are covered in the one document. Word processors are able to delineate page spaces effectively to create multi page documents.
There is an automatic facility to include page numbers in a document
TRUE / FALSE
TRUE. There are a number of scripted modules that allow text that is commonly used in documents to be included in the files using the appropriate metadata to update automatically (eg date, time printed page number).
Exercise 2
Multiple choice
Desk Top Publishing is:
a. a device used to create high quality printouts by ensuring that the paper size is accurately accounted for
b. a software application used to combine graphics and text objects to produce high quality publications
c. an organisation listing where the output to be printed on large printing presses using lead typeface
d. a type of commercial enterprise where they specialise in coffee table books of a high quality.
B( a software application used to combine graphics and text objects to produce high quality publications)
The Print Preview:
a. will appear different if an alternative printer is selected for the print job
b. allows a developer to ascertain if a hard copy will print correctly
c. allows a developer to ensure that all words are spelt correctly
d. ensures that the document will be readable when printed on orange paper.
B(allows a developer to ascertain if a hard copy will print correctly)
A form is:
a. only available as a printed document
b. only available when using a database application
c. a document used to gather data from an audience
d. a document designed to lead a user in entering data to ensure consistency and accuracy of information.
D(a document designed to lead a user in entering data to ensure consistency and accuracy of information)
Which of the following is a health hazard?
a. laser printer toner powder
b. ink jet printer ink
c. paper dust
d. All of the above.
D(all of the above)
Expiry date is:
a. the date by which a document needs to be removed from circulation
b. the date by which a project is to be completed
c. what happens when the manager finds out you didn’t put the ad in the Yellow Pages
d. the date by which a document is no longer accurate or viable.
D(the date by which a document is no longer accurate or variable
Word Processing
To ensure that documents belonging to an organisation are consistent and include correct, relevant information (logo, contact details and text styles) we create a letterhead and style sheet. This ensures that the information will be placed correctly and appropriately in the document.
To create text documents on a computer we use a word processor rather than a text editor. A text editor stores the ASCII characters in a data table of character position and ASCII value. A word processor has a similar basic function, however each character has large amounts of metadata held in the array as well.
Touch typing is a good skill to possess – use a typing tutor program to practise such as TypeQuick or Typing Tutor. Touch-typing allows for the quick entry of original text data. If hard copy exists then scanning and OCR is often an appropriate method. Speech to text recognition software, such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking or Point and Speak Voice Recognition, can speed up the process of text entry for slow typists.
Word Processing Documents
As most documents created in a word processor are meant to be viewed as hard copy (printed on paper) the basic word processing applications tend to be WYSIWYG. Use the Print Layout option on the View menu to see how the document will looked in printed format as you are creating it. This is important if you are drawing objects such as a flowchart.
Tip If you need to change the settings of the various document sections use the File - Page Set-up Menu.
Document Templates
To allow for quick development of complex documents and to keep uniformity within the commercial environment, templates are often created. You will need to create your own template to use as a basis for the rest of the task.
Task 1
For this task you are going to create a letterhead for your school/college and store it as a template. Here is an example of a letterhead. Look at the sample letterhead before you attempt to create your own.
Example of a letterhead
Instructions
Use the Find facility to locate the document templates (*.dot) used by MS Office. Note the location.
Open MS Word.
File – New Create New – Template
File - Page Set-up: paper size, margins, different first page, orientation
Format – Font: font set, size, style
View - Header and Footer: School (or your) name, subject, year Tip --Most of the items below will be found on the Tool Bar or in the Insert Menu.
Footer: auto-text filename, page number, date NB--use the tab key to move the cursor in your footer.
Save.
Styles
Create a new Heading Style using a different Font (eg Paddington), size, spacing character formatting (bold or italics).
Use Styles (your style) to format the Headings
Use a 1.5 pt rule line to create the underline
Save your work to a floppy disk regularly – it can save a lot of stress if something goes wrong.
Task 2 Create more templates
Now that you have created a template, create a series of templates suitable for the Work Placement organisation you have worked with or another organisation that you are familiar with. Once a number of suitable items are created, look for consistent objects and link them to a single data source (e.g. logo, header, etc)
NB You will need to create the logo and then insert it as an object that is linked.
You will need to draft a “rough” sketch by hand for each before you create the documents. Remember to develop a consistent “feel” for the set of documents that your Work Placement organisation or other organisation would use.
Examples of suitable documents could be:
intra-office memo
official correspondence
office newsletter
fax cover sheet
monthly report
section report
entry on duty data sheet
accident report form
order form
purchase request form
Here are some examples of organisational documents. These samples will help you create your own documents.
Inventory sheet
Memo sheet
Minutes sheet
Task 3
List some of the documents you have used while at YOUR Work Placement(s).
Monthly Report
Accident Report Form
Order Form
Purchase Request Form
Exercise 3
1. What are some of the ways Help files aid new users unfamiliar with a software procedure? · the ability to find out how to perform a specific task
· to research how a task could be managed more efficiently
· to solve a specific problem encountered while using the software.
Compare and contrast the two types of Help files available, namely printed booklets and online resources.
Both types allow a user to find out how to solve problems with software applications or hardware devices.
Both are able to be referenced by using an index and a contents page.
Both are organized into passages that deal with related problems.
Online files are able to be searched for keywords efficiently.
Online resources are able to have wizards and macros attached to allow a user to see a procedure in a step by step fashion.
Paper based resources are able to be accessed even when the computer has frozen.
Paper based resources are able to be read anywhere, e.g. on public transport whereas online resources require access to computers and a network.
How would the language used differ for the different audiences you may have to deal with?
An experienced user will generally be looking for very specific information and will be able to comprehend technical terminology. New or inexperienced users will require simpler sets of instructions using less technical language. They would probably benefit from the more time consuming development of wizards and “how to” animations.
Define the term hyperlink.
A word, section of text, image or information object which has a connection to another.
What is a “target” when referring to links?
A “target” when referring to links is the destination of the link
Define the term “bookmark” in reference to linking.
A bookmark is an item or location in a document that you identify and name for future reference.
Why are bookmarks often used in templates and documents? Book marks are used to automate data entry and to find information in documents. They are also used in table of contents and indexes
Briefly describe the process of creating a bookmark in Microsoft Word.
Select the item you want to bookmark. On the Insert menu select Bookmark. Give your bookmark a name. Click Add.
Describe the process of saving a word processed document as a web document.
From the File menu select the Save as Web page option and give your document a name. The file is saved as .html.
Why do organisations often save their documents in both word processed format and web format?
To be able to publish documents on a network and on a intranet/internet.
Creating a Useful Help File
Target Audience
When creating documents it is important to target the document to the people you expect to actually read it and use it. Your Help file needs to have the language and concepts matched to the people who are most likely going to be using your document.
Shown below is a screen from the initial Help function in Windows 2000
The screen below is for a process in Microsoft Access that is something a person familiar with Access may want to do. The styles are different, as is the language used. Technical terms are used.
You will need to create a word processed file accessible from all of your documents which will enable new users to know how YOU expect them to be able to use your templates. They may do it differently in the end – you are just giving expert advice!
You will need to create a link from your documents to this help file.
Remember to continue to develop a consistent “feel” for the set of documents that your Work Placement organisation or another organisation would use.
Examples of suitable topics could be:
opening a template
creating a default directory in which to save files
changing the password on the spreadsheet
moving data from the forms to the database
storing the templates in the correct location for them to use the File – New command
Most importantly – get someone else to test the Help file to ensure that it makes sense.
What your help file will need
Use the table of contents function to create hyperlinks to the main Headings.
Create a button on the toolbar to allow a user to select the “find function”.
Use any other facilities to make the file more usable.
Information Technology 1
Design Organisational Documents using Commercial Computing Packages 1
Outcomes 1
Glossary 2
Other resources 4
Templates 4
Exercise 1 5
Exercise 2 7
Multiple choice 7
Word Processing 8
Word Processing Documents 8
Document Templates 9
Task 1 9
Task 2 Create more templates 10
MEMO 11
Task 3 11
Exercise 3 12
Creating a Useful Help File 13
Target Audience 13
What your help file will need 15
Creating a form 16
Create a form 17
Procedure 17
Last Name 19
DINATA 19
First Name 19
Hendra 19
Type of you computer you own or use 19
19
Method of getting to school or college 19
19
Spreadsheet Template 19
Create a spreadsheet template 19
Sample Work Placement Project 20
Task 1 20
Task 2 21
Information Technology 22
Design Organisational Documents Using Commercial Computing Packages 22
Exercise 1 22
Exercise 2 22
Exercise 3 22
Tips on creating a help file 23
Tips on protecting a worksheet 24
Creating a form
Automated forms are widely used for data entry. The forms are designed so that the cursor moves to the next data entry point automatically. This saves time and there is less chance of entering incorrect data.
When a survey is being conducted the data is usually saved in a database. It is extremely important that the client fills in the details in the appropriate manner with complete accuracy.
Automated forms can be created to allow people to enter data into an online form and then: -
print the completed form
upload the completed form
output the data ONLY to a text file ready to import into another application (eg database or spreadsheet)
Create a form
Follow the steps below to create a form that will allow you to capture the data from students about: -
the type of computer they own and/or use and
their travel arrangements to school/college
Procedure
Create a new template from a blank document.
Create a title for your form.
Create four blank lines.
Insert a table into the second line (i.e. leave 1 blank line between your title and the table).
Enter the following data into the table.
Last Name
First Name
Type of computer you own or use
Method of getting to school/college
· The grey cells are where you will create your data entry points.
Display the Forms toolbar which is shown below.
( View-Toolbars – Forms) Familiarise yourself with the functions of the buttons on this toolbar.
Position the cursor in the cell where they will type their last name (as shown in the diagram above) and use the text Form Field to create a data place for the SURNAME, 20 characters in size, ALL CAPS (use the Form Field Options button).
Do the same for the First Name except use First Cap.
Create a drop list for the type of computer using the Drop-Down Form Field.
Types to be Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium III, Macintosh G3, Macintosh G4. You may add others if you wish.
Create a drop list for the type of transport they use to get to college. Types to be bus, train, bike, car, walking.
Save the form as a template in the appropriate folder.
Protect the form – you will not be able to see the items from the drop lists until you protect and open a new document.
Save it again.
Close the document.
Select File – New-Create new document. Choose your template.
Enter the appropriate data for yourself.
Save the document using the Save data from form option(you will find this in the save window under Tools - General Options) as yourname.txt onto your floppy disk.
Close the document and then create another new document for a fictitious person. Save this as fictitious.txt.
Once you have saved the data into the text files you can then import the two files into a single database table. You can either create the data table first or create the table as you import the first example of form data.
Last Name
DINATA
First Name
Hendra
Type of you computer you own or use
Method of getting to school or college
Spreadsheet Template
Spreadsheets are used to perform calculations. Often a data entry person will be required to enter figures that are used to produce mathematically complex results. In addition to this when wage calculations are considered there are privacy, security and accuracy issues to be dealt with. For these reasons it is often necessary to create a template for users to enter data into specific cells and then see only the results they are entitled to view.
Create a spreadsheet template
You will be required to create a spreadsheet that will calculate the wages of the employees of a section of a small organisation. The employees are only allowed to enter in the number of hours they have worked that week. The Section Manager is allowed to enter the base pay rate for the employees’ award, as well as the seniority pay scale. The Manager is also able to enter any overtime hours the employees work. You will need to password protect the template
An example of a possible spreadsheet is given for you to use as a basis for developing your own.
Sample Wages Spreadsheet
Tips on protecting worksheets
Sample Work Placement Project
Organisational Documents and Templates
This project is to be completed using your Work placement as a source of information.
Work Placement organisation name
...................................................
Short Description: Creating a set of complex documents and procedures intended to allow new users to create well-designed documents and files.
Assessment Type: Practical Project
Scenario
You have been employed to create a series of work place templates intended to allow novice users to create complex documents and files. These items will be created in such a way as to allow users to access a set of instructions if they require it. The links to various files should be dynamic (e.g. the organisation logo should be stored on the floppy disk and a dynamic link created from all of the other documents so that the logo can be updated in one place and all of the documents included will update automatically when next opened.)
Task 1
Create each of the following documents, paying attention to any other specific instructions given for individual items:
Letterhead for the organisation you named above
Inter/intra Office Memo
Meeting minutes
Entry on Duty Form
Technology Fault Log
Technology Inventory Sheet
You will also need to create a:
database to collect the Entry on Duty information. This database is used to gather the information from the Entry on Duty form as a text file.
spreadsheet to calculate a section’s wages. The general staff are only allowed to enter the hours they worked. The section manager is able to view the staff wages and is able to change the pay rate and also enter any overtime hours.
All documents are readily identified as organisation documents and each is to be linked to a help file. The help file should be searchable using the find command.
The organisation logo should be placed on all documents in an appropriate place and your name must appear as the author/ employee.
Task 2
Customise the applications software to:
allow full menus to show in Word, Access and Excel
make a: drive the default saving location.
All documents must be saved onto the one floppy disk.
Examples of some of the documents
Inventory sheet
Memo sheet
Minutes sheet
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
CREATE E-PRESENTATION
HENDRA DINATA
Business Service
Activities
Activity 1
Print the following questions, then complete the answers in the spaces provided.
List four types of presentations, e.g. face-to-face. Four types of presentations could be
Face to face, with a live presenter
On screen, self running
Online
Printed
List the skills and knowledge required to create an electronic presentation.
Design skills : colour usage, bullet point usage, knowledge of fonts and using art effectively.
Proofing skills: spelling and grammar, checking that the graphics match the text etc.
Listening/communication skills: using the organization’s preferred style, accurately implementation of instructions.
Technology skills: ability to use hardware, e.g. a data projector, and software capabilities e.g. inserting graphics, borders, backgrounds, etc.
Specify some presentation requirements (choose your own, or ask someone to recommend a subject).
Identify - Who? Where? How? Who: Marketing Manager Where: Client’s office How: Self- running
What mode of presentation will be used? Computer generated and data projector
Overhead projector and transparencies
Slide projector and slides
Online
What material and supporting documentation will be required, e.g. notes, handouts?
Could include slides, handouts and speaker notes
What are the organizational requirements, e.g. logos, colour?
Refer to Style manual and policy and procedures
Could include issues such as logo, colours used, slide design etc
List design requirements, e.g. font, bullet style.
Use of fonts, colour, logo usage, etc
Heading levels
Bullet or numbering levels and styles
Use of white space
Suitability of design to intended audience
List presentation specific requirements, e.g. timing, sound.
Animation, transition, timing, sounds, movies
Number of slides
How would you check your work? Proof read the work
Use the spelling and grammar function
Check that the content is correct
Ask a colleague to check it
Run the presentation and rehearse
How would you change the slide master?
on the menu go to
View, Master, Slide Master and change the elements required.
How would you add transition and animation to the presentation?
On the menu go to
Slide show
Animation and/or
Slide transition
and choose the feature required.
Where would you find on-line help to overcome production problems?
On the menu go to
Help, Microsoft Office PowerPoint Help and search for the relevant information.
How would you store the presentation?
Store the presentation on the hard drive of your computer, a CD, or other removable media, such as a Zip disk or USB ‘flash’ drive
Activity 2
Prepare a six slide presentation, on a topic of your choice, using the specifications provided in the previous Activity 1 c)
Include:
logo
background layout
bullet points and different level/s of bullets
pictures
charts
WordArt
effects eg animations, transitions
handouts
speaker notes.
An answer to this activity is not provided, as each presentation will be different. It is suggested that you ask someone else, for example a teacher, parent/guardian or a friend, to look at your presentation and comment on it, asking them to refer to the list above.
Business Service
Activities
Activity 1
Print the following questions, then complete the answers in the spaces provided.
List four types of presentations, e.g. face-to-face. Four types of presentations could be
Face to face, with a live presenter
On screen, self running
Online
Printed
List the skills and knowledge required to create an electronic presentation.
Design skills : colour usage, bullet point usage, knowledge of fonts and using art effectively.
Proofing skills: spelling and grammar, checking that the graphics match the text etc.
Listening/communication skills: using the organization’s preferred style, accurately implementation of instructions.
Technology skills: ability to use hardware, e.g. a data projector, and software capabilities e.g. inserting graphics, borders, backgrounds, etc.
Specify some presentation requirements (choose your own, or ask someone to recommend a subject).
Identify - Who? Where? How? Who: Marketing Manager Where: Client’s office How: Self- running
What mode of presentation will be used? Computer generated and data projector
Overhead projector and transparencies
Slide projector and slides
Online
What material and supporting documentation will be required, e.g. notes, handouts?
Could include slides, handouts and speaker notes
What are the organizational requirements, e.g. logos, colour?
Refer to Style manual and policy and procedures
Could include issues such as logo, colours used, slide design etc
List design requirements, e.g. font, bullet style.
Use of fonts, colour, logo usage, etc
Heading levels
Bullet or numbering levels and styles
Use of white space
Suitability of design to intended audience
List presentation specific requirements, e.g. timing, sound.
Animation, transition, timing, sounds, movies
Number of slides
How would you check your work? Proof read the work
Use the spelling and grammar function
Check that the content is correct
Ask a colleague to check it
Run the presentation and rehearse
How would you change the slide master?
on the menu go to
View, Master, Slide Master and change the elements required.
How would you add transition and animation to the presentation?
On the menu go to
Slide show
Animation and/or
Slide transition
and choose the feature required.
Where would you find on-line help to overcome production problems?
On the menu go to
Help, Microsoft Office PowerPoint Help and search for the relevant information.
How would you store the presentation?
Store the presentation on the hard drive of your computer, a CD, or other removable media, such as a Zip disk or USB ‘flash’ drive
Activity 2
Prepare a six slide presentation, on a topic of your choice, using the specifications provided in the previous Activity 1 c)
Include:
logo
background layout
bullet points and different level/s of bullets
pictures
charts
WordArt
effects eg animations, transitions
handouts
speaker notes.
An answer to this activity is not provided, as each presentation will be different. It is suggested that you ask someone else, for example a teacher, parent/guardian or a friend, to look at your presentation and comment on it, asking them to refer to the list above.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Work Effectively in an Information Technology Environment
ICAITTW001B Work Effectively in an Information Technology Environment
Reference: http://hsc.csu.edu.au/info_tech/core/work/icaittw001b/Main_work_effectively.html
Objective - develop competencies in:
Comply with general information technology policies and procedures.
Promote the organization and the Information Technology department in a manner consistent with the organization's mission.
Identify information technology equipment, software and operating systems supported by the organization.
Key Players Who are key players?
How do you promote the organization? Learn how employees promote their organization.
Policies & Procedures What policies are likely to be in the work place?
Mission Statements What are they and look at some examples
Organizational Charts Examples of organizational charts
IT Functions Learn about the five general sectors of I.T
Exercise 1 Short answer questions relating to an IT environment
Unions Learn about unions from a young worker's point of view.
IT Careers Learn about the career choices and planning in IT
Exercise 2 Research an IT career
Exercise 3 Short answer questions about promoting the organization
Exercise 4 Rights in the Workplace
Exercise 5 Unions have millions of members
Quiz 1 Export and multi-skilling - Toyota
Quiz 2 Violence in the Workplace
Case Study Can you lose your job over email?
Glossary Explanation of terms that will help you with this unit
Other Resources Useful links
Glossary
Anti-discrimination
The Anti-Discrimination Act (1997) is designed to protect your rights and to prevent discrimination. This includes equality in the workplace and in other aspects of your life.
Capital equipment
An object which is a financial asset needed for an undertaking or to perform a service. Generally, capital equipment is a financial asset that adds to the net worth of a business.
Code of conduct
Ethics agreement which details acceptable behaviors and conduct for a particular company or role.
Contractor
A person or organization that agrees to provide materials or perform services at a specified price, especially for construction or development work.
Contracts
An employment agreement between employer and employee, which is enforceable by law. A contract of employment sets out the conditions and terms under which an employee accepts to work in a particular job, such as the wage or salary amount, number or spread of working hours and whether overtime is paid or allowed.
Computing support
The provision or maintenance of hardware and software assistance.
Consumables
Computer related goods, which are used in the daily use or maintenance of a computer system, for example ink cartridges for a printer.
Corporate hardware and software
Approved hardware and software products used within a business.
Deadlines
A time limit for the completion of a task.
Duty statements
Also known as a job description. A document which describes the purpose, expected activities and responsibilities of a particular job.
E business
E business (electronic business) is the conduct of business on the internet
EEO
Equal Employment Opportunity. Any person employing other people has to take care to treat those people fairly, and not to discriminate on the grounds of race, sex, marital status, physical or mental impairment or sexual preferences.
Employer/employee rights and responsibilities
The duties and conformable rules or guidelines for a worker who is hired to perform a job, the employee, and the person or company that employ workers, the employer.
External client
A customer or someone who pays for goods or services who is independent of the organization delivering the service.
Help desk
A department within a company that responds to technical questions. Most large software companies have help desks to answer user questions. Questions and answers can be delivered by telephone, email or fax .
Internal client
A customer within the limits of the organization.
Mission statement
A declaration of a company's vision and role statement.
Organizational chart
A graphic representation of how authority and responsibility is distributed within a company or other organization.
Outsourcing
Paying another company to provide services which a company might otherwise have employed its own staff to perform, for example software development.
Project teams
A group organized to work together to undertake and complete an extensive task.
Strategic plan
A plan detailing where a company wants to be in the future. These plans usually have a strong emphasis on new technologies and ways of conducting business, such as e business.
Supplier
Someone whose business is to supply a particular service or commodity.
Workplace committees
A group of people officially delegated to perform a function, such as investigating, considering and/or reporting on a particular aspect of the workplace such as an Occupational Heath and Safety Committee.
Work schedules
A plan for performing work or achieving an objective by specifying the order and allotted time for each part.
Key Players
Key players are personnel within an organization that are essential for the functioning of that section or department. Within an organization key players may include:
Your supervisor
Your trainer
A manager
Helpdesk staff
Other colleagues in the department or division
There may be a number of key players outside your organization that influence how information technology is used in your organization. These may include:
Government departments
Vendors of information technology products or the customer
Professional bodies and societies such as the Australian Computer Society
Industry publications
Employer organizations and relevant unions
(Reproduced with permission of ANTA. (1998). Information Technology, Client Support Training Package - ICA98. Work effectively in an information technology environment. Learner Guide. Australian Training products - Melbourne.)
How do you promote the organization?
Promoting the organization to internal and external customers needs to be done in a manner consistent with organizational policies and procedures. You will need to establish how the organization wants to be promoted. To do this you may need to understand the organization’s mission statement. Mission statements are usually found in the organization’s strategic plan. The mission statement and organizational plans are often published on the organization’s web site.
Organizations promote themselves through corporate advertising. This includes posters, brochures, listings in phone books, promotion of their mission statement within the organization and having a presence on the internet. Individuals promote and are a representative of their organization. The overall image of the organization can be conveyed by the collective approach that staff have to customers, their dress, telephone manner and how their business is conducted, including meetings, presentations and interviews.
The organization may also have a code of conduct that outlines the manner in which staff are expected to conduct themselves when consulting customers. If you are unsure about what is expected of you, speak with your supervisor, trainer or mentor who can clarify the situation for you.
(Reproduced with permission of ANTA. (1998). Information Technology, Client Support Training Package - ICA98. Work effectively in an information technology environment. Learner Guide. Australian Training products - Melbourne.)
Policies & Procedures
Each organization will have its own policies and procedures. They may be directly related to the use of technology or designed to cover many aspects of the organization. These policies and procedures may include -
Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) guidelines
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) guidelines
Guidelines outlining work practices in a department
The structure of departments within an organization
Work agreements or enterprise bargains
Manuals on how to use technological equipment
Preventative maintenance procedures
Purchasing requisition procedures and documentation
(Reproduced with permission of ANTA. (1998). Information Technology, Client Support Training Package - ICA98. Work effectively in an information technology environment. Learner Guide. Australian Training products - Melbourne.)
Mission Statements
A mission statement refers to the core business of the company, their general philosophy and customer service focus. Organizations often have their mission statement on display in the foyer of their office. Mission statements are readily accessible for viewing by the public as organizations publish them in documents, such as annual reports and overviews of the organization.
Mission statements need to be concise and effective, for example, Big W's mission statement is "To provide our customers with the best quality merchandise at the best possible prices". This gives the customer and the employee the focus of the organization, which is to sell products at a lower price than their competitors. More information on Big W
Another example of a mission statement is Australia Post's. Here is an extract from their mission statement, "Australia Post is committed to providing high-quality mail and parcel services to all Australians". For more information about Australia Post look at the website
Organizational Charts
Organizational charts are used to represent the hierarchical or vertical structure of the organization. These charts depict the reporting and communication lines for the organization.
An organizational chart usually includes job or position description, and in some cases the name of the person holding that position.
A sample organizational chart is shown below:
For another sample organizational chart see the Sydney City Council site
Information Technology Functions
Information Technology can be used for a wide range of functions depending on the sectors within the industry, the type of organization and the business conducted. The structure of the Information Technology department may be a separate branch, department, division or an integrated function of an organization.
The five general sectors of the Information Technology industry include:
computer hardware
communications hardware
packaged software
computer services
communication services
(Ref - The Information Technology Industry, Scannell, pp. 17)
Each of these general sectors uses information technology in different ways to achieve different organizational goals. For example, in the Computer Services sector, information technology may be used for:
data processing
information storage and retrieval
computer maintenance
computer consultancy
(Ref - The Information Technology Industry, Scannell, pp. 23)
Unions
A union is an organization of employees which acts collectively for mutual protection and assistance. Unions represent workers in dealings with employers. They negotiate wages and conditions of employment for their members.
For more information on unions, click on the link "Clueless About Unions" . It was written by a 16 year old who did work experience at the Finance Sector Union.
Information Technology Careers
The Information Technology industry is well known for its breadth and diversity. It is a dynamic area and students are well advised to read widely for current trends and emerging technologies. The broad fields in the Information Technology industry can include those associated with hardware, software, web design, networking, marketing, help desk, and communications. Many jobs in Information Technology are a broad combination of several areas. To gain an insight into the careers in the Information Technology industry, look at the following websites listed below. A brief description of each site is included.
Australian Careers Directory
The Australian Careers Directory site is designed to help you understand your career options. Here is an extract from the site. "Welcome to the Australian Careers Directory. This is a collection of links to help you explore sites which can help with career exploration and decision making, job search, decision making, career related education, training resources and law" Click on this link to get more information http://www.careers.gov.au Have a look at the "Get Access - Careers Game". A fun decision support system to help you select the most appropriate career for you.
Click on the "Careers Guidance" link.
Click on the "Self assessment Tools" link.
Click on the "Get Access" link.
Careers Online
The careers online website is designed to help you plan your career. "Through Australia's careers online job seekers of any age get help with their career planning and employment and job search."
Here is the link http://www.careersonline.com.au
Another career planning website is located at: http://www.myfuture.edu.au/
Activities
Exercise 1
Using your work placement company or another organization that you are studying, write a 2-3 page report which addresses each of the following points.
Identify the name, address, telephone and fax numbers of your organization
City of Sydney Council, Tel: 02 9265 9333Email: council@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au TTY: 02 9265 9276 (for a person disable of hearing) Sites web: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Central Business District
Level 2, Town Hall House456 Kent Street, SydneyMonday- Friday: 8.00-18.00
Erskineville
104 Erskineville Road, ErskinevilleMonday - Friday: 9.00-17.00
Kings Cross
50-52 Darlinghurst Road, Kings CrossMonday - Friday: 9.30-17.30, Saturday: 9.00-12.00
Glebe
Glebe Town Hall160 St Johns Road, GlebeMonday - Friday: 8.30-17.30
Redfern
Tower 2, 1 Lawson Square, RedfernMonday - Friday: 8.00-17.30, Saturday: 9.00-12.00
Identify and briefly explain the role of the key players in the organization.
The City of Sydney aims to be an employer of choice by attracting highly-skilled, energetic people who will add impetus to the development of an innovative, effective organization.
Create an organizational chart for your organization.
Councilors—manager—employee --client
a. What is the mission statement of the organization? The City of Sydney aims to be an employer of choice by attracting highly-skilled, energetic people who will add impetus to the development of an innovative, effective organization.
b. If it is not written down, is there an implied mission statement? The City of Sydney aims to make Council services easy and convenient to access through its locations across the City.
c. What does the mission statement mean to the employees ?. How does it help them to assimilate into the workplace? To give a better service to the community of Sydney
Briefly list and explain the information technology functions within the organization
computer hardware
communications hardware
packaged software
computer services
communication services
data processing
information storage and retrieval
computer maintenance
computer consultancy
Identify information technology equipment in use in the organization
hardware,
software (including operating system software),
The State Heritage Inventory or online database contains over 20,000 heritage items on statutory lists in New South Wales. This information is mainly provided by local councils and most records have basic identification information such as Name, Address and Listing.
It also includes items listed on the State Heritage Register which can be searched separately, using additional search criteria.
While the Heritage Office seeks to keep the Inventory up to date, the most recent listings in local and regional environmental plans may not yet be included. Always check with the relevant Local Council or Shire for the most recent listings.
description of any special information technology equipment used in the workplace.
Heritage Links
Barani, Indigenous History of Sydney City
Website: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani/
City of Sydney Archives Images Library
Website: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/ArchivesWeb/scripts/home.asp
Sydney History
Website: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/history
NSW Heritage Office
Allows you to search the State Heritage Register and the State Heritage Inventory, which include items within the City of Sydney. Also provides a list of Publications providing guidance on a range of heritage issues under the 'Publications & Forms' tab, including 'Altering Heritage Assets'; 'Conservation Products and Services'; 'Heritage Consultants Directory'; 'How to carry out work on heritage buildings and sites”: the 'Maintenance series' and 'Principles of Conservation Work on Heritage Places.',
Website: www.heritage.nsw.gov.au
National Trust of Australia (NSW)
The Trust classifies heritage items and keeps a register of these items. The Trust also has a number of useful publications available online.
Website: www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au
National Trust of Australia (Victoria)
This site has publications under 'Conservation', 'Useful Documents' tabs, including 'Australian Housing Styles' and 'Twelve Tips for Caring for Old Buildings.'
Website: www.vic.nationaltrust.org.au
NSW Department of National Parks and Wildlife Services
Responsible for protecting and managing Aboriginal sites, objects and places of special significance to Aboriginal people within NSW.
Website: www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au
Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage
Provides access to a number of heritage databases including the Australian Heritage Database, National Heritage List and Commonwealth Heritage List. See 'Heritage' tab on the front page.
Website: www.deh.gov.au
Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Maintains a register of significant 20th century buildings.
Website: www.architecture.com.au
Australia ICOMOS
This is the peak association of heritage professionals in Australia. ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) is primarily concerned with the philosophy, terminology, methodology and techniques of conservation. It is a non-government professional organisation formed in 1965. It is closely linked to UNESCO with national committees in some 100 countries with the headquarters in France.
The site includes the Burra Charter, the principle document guiding heritage conservation in Australia under the 'Charters and Publications' tab.
Website: www.icomos.org/australia/
'Ian Evans’ World of Old Houses
The following website is a one-stop shop of information on conservation of old Australian houses. Ian Evans is the author of a number of popular books on the subject, including 'How to Restore the Old Aussie House' and 'Caring for Old Houses', and co-author of “Colour Schemes for Old Australian Houses' and 'More Colour Schemes for Old Australian Houses'.
Website: www.oldhouses.com.au/
Find out and write down the telephone number and location of your nearest branch of the Australian Computer Society.
Secretariat Address
Sydney Mechanics School of ArtsLower Ground280 Pitt StreetSYDNEY NSW 2000 Ph: +61 2 9261 4411 Fax. +61 2 9261 4277 Email: acsnsw@acslink.net.au
Find out where the following policies and procedures are located in your organization and write down where they are kept.
Occupational Health & Safety
The Council of the City of Sydney is committed to the occupational health and safety of all employees and those visiting Council premises by providing a safe and healthy workplace. The City regards its occupational health and safety responsibilities with the utmost importance and is committed to provide the necessary resources to comply with all relevant Acts and Regulations.
To achieve the commitment to Occupational Health and Safety, the City Occupational Health Safety and Rehabilitation Unit has developed numerous programs, in consultation with staff, to achieve a reduction in the number and severity of injuries in the workplace. The City's Occupational Health and Safety Committee conducts regular workplace inspections and plays an advisory role to staff and management.
The City contributes to improvements in equipment design and work practices to achieve higher levels of safety which are recognized throughout Local Government. The City is also represented on regional OH&S committees participating in regional initiatives to improve safety in the work environment.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The Council of the City of Sydney has a commitment to equal employment opportunity under the obligations of the Anti-Discrimination Act and other relevant legislation. This commitment is reflected by the integration of the principles of EEO into the City's policies and work practices.
Purchasing Guidelines
EXAMPLE ON APRIL 30th 2007,
GUIDELINES FOR TABLE PURCHASING FOR CHARITY AND FUNDRAISING EVENTS
The following are recommended as guidelines to assist with determining whether a table should be purchased. Priority will be given to purchasing tables for events/functions which:
(a) Contribute toward a coordinated approach to service delivery and the development of responses to emerging social, community, cultural or economic issues.
(b) Strengthen formal and informal support networks, reduce isolation and increase community participation and opportunities.
(c) Increase access to and the achievement of basic rights for people with the greatest need.
(d) Promote a balanced debate aimed at achieving social harmony.
(e) Raise funds for a cause or organization which is in keeping with the City’s interests or experiencing exceptional circumstances involving genuine hardship. (f) Events linked to the corporate and strategic objectives of the City.
Information Technology Tray
You can find more detail by using the site
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/.../GreenSquare/HistoriesofGreenSquare.pdf - 2007-07-28
Exercise 2
Identify career options in the Information Technology industry.
Click on this link to get more information http://www.careers.gov.au Have a look at the "Get Access - Careers Game". A fun decision support system to help you select the most appropriate career for you
Your task is to create a profile of a person currently working in the Information Technology industry.
Create a questionnaire to be used to gather information.Include questions that will enable you to gather informationon:
Name : James Lee
Job title : IT programmer
Name of company : IT Link
Job description or role : Analyst program
Information Technology skills required to do this job : Microsoft Office Tools Microsoft Office Outlook Microsoft Office Excel Microsoft Office Word Microsoft office Visio Microsoft Office Power Point Master Landscape Pro™ Version 10
Salary (optional) : 120.000 pa
Length of time at current job role : 8 hour
Training or qualifications required : Bachelor of IT
How did you get this job? Internet advertisement
Future career aspirations: Have my own IT company
Use desktop publishing software to create a personal career profile - including a scanned photo or photo taken using a digital camera. A Sample format is included below to help you
Exercise 3
Choose an information technology workplace and complete the exercises below.
Locate samples of information that the organization distributes to its customers. This could include pamphlets, booklets and posters that advertise various aspects of the organization. What does this information reveal about the organization?
www.componentsource.com, they’re using web page to advertise their product and service.
Does the organization have guidelines that direct the way in which the organization is promoted? If so what are they, if not why aren't guidelines necessary?
IT-Workplace is a software company that specialists in Business Intelligence reporting solutions. Our primary product, Intelligencia, is designed to allow enterprise wide distribution of print quality reports from multidimensional (Olap) databases. IT-Workplace solutions deliver simple end-user driven report authoring combined with scalable web based server technology to maximize the data assets in your business.
The software IT-Workplace develops is 100% focused on Microsoft technology and is based on the .NET platform. All software development conforms to Microsoft, methodologies and architectures.
Whether direct or in conjunction with our solutions partners, we aim to provide organizations with better, faster and easier access to the information that exists within their operational systems and external data sources.
Our customer base crosses widely varied business segments demonstrating the general appeal of Intelligences and confirming our belief that a large market for BI reporting is as-yet unsatisfied by other vendors.
Exercise 4
Complete the exercise on "Rights in the Workplace", which is located on the Worksite website. This will test your knowledge on rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
Activity K
Rights in the workplace
Are you angry because you didn't get the holidays you wanted? Do you have reason to believe you're not getting paid enough for your age? Have you been working more hours than you are supposed to? You need to get in touch with your rights!
Know your rights!
Draw a line and match the right to its definition.
Rights
Definition
1. Equal opportunity employment
2. A safe place to work
2. Occupational health and safety
5. A fair go for pregnant women
3. Agreements/awards
1. A fair go for everybody
4. Overtime
3. A specific wage
5. Pregnancy discrimination
4. Time worked before or after your regularly working hours
Right on
Which right is most important to you and why?
_Overtime, because we deserve to pay more for the overtime we’ve done ____________________________________________________________________________
_Occupational health and safety, because that’s our right to get cover at work____________________________________________________________________________
__Equal opportunity employment, because it’s not fair if we are judge by our background, religion, racist, and gender__________________________________________________________________________
DISCRIMINATION
Everyone deserves a "fair go" at work. That means being treated fairly, having the same opportunities as others and being paid properly for your work. To support this the law says an employer must not discriminate between employees. Whether you are a man or woman, a person of any race, religion or culture, young or old, parent or single, an active union member, an injured worker, a disabled worker, or a pregnant worker, you must receive a fair go at work.
That means you are entitled to:
freedom from insults or jokes based on sex, race, religion or culture
equal pay for equal work
access to job opportunities and promotion
fair share of training
support if you are injured
support, where appropriate, so your work fits in with your family life.
Case study
Write a 'make-belief' case study of an employee that has been discriminated against in their workplace. Include how and why they were discriminated against, what their actions were in attempt to get help and how the conflict ended.
AWARDS/AGREEMENTS
Use the Glossary definition and define an award/agreement
__Award/agreement : A legal document which specifies the minimum conditions under which you are employed. It covers matters like wages, holidays, sick leave and overtime. Awards sometimes also set out the basic requirements of things like maternity leave. Employers must abide by the conditions of the award because it is a legal document.__________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What's good for employees about awards/agreements?
__The employees know what’s their right and their responsibility __________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Back in front
You have the right to receive the correct pay, but working out exactly how much is owed to you is not always easy.
Use the Job Union Match section and work out how much these full-time jobs would expect to be paid yearly?
Occupation
Graduate/Training Salary
Professional Salary
Doctor
$52,456
$156,784
Accountant
$41,636
$134,242
Child care worker
$32,142
$117,420
Graphic designer
$32,893
$129,571
Hairdresser
$28,756
$56,694
Physiotherapist
$42,639
$151,278
Travel Agent
$17,000
$158,080
Veterinarian
YOUTH WAGES
'Youth wages' or 'junior wages' are rates of pay for young people.
What ages do youth wages apply to? Between 15 and 21 years old Hint: check out the Youth Wages Fact Sheet
Do you think youth wages are fair? any experiences I think it’s fair enough, because they don’t have on those ages. Find a partner and discuss. Explain your answer in detail. Share your answer with the class.
OVERTIME
Finding that 9-5 doesn't apply? Working long hours and receiving no extra pay?
It looks like you've been doing a little overtime - the time worked before or after your regularly scheduled working hours.
Use the Overtime Fact Sheet and the Glossary section to define the followingterms:
Paid overtime __: payment for extra hours worked;_______________________________________________________________
Time off in-lieu ____: paid time off instead of extra pay____________________________________________________________
Unpaid overtime ____you work and you don't get any extra pay or any time off.___________________________________________________________
How many hours is a full time employee expected to work a week before overtime applies? 37.5 hour a week
Reasonable hours are safer hours
Read the Overtime Fact Sheet and answer the following questions.
Why do you think that it important that people do not work too much over time?
________As well as denying you a social life, long working hours leads to inadequate rest, causes stress, disrupts personal and family life, could mean a higher risk of heart disease and can worsen existing medical problems._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How does overtime contribute to bad health?
__1. We don’t have enough time to sleep ____________________________________________________________________________2. Our eating habits could change _____________________________________________________________________________3. Breathe faster and shallower ____________________________________________________________________________
Lists some appropriate steps an employee could take to prevent them from working overtime.
Using the award, because we can sue the employer if they are still insist push us to work overtime_____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 5
Complete the exercises on "Unions have millions of members", which is located on the Worksite website. This will test your knowledge on the role of unions.
King of the mountain?
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) was established to represent the national interests of Australian unions, and is now a peak body which represents workers both locally and internationally.
The ACTU coordinates campaigns on important work-related issues and is responsible for lodging pay claims with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission on behalf of its member unions.
The ACTU also negotiates with the government, does research and analysis and keeps people in touch with workers in other countries.
Quick
United they stand
United they stand
When was the ACTU established?
Melbourne in 1927
How many unions does the ACTU represent?
Made up of 46 unions
Which Australian Prime Minister was once president of the ACTU?
Bob Hawke
Who is the current president of the ACTU?
Sharan Burrow
What was her first profession?
Teacher of high school
What is APHEDA?
APHEDA stands for Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad. It is the overseas humanitarian aid agency of the ACTU. APHEDA assists international development by supporting skills training projects for workers in South East Asia, the Pacific, southern Africa and the Middle East. Click here for more details.
Consider
ACTUality
a) What do you think the ACTU is best known for?
To represent the interests of the union movement.
b) Write a one page `biography' of the ACTU.
If you're working and you're a member of a union, then there's a good chance your union is a member of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, otherwise known as the ACTU. The ACTU is the peak organization representing unions nationally in Australia and internationally around the world.The ACTU has been around for around 76 years, having first been established in Melbourne in 1927 when the State unions recognized the need for a national organization to represent the interests of the union movement.Today the ACTU is made up of 46 unions and represents around 1,786,000 Australian workers, that’s around 20% of the full-time workforce. (ABS August 2006)There is a branch of the ACTU in each state and territory of Australia. These are called Trades and Labor Councils.
The ACTU supports:
Equal opportunity in the workplace.
An Australian republic.
Competency based training for workers, where workers don't end up in 'dead end' jobs and people are paid according to skill, not age.
Indigenous Australians in their struggle for a just outcome on land rights, reconciliation and recognition of their culture.
Economically sustainable development.
the call for the abolition of child labour and the exploitation of outworkers
Some current ACTU National Campaigns are:
Maternity Leave. The ACTU is campaigning for the introduction of paid maternity leave for all Australian women. Click here for more details.
Reasonable Hours. The ACTU's Reasonable Hours campaign aims to raise awareness about the effects of long working hours. Click here for more details.
Minimum Wages. The ACTU's Minimum Wages campaign aims to deliver a wage increase to award workers consistent with outcomes for others in the community and provide a real wage increase for the lowest paid. Click here for more details.
worker2worker. worker2worker is an ACTU/union initiative, which informs young people of their rights and responsibilities at work and provides advice on how to resolve workplace issues. Click here for more details.
Call Central. A campaign for decent minimum standards in the Call Centre Industry. Click here for more details.
If a work issue affects employees from a number of unions, the ACTU will usually be in charge of mounting a case that supports their reasons for wanting improved working conditions. This involves researching and writing a submission called a 'claim'. When the claim is ready, the ACTU formally presents it to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) - the court for industrial disputes. It's the AIRC's job to listen to evidence and arguments from unions, employers, the government and community groups and make an unbiased decision about the claim.
c) Make a list of what you think are the top three achievements of the ACTU.
1. What would it take for Melbourne's stonemasons, carpenters, bricklayers, slates, plumbers, painters and coachbuilders to go marching through the city streets with placards? The push to reduce the working day to eight hours for the building trades, that's what! In Melbourne after union meetings, strikes and the march their wish for an eight hour day came true. In Sydney it wasn't so simple - only the stonemasons were lucky. In 1856 the Melbourne tradesmen formed the `Eight Hours League' and built a headquarters on land the government gave them. Melbourne Trades Hall - became known as the `working man's parliament'.
2. Remember Bob Hawke? His biggest claim to fame is probably being Prime Minister of Australia (1983-1991), but guess where he started his political career? Yep. The ACTU! In 1958 Bob was a research officer at the ACTU and was elected President in 1969. Other well-known ACTU presidents turned politicians include Martin Ferguson and former Labor leader Simon Crean.
3. Representing approximately 1.8 million Australian workers
d) Make a list of the problems the ACTU might face.
1. From the government policy
2. From the Employer
Opinion
What if...
Imagine there were no unions and no ACTU. How would the world of work be different? Consider issues like wages, a fair go for everyone and occupational health and safety.
Every worker might be don’t get a fair wages, no sick leave, their healthy and safety at work place.
Quizzes
Quiz 1
Complete the quiz "Export and multi-skilling - Toyota" , which is located on the Worksite website.
Quiz 2
Complete the quiz "Violence in the Workplace" , which is located on the Worksite website. Click on the link below.
Case Study
Email Policy
The following links to the Australasian Legal Information Institute have some interesting information regarding the use of e-mail in the workplace. This is an area that has hit the media and the courtrooms recently due to employee claims of unfair dismissal and invasion of privacy.
The section of the website called, Privacy Law and Policy Reporter, publishes articles relating to privacy and computing. Read the article titled E-mail Privacy
The article recommends that organizations publish their email policy so that employees are aware of the correct use of email and the consequences of any breach of the email policy.
Task 1
Locate your work placement or another organization’s email policy. Briefly outline the acceptable use of email for your organization. Are the consequences of breaching this policy documented? If so what are the consequences?
We are not allow to use the email for private purpose, we will get a warning note if we breaching the policy, if we still breach the policy the company can sack us.
Employees and emails
Look at this web site Read the section Legal Setting of employment. This section discusses the topic of surveillance. Computer software can now monitor every keystroke that an employee makes for as little as $99. This section also refers to "cyber slacking", which is the use of email and the internet during work time posing a threat to productivity.
A well publicized court case involving the use of email during work time was between Ansett and one of its employees, Ms Gencarelli. Ms Gencarelli was a union delegate and she distributed information via email which was critical of Ansett's role in the negotiations with her union. She was dismissed for "unauthorized business use" of email. The case went to court and the judge ruled that the use of email was "authorized business use" and Ms Gencarelli was reinstated.
You can read the details of this case here under the heading Employees and emails
Task 2
Computerization has increased productivity, however, it also has the capacity to decrease productivity. How?
Computerization can increase productivity if the employee only using the computer to support their work only, if the employee only using the computer for checking their own private email at the work time, it will be decrease productivity.
What strategies are some companies implementing to monitor employees use of computers during work time ? Is this ethical?
Some companies have begun using surveillance software that covertly monitors and records each keystroke an employee makes: every letter, every comma, every revision, and every flick of the fingertip, regardless of whether the data is ever saved in a file or transmitted over a corporate computer network.
It’s depend on the situation of workplace, aren’t the employee not productive again
Do you agree with the judge's ruling in the case between Ms Gencarelli and Ansett ? Why or why not? Yes I agree, because Ms. Gencarelli was using the computer to send email for the Ansett costumer
Other Resources
ANTA. (1998). Information Technology, Client Support Training Package - ICA98. Work effectively in an information technology environment. Learner Guide. Australian Training products - Melbourne.
Australia Post
Australasian Legal Information Institute
Big W
Le Rossignol, K. (1999). Communication Skills for the Workplace. Eastern House - Victoria.
Scannell, D. (1996). The Information Technology Industry. Eastern House - Victoria.
Sydney City Council
Worksite.
The NSW HSC Online© site is bound by the responsibilities outlined in the disclaimer.
Reference: http://hsc.csu.edu.au/info_tech/core/work/icaittw001b/Main_work_effectively.html
Objective - develop competencies in:
Comply with general information technology policies and procedures.
Promote the organization and the Information Technology department in a manner consistent with the organization's mission.
Identify information technology equipment, software and operating systems supported by the organization.
Key Players Who are key players?
How do you promote the organization? Learn how employees promote their organization.
Policies & Procedures What policies are likely to be in the work place?
Mission Statements What are they and look at some examples
Organizational Charts Examples of organizational charts
IT Functions Learn about the five general sectors of I.T
Exercise 1 Short answer questions relating to an IT environment
Unions Learn about unions from a young worker's point of view.
IT Careers Learn about the career choices and planning in IT
Exercise 2 Research an IT career
Exercise 3 Short answer questions about promoting the organization
Exercise 4 Rights in the Workplace
Exercise 5 Unions have millions of members
Quiz 1 Export and multi-skilling - Toyota
Quiz 2 Violence in the Workplace
Case Study Can you lose your job over email?
Glossary Explanation of terms that will help you with this unit
Other Resources Useful links
Glossary
Anti-discrimination
The Anti-Discrimination Act (1997) is designed to protect your rights and to prevent discrimination. This includes equality in the workplace and in other aspects of your life.
Capital equipment
An object which is a financial asset needed for an undertaking or to perform a service. Generally, capital equipment is a financial asset that adds to the net worth of a business.
Code of conduct
Ethics agreement which details acceptable behaviors and conduct for a particular company or role.
Contractor
A person or organization that agrees to provide materials or perform services at a specified price, especially for construction or development work.
Contracts
An employment agreement between employer and employee, which is enforceable by law. A contract of employment sets out the conditions and terms under which an employee accepts to work in a particular job, such as the wage or salary amount, number or spread of working hours and whether overtime is paid or allowed.
Computing support
The provision or maintenance of hardware and software assistance.
Consumables
Computer related goods, which are used in the daily use or maintenance of a computer system, for example ink cartridges for a printer.
Corporate hardware and software
Approved hardware and software products used within a business.
Deadlines
A time limit for the completion of a task.
Duty statements
Also known as a job description. A document which describes the purpose, expected activities and responsibilities of a particular job.
E business
E business (electronic business) is the conduct of business on the internet
EEO
Equal Employment Opportunity. Any person employing other people has to take care to treat those people fairly, and not to discriminate on the grounds of race, sex, marital status, physical or mental impairment or sexual preferences.
Employer/employee rights and responsibilities
The duties and conformable rules or guidelines for a worker who is hired to perform a job, the employee, and the person or company that employ workers, the employer.
External client
A customer or someone who pays for goods or services who is independent of the organization delivering the service.
Help desk
A department within a company that responds to technical questions. Most large software companies have help desks to answer user questions. Questions and answers can be delivered by telephone, email or fax .
Internal client
A customer within the limits of the organization.
Mission statement
A declaration of a company's vision and role statement.
Organizational chart
A graphic representation of how authority and responsibility is distributed within a company or other organization.
Outsourcing
Paying another company to provide services which a company might otherwise have employed its own staff to perform, for example software development.
Project teams
A group organized to work together to undertake and complete an extensive task.
Strategic plan
A plan detailing where a company wants to be in the future. These plans usually have a strong emphasis on new technologies and ways of conducting business, such as e business.
Supplier
Someone whose business is to supply a particular service or commodity.
Workplace committees
A group of people officially delegated to perform a function, such as investigating, considering and/or reporting on a particular aspect of the workplace such as an Occupational Heath and Safety Committee.
Work schedules
A plan for performing work or achieving an objective by specifying the order and allotted time for each part.
Key Players
Key players are personnel within an organization that are essential for the functioning of that section or department. Within an organization key players may include:
Your supervisor
Your trainer
A manager
Helpdesk staff
Other colleagues in the department or division
There may be a number of key players outside your organization that influence how information technology is used in your organization. These may include:
Government departments
Vendors of information technology products or the customer
Professional bodies and societies such as the Australian Computer Society
Industry publications
Employer organizations and relevant unions
(Reproduced with permission of ANTA. (1998). Information Technology, Client Support Training Package - ICA98. Work effectively in an information technology environment. Learner Guide. Australian Training products - Melbourne.)
How do you promote the organization?
Promoting the organization to internal and external customers needs to be done in a manner consistent with organizational policies and procedures. You will need to establish how the organization wants to be promoted. To do this you may need to understand the organization’s mission statement. Mission statements are usually found in the organization’s strategic plan. The mission statement and organizational plans are often published on the organization’s web site.
Organizations promote themselves through corporate advertising. This includes posters, brochures, listings in phone books, promotion of their mission statement within the organization and having a presence on the internet. Individuals promote and are a representative of their organization. The overall image of the organization can be conveyed by the collective approach that staff have to customers, their dress, telephone manner and how their business is conducted, including meetings, presentations and interviews.
The organization may also have a code of conduct that outlines the manner in which staff are expected to conduct themselves when consulting customers. If you are unsure about what is expected of you, speak with your supervisor, trainer or mentor who can clarify the situation for you.
(Reproduced with permission of ANTA. (1998). Information Technology, Client Support Training Package - ICA98. Work effectively in an information technology environment. Learner Guide. Australian Training products - Melbourne.)
Policies & Procedures
Each organization will have its own policies and procedures. They may be directly related to the use of technology or designed to cover many aspects of the organization. These policies and procedures may include -
Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) guidelines
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) guidelines
Guidelines outlining work practices in a department
The structure of departments within an organization
Work agreements or enterprise bargains
Manuals on how to use technological equipment
Preventative maintenance procedures
Purchasing requisition procedures and documentation
(Reproduced with permission of ANTA. (1998). Information Technology, Client Support Training Package - ICA98. Work effectively in an information technology environment. Learner Guide. Australian Training products - Melbourne.)
Mission Statements
A mission statement refers to the core business of the company, their general philosophy and customer service focus. Organizations often have their mission statement on display in the foyer of their office. Mission statements are readily accessible for viewing by the public as organizations publish them in documents, such as annual reports and overviews of the organization.
Mission statements need to be concise and effective, for example, Big W's mission statement is "To provide our customers with the best quality merchandise at the best possible prices". This gives the customer and the employee the focus of the organization, which is to sell products at a lower price than their competitors. More information on Big W
Another example of a mission statement is Australia Post's. Here is an extract from their mission statement, "Australia Post is committed to providing high-quality mail and parcel services to all Australians". For more information about Australia Post look at the website
Organizational Charts
Organizational charts are used to represent the hierarchical or vertical structure of the organization. These charts depict the reporting and communication lines for the organization.
An organizational chart usually includes job or position description, and in some cases the name of the person holding that position.
A sample organizational chart is shown below:
For another sample organizational chart see the Sydney City Council site
Information Technology Functions
Information Technology can be used for a wide range of functions depending on the sectors within the industry, the type of organization and the business conducted. The structure of the Information Technology department may be a separate branch, department, division or an integrated function of an organization.
The five general sectors of the Information Technology industry include:
computer hardware
communications hardware
packaged software
computer services
communication services
(Ref - The Information Technology Industry, Scannell, pp. 17)
Each of these general sectors uses information technology in different ways to achieve different organizational goals. For example, in the Computer Services sector, information technology may be used for:
data processing
information storage and retrieval
computer maintenance
computer consultancy
(Ref - The Information Technology Industry, Scannell, pp. 23)
Unions
A union is an organization of employees which acts collectively for mutual protection and assistance. Unions represent workers in dealings with employers. They negotiate wages and conditions of employment for their members.
For more information on unions, click on the link "Clueless About Unions" . It was written by a 16 year old who did work experience at the Finance Sector Union.
Information Technology Careers
The Information Technology industry is well known for its breadth and diversity. It is a dynamic area and students are well advised to read widely for current trends and emerging technologies. The broad fields in the Information Technology industry can include those associated with hardware, software, web design, networking, marketing, help desk, and communications. Many jobs in Information Technology are a broad combination of several areas. To gain an insight into the careers in the Information Technology industry, look at the following websites listed below. A brief description of each site is included.
Australian Careers Directory
The Australian Careers Directory site is designed to help you understand your career options. Here is an extract from the site. "Welcome to the Australian Careers Directory. This is a collection of links to help you explore sites which can help with career exploration and decision making, job search, decision making, career related education, training resources and law" Click on this link to get more information http://www.careers.gov.au Have a look at the "Get Access - Careers Game". A fun decision support system to help you select the most appropriate career for you.
Click on the "Careers Guidance" link.
Click on the "Self assessment Tools" link.
Click on the "Get Access" link.
Careers Online
The careers online website is designed to help you plan your career. "Through Australia's careers online job seekers of any age get help with their career planning and employment and job search."
Here is the link http://www.careersonline.com.au
Another career planning website is located at: http://www.myfuture.edu.au/
Activities
Exercise 1
Using your work placement company or another organization that you are studying, write a 2-3 page report which addresses each of the following points.
Identify the name, address, telephone and fax numbers of your organization
City of Sydney Council, Tel: 02 9265 9333Email: council@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au TTY: 02 9265 9276 (for a person disable of hearing) Sites web: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Central Business District
Level 2, Town Hall House456 Kent Street, SydneyMonday- Friday: 8.00-18.00
Erskineville
104 Erskineville Road, ErskinevilleMonday - Friday: 9.00-17.00
Kings Cross
50-52 Darlinghurst Road, Kings CrossMonday - Friday: 9.30-17.30, Saturday: 9.00-12.00
Glebe
Glebe Town Hall160 St Johns Road, GlebeMonday - Friday: 8.30-17.30
Redfern
Tower 2, 1 Lawson Square, RedfernMonday - Friday: 8.00-17.30, Saturday: 9.00-12.00
Identify and briefly explain the role of the key players in the organization.
The City of Sydney aims to be an employer of choice by attracting highly-skilled, energetic people who will add impetus to the development of an innovative, effective organization.
Create an organizational chart for your organization.
Councilors—manager—employee --client
a. What is the mission statement of the organization? The City of Sydney aims to be an employer of choice by attracting highly-skilled, energetic people who will add impetus to the development of an innovative, effective organization.
b. If it is not written down, is there an implied mission statement? The City of Sydney aims to make Council services easy and convenient to access through its locations across the City.
c. What does the mission statement mean to the employees ?. How does it help them to assimilate into the workplace? To give a better service to the community of Sydney
Briefly list and explain the information technology functions within the organization
computer hardware
communications hardware
packaged software
computer services
communication services
data processing
information storage and retrieval
computer maintenance
computer consultancy
Identify information technology equipment in use in the organization
hardware,
software (including operating system software),
The State Heritage Inventory or online database contains over 20,000 heritage items on statutory lists in New South Wales. This information is mainly provided by local councils and most records have basic identification information such as Name, Address and Listing.
It also includes items listed on the State Heritage Register which can be searched separately, using additional search criteria.
While the Heritage Office seeks to keep the Inventory up to date, the most recent listings in local and regional environmental plans may not yet be included. Always check with the relevant Local Council or Shire for the most recent listings.
description of any special information technology equipment used in the workplace.
Heritage Links
Barani, Indigenous History of Sydney City
Website: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani/
City of Sydney Archives Images Library
Website: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/ArchivesWeb/scripts/home.asp
Sydney History
Website: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/history
NSW Heritage Office
Allows you to search the State Heritage Register and the State Heritage Inventory, which include items within the City of Sydney. Also provides a list of Publications providing guidance on a range of heritage issues under the 'Publications & Forms' tab, including 'Altering Heritage Assets'; 'Conservation Products and Services'; 'Heritage Consultants Directory'; 'How to carry out work on heritage buildings and sites”: the 'Maintenance series' and 'Principles of Conservation Work on Heritage Places.',
Website: www.heritage.nsw.gov.au
National Trust of Australia (NSW)
The Trust classifies heritage items and keeps a register of these items. The Trust also has a number of useful publications available online.
Website: www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au
National Trust of Australia (Victoria)
This site has publications under 'Conservation', 'Useful Documents' tabs, including 'Australian Housing Styles' and 'Twelve Tips for Caring for Old Buildings.'
Website: www.vic.nationaltrust.org.au
NSW Department of National Parks and Wildlife Services
Responsible for protecting and managing Aboriginal sites, objects and places of special significance to Aboriginal people within NSW.
Website: www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au
Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage
Provides access to a number of heritage databases including the Australian Heritage Database, National Heritage List and Commonwealth Heritage List. See 'Heritage' tab on the front page.
Website: www.deh.gov.au
Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Maintains a register of significant 20th century buildings.
Website: www.architecture.com.au
Australia ICOMOS
This is the peak association of heritage professionals in Australia. ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) is primarily concerned with the philosophy, terminology, methodology and techniques of conservation. It is a non-government professional organisation formed in 1965. It is closely linked to UNESCO with national committees in some 100 countries with the headquarters in France.
The site includes the Burra Charter, the principle document guiding heritage conservation in Australia under the 'Charters and Publications' tab.
Website: www.icomos.org/australia/
'Ian Evans’ World of Old Houses
The following website is a one-stop shop of information on conservation of old Australian houses. Ian Evans is the author of a number of popular books on the subject, including 'How to Restore the Old Aussie House' and 'Caring for Old Houses', and co-author of “Colour Schemes for Old Australian Houses' and 'More Colour Schemes for Old Australian Houses'.
Website: www.oldhouses.com.au/
Find out and write down the telephone number and location of your nearest branch of the Australian Computer Society.
Secretariat Address
Sydney Mechanics School of ArtsLower Ground280 Pitt StreetSYDNEY NSW 2000 Ph: +61 2 9261 4411 Fax. +61 2 9261 4277 Email: acsnsw@acslink.net.au
Find out where the following policies and procedures are located in your organization and write down where they are kept.
Occupational Health & Safety
The Council of the City of Sydney is committed to the occupational health and safety of all employees and those visiting Council premises by providing a safe and healthy workplace. The City regards its occupational health and safety responsibilities with the utmost importance and is committed to provide the necessary resources to comply with all relevant Acts and Regulations.
To achieve the commitment to Occupational Health and Safety, the City Occupational Health Safety and Rehabilitation Unit has developed numerous programs, in consultation with staff, to achieve a reduction in the number and severity of injuries in the workplace. The City's Occupational Health and Safety Committee conducts regular workplace inspections and plays an advisory role to staff and management.
The City contributes to improvements in equipment design and work practices to achieve higher levels of safety which are recognized throughout Local Government. The City is also represented on regional OH&S committees participating in regional initiatives to improve safety in the work environment.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The Council of the City of Sydney has a commitment to equal employment opportunity under the obligations of the Anti-Discrimination Act and other relevant legislation. This commitment is reflected by the integration of the principles of EEO into the City's policies and work practices.
Purchasing Guidelines
EXAMPLE ON APRIL 30th 2007,
GUIDELINES FOR TABLE PURCHASING FOR CHARITY AND FUNDRAISING EVENTS
The following are recommended as guidelines to assist with determining whether a table should be purchased. Priority will be given to purchasing tables for events/functions which:
(a) Contribute toward a coordinated approach to service delivery and the development of responses to emerging social, community, cultural or economic issues.
(b) Strengthen formal and informal support networks, reduce isolation and increase community participation and opportunities.
(c) Increase access to and the achievement of basic rights for people with the greatest need.
(d) Promote a balanced debate aimed at achieving social harmony.
(e) Raise funds for a cause or organization which is in keeping with the City’s interests or experiencing exceptional circumstances involving genuine hardship. (f) Events linked to the corporate and strategic objectives of the City.
Information Technology Tray
You can find more detail by using the site
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/.../GreenSquare/HistoriesofGreenSquare.pdf - 2007-07-28
Exercise 2
Identify career options in the Information Technology industry.
Click on this link to get more information http://www.careers.gov.au Have a look at the "Get Access - Careers Game". A fun decision support system to help you select the most appropriate career for you
Your task is to create a profile of a person currently working in the Information Technology industry.
Create a questionnaire to be used to gather information.Include questions that will enable you to gather informationon:
Name : James Lee
Job title : IT programmer
Name of company : IT Link
Job description or role : Analyst program
Information Technology skills required to do this job : Microsoft Office Tools Microsoft Office Outlook Microsoft Office Excel Microsoft Office Word Microsoft office Visio Microsoft Office Power Point Master Landscape Pro™ Version 10
Salary (optional) : 120.000 pa
Length of time at current job role : 8 hour
Training or qualifications required : Bachelor of IT
How did you get this job? Internet advertisement
Future career aspirations: Have my own IT company
Use desktop publishing software to create a personal career profile - including a scanned photo or photo taken using a digital camera. A Sample format is included below to help you
Exercise 3
Choose an information technology workplace and complete the exercises below.
Locate samples of information that the organization distributes to its customers. This could include pamphlets, booklets and posters that advertise various aspects of the organization. What does this information reveal about the organization?
www.componentsource.com, they’re using web page to advertise their product and service.
Does the organization have guidelines that direct the way in which the organization is promoted? If so what are they, if not why aren't guidelines necessary?
IT-Workplace is a software company that specialists in Business Intelligence reporting solutions. Our primary product, Intelligencia, is designed to allow enterprise wide distribution of print quality reports from multidimensional (Olap) databases. IT-Workplace solutions deliver simple end-user driven report authoring combined with scalable web based server technology to maximize the data assets in your business.
The software IT-Workplace develops is 100% focused on Microsoft technology and is based on the .NET platform. All software development conforms to Microsoft, methodologies and architectures.
Whether direct or in conjunction with our solutions partners, we aim to provide organizations with better, faster and easier access to the information that exists within their operational systems and external data sources.
Our customer base crosses widely varied business segments demonstrating the general appeal of Intelligences and confirming our belief that a large market for BI reporting is as-yet unsatisfied by other vendors.
Exercise 4
Complete the exercise on "Rights in the Workplace", which is located on the Worksite website. This will test your knowledge on rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
Activity K
Rights in the workplace
Are you angry because you didn't get the holidays you wanted? Do you have reason to believe you're not getting paid enough for your age? Have you been working more hours than you are supposed to? You need to get in touch with your rights!
Know your rights!
Draw a line and match the right to its definition.
Rights
Definition
1. Equal opportunity employment
2. A safe place to work
2. Occupational health and safety
5. A fair go for pregnant women
3. Agreements/awards
1. A fair go for everybody
4. Overtime
3. A specific wage
5. Pregnancy discrimination
4. Time worked before or after your regularly working hours
Right on
Which right is most important to you and why?
_Overtime, because we deserve to pay more for the overtime we’ve done ____________________________________________________________________________
_Occupational health and safety, because that’s our right to get cover at work____________________________________________________________________________
__Equal opportunity employment, because it’s not fair if we are judge by our background, religion, racist, and gender__________________________________________________________________________
DISCRIMINATION
Everyone deserves a "fair go" at work. That means being treated fairly, having the same opportunities as others and being paid properly for your work. To support this the law says an employer must not discriminate between employees. Whether you are a man or woman, a person of any race, religion or culture, young or old, parent or single, an active union member, an injured worker, a disabled worker, or a pregnant worker, you must receive a fair go at work.
That means you are entitled to:
freedom from insults or jokes based on sex, race, religion or culture
equal pay for equal work
access to job opportunities and promotion
fair share of training
support if you are injured
support, where appropriate, so your work fits in with your family life.
Case study
Write a 'make-belief' case study of an employee that has been discriminated against in their workplace. Include how and why they were discriminated against, what their actions were in attempt to get help and how the conflict ended.
AWARDS/AGREEMENTS
Use the Glossary definition and define an award/agreement
__Award/agreement : A legal document which specifies the minimum conditions under which you are employed. It covers matters like wages, holidays, sick leave and overtime. Awards sometimes also set out the basic requirements of things like maternity leave. Employers must abide by the conditions of the award because it is a legal document.__________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What's good for employees about awards/agreements?
__The employees know what’s their right and their responsibility __________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Back in front
You have the right to receive the correct pay, but working out exactly how much is owed to you is not always easy.
Use the Job Union Match section and work out how much these full-time jobs would expect to be paid yearly?
Occupation
Graduate/Training Salary
Professional Salary
Doctor
$52,456
$156,784
Accountant
$41,636
$134,242
Child care worker
$32,142
$117,420
Graphic designer
$32,893
$129,571
Hairdresser
$28,756
$56,694
Physiotherapist
$42,639
$151,278
Travel Agent
$17,000
$158,080
Veterinarian
YOUTH WAGES
'Youth wages' or 'junior wages' are rates of pay for young people.
What ages do youth wages apply to? Between 15 and 21 years old Hint: check out the Youth Wages Fact Sheet
Do you think youth wages are fair? any experiences I think it’s fair enough, because they don’t have on those ages. Find a partner and discuss. Explain your answer in detail. Share your answer with the class.
OVERTIME
Finding that 9-5 doesn't apply? Working long hours and receiving no extra pay?
It looks like you've been doing a little overtime - the time worked before or after your regularly scheduled working hours.
Use the Overtime Fact Sheet and the Glossary section to define the followingterms:
Paid overtime __: payment for extra hours worked;_______________________________________________________________
Time off in-lieu ____: paid time off instead of extra pay____________________________________________________________
Unpaid overtime ____you work and you don't get any extra pay or any time off.___________________________________________________________
How many hours is a full time employee expected to work a week before overtime applies? 37.5 hour a week
Reasonable hours are safer hours
Read the Overtime Fact Sheet and answer the following questions.
Why do you think that it important that people do not work too much over time?
________As well as denying you a social life, long working hours leads to inadequate rest, causes stress, disrupts personal and family life, could mean a higher risk of heart disease and can worsen existing medical problems._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How does overtime contribute to bad health?
__1. We don’t have enough time to sleep ____________________________________________________________________________2. Our eating habits could change _____________________________________________________________________________3. Breathe faster and shallower ____________________________________________________________________________
Lists some appropriate steps an employee could take to prevent them from working overtime.
Using the award, because we can sue the employer if they are still insist push us to work overtime_____________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 5
Complete the exercises on "Unions have millions of members", which is located on the Worksite website. This will test your knowledge on the role of unions.
King of the mountain?
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) was established to represent the national interests of Australian unions, and is now a peak body which represents workers both locally and internationally.
The ACTU coordinates campaigns on important work-related issues and is responsible for lodging pay claims with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission on behalf of its member unions.
The ACTU also negotiates with the government, does research and analysis and keeps people in touch with workers in other countries.
Quick
United they stand
United they stand
When was the ACTU established?
Melbourne in 1927
How many unions does the ACTU represent?
Made up of 46 unions
Which Australian Prime Minister was once president of the ACTU?
Bob Hawke
Who is the current president of the ACTU?
Sharan Burrow
What was her first profession?
Teacher of high school
What is APHEDA?
APHEDA stands for Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad. It is the overseas humanitarian aid agency of the ACTU. APHEDA assists international development by supporting skills training projects for workers in South East Asia, the Pacific, southern Africa and the Middle East. Click here for more details.
Consider
ACTUality
a) What do you think the ACTU is best known for?
To represent the interests of the union movement.
b) Write a one page `biography' of the ACTU.
If you're working and you're a member of a union, then there's a good chance your union is a member of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, otherwise known as the ACTU. The ACTU is the peak organization representing unions nationally in Australia and internationally around the world.The ACTU has been around for around 76 years, having first been established in Melbourne in 1927 when the State unions recognized the need for a national organization to represent the interests of the union movement.Today the ACTU is made up of 46 unions and represents around 1,786,000 Australian workers, that’s around 20% of the full-time workforce. (ABS August 2006)There is a branch of the ACTU in each state and territory of Australia. These are called Trades and Labor Councils.
The ACTU supports:
Equal opportunity in the workplace.
An Australian republic.
Competency based training for workers, where workers don't end up in 'dead end' jobs and people are paid according to skill, not age.
Indigenous Australians in their struggle for a just outcome on land rights, reconciliation and recognition of their culture.
Economically sustainable development.
the call for the abolition of child labour and the exploitation of outworkers
Some current ACTU National Campaigns are:
Maternity Leave. The ACTU is campaigning for the introduction of paid maternity leave for all Australian women. Click here for more details.
Reasonable Hours. The ACTU's Reasonable Hours campaign aims to raise awareness about the effects of long working hours. Click here for more details.
Minimum Wages. The ACTU's Minimum Wages campaign aims to deliver a wage increase to award workers consistent with outcomes for others in the community and provide a real wage increase for the lowest paid. Click here for more details.
worker2worker. worker2worker is an ACTU/union initiative, which informs young people of their rights and responsibilities at work and provides advice on how to resolve workplace issues. Click here for more details.
Call Central. A campaign for decent minimum standards in the Call Centre Industry. Click here for more details.
If a work issue affects employees from a number of unions, the ACTU will usually be in charge of mounting a case that supports their reasons for wanting improved working conditions. This involves researching and writing a submission called a 'claim'. When the claim is ready, the ACTU formally presents it to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) - the court for industrial disputes. It's the AIRC's job to listen to evidence and arguments from unions, employers, the government and community groups and make an unbiased decision about the claim.
c) Make a list of what you think are the top three achievements of the ACTU.
1. What would it take for Melbourne's stonemasons, carpenters, bricklayers, slates, plumbers, painters and coachbuilders to go marching through the city streets with placards? The push to reduce the working day to eight hours for the building trades, that's what! In Melbourne after union meetings, strikes and the march their wish for an eight hour day came true. In Sydney it wasn't so simple - only the stonemasons were lucky. In 1856 the Melbourne tradesmen formed the `Eight Hours League' and built a headquarters on land the government gave them. Melbourne Trades Hall - became known as the `working man's parliament'.
2. Remember Bob Hawke? His biggest claim to fame is probably being Prime Minister of Australia (1983-1991), but guess where he started his political career? Yep. The ACTU! In 1958 Bob was a research officer at the ACTU and was elected President in 1969. Other well-known ACTU presidents turned politicians include Martin Ferguson and former Labor leader Simon Crean.
3. Representing approximately 1.8 million Australian workers
d) Make a list of the problems the ACTU might face.
1. From the government policy
2. From the Employer
Opinion
What if...
Imagine there were no unions and no ACTU. How would the world of work be different? Consider issues like wages, a fair go for everyone and occupational health and safety.
Every worker might be don’t get a fair wages, no sick leave, their healthy and safety at work place.
Quizzes
Quiz 1
Complete the quiz "Export and multi-skilling - Toyota" , which is located on the Worksite website.
Quiz 2
Complete the quiz "Violence in the Workplace" , which is located on the Worksite website. Click on the link below.
Case Study
Email Policy
The following links to the Australasian Legal Information Institute have some interesting information regarding the use of e-mail in the workplace. This is an area that has hit the media and the courtrooms recently due to employee claims of unfair dismissal and invasion of privacy.
The section of the website called, Privacy Law and Policy Reporter, publishes articles relating to privacy and computing. Read the article titled E-mail Privacy
The article recommends that organizations publish their email policy so that employees are aware of the correct use of email and the consequences of any breach of the email policy.
Task 1
Locate your work placement or another organization’s email policy. Briefly outline the acceptable use of email for your organization. Are the consequences of breaching this policy documented? If so what are the consequences?
We are not allow to use the email for private purpose, we will get a warning note if we breaching the policy, if we still breach the policy the company can sack us.
Employees and emails
Look at this web site Read the section Legal Setting of employment. This section discusses the topic of surveillance. Computer software can now monitor every keystroke that an employee makes for as little as $99. This section also refers to "cyber slacking", which is the use of email and the internet during work time posing a threat to productivity.
A well publicized court case involving the use of email during work time was between Ansett and one of its employees, Ms Gencarelli. Ms Gencarelli was a union delegate and she distributed information via email which was critical of Ansett's role in the negotiations with her union. She was dismissed for "unauthorized business use" of email. The case went to court and the judge ruled that the use of email was "authorized business use" and Ms Gencarelli was reinstated.
You can read the details of this case here under the heading Employees and emails
Task 2
Computerization has increased productivity, however, it also has the capacity to decrease productivity. How?
Computerization can increase productivity if the employee only using the computer to support their work only, if the employee only using the computer for checking their own private email at the work time, it will be decrease productivity.
What strategies are some companies implementing to monitor employees use of computers during work time ? Is this ethical?
Some companies have begun using surveillance software that covertly monitors and records each keystroke an employee makes: every letter, every comma, every revision, and every flick of the fingertip, regardless of whether the data is ever saved in a file or transmitted over a corporate computer network.
It’s depend on the situation of workplace, aren’t the employee not productive again
Do you agree with the judge's ruling in the case between Ms Gencarelli and Ansett ? Why or why not? Yes I agree, because Ms. Gencarelli was using the computer to send email for the Ansett costumer
Other Resources
ANTA. (1998). Information Technology, Client Support Training Package - ICA98. Work effectively in an information technology environment. Learner Guide. Australian Training products - Melbourne.
Australia Post
Australasian Legal Information Institute
Big W
Le Rossignol, K. (1999). Communication Skills for the Workplace. Eastern House - Victoria.
Scannell, D. (1996). The Information Technology Industry. Eastern House - Victoria.
Sydney City Council
Worksite.
The NSW HSC Online© site is bound by the responsibilities outlined in the disclaimer.
communicate in IT workplace
ICAITTW002B
Communicate in the IT workplace
On completion of this unit learners should be competent in promoting professional client support through verbal and non-verbal communication. This Unit incorporates a broad knowledge of OH & S principles, organizational Policy and Procedures and the ability to process information and establish contact with both internal and external clients.
This Unit includes:
Establishing contact with clients
Processing information
Glossary Other Resources
Activities
Exercise 1 - Communication Model Exercise 2 - Communication Media Exercise 3 - Questions Case Study 1 - Customer Service Exercise 4 - Memorandum Exercise 5 - Telephone Technique Exercise 6 - Facsimile Sample Project
Glossary
Active Listening
Responding to what you hear, indicating you are listening.
Aggressive
To put others down, only see your point of view, pushy and abusive at times.
Assertive
To be clear and honest when speaking about your feelings and respect the rights and needs of others without making judgments.
Body Language
Movement of the body and facial expressions to communicate.
Communicate
Successfully convey an idea from one person to another using some form of medium – verbal, non verbal.
Communication Breakdown
Failure to communicate or be understood for some reason.
Compose
To produce or put together an idea, usually written.
Empathy
The ability to see things from the other person’s point of view.
Feedback
Any reply to a message.
Internal Client
Other workers within the same organization.
Interpretation
What the receiver understands from the communication and what they get from it.
Medium
The method or channel you choose to send the message by – verbal, written, visual, non-verbal.
Message
What you want to communicate – an idea, instruction, request, statement.
Non Verbal
Without talking (words)
Oral
By way of speaking in words.
Passive
When you do not clearly communicate what you think or feel.
Pessimists
People who always seem to see the negative side of things.
Receiver
The person/s who you want to communicate with.
Screening Calls
Listening to the caller and asking questions to establish the purpose of the call, then make a decision based on this information and the company policy.
Stereotypes
Judging or classifying people into a particular category according to appearance, behaviors, clothes or a belief.
Other resources
K Burton & K Le Rossignol, 2000, Communicating in an IT Environment, Eastern House, Victoria
Videos:
The Ten Deadly Sins of Communication, AV302.2242/TEND, by Wilson Main, 1994, Video Communicators, North Adelaide
Communicating with Customers and Clients (Internal and External), AV658.812/WORK, Hughes, Brown & Dickens, 1997, Video Education, Australia
Telephone Techniques, AV651.73/TELE, Video train, 1990, Carlton, Vic.
Activities
Exercise 1
In its simplest form communication can be described as a process and demonstrated in the following model:
Simple Model of the Communication Process
Using this model, think about the different types of mediums you can use in your communication to send a message to someone.
Different kinds of medium:
Conversation
Telephone
Fax
E-mail
Meetings
Letters
Memos
Reports
Demonstration
Observation
Diagrams
Symbols
Body language
Video
Audio tape
Advertisement
Exercise 2
Consider all the different forms of media used for communication and place a tick in the boxes you think would be the most appropriate for the message being sent. There may be more than one choice.
Message
Phone
Meeting
E-mail
Memo
Letter
Advert
In Person
Job Application
<
<
<
Information for staff
<
<
<
List of Specials
<
<
Asking a friend out
<
<
<
Message for work mates
<
<
<
Dinner invitation
<
<
Seminar Invitation
<
<
Feedback on a work task
<
<
<
Calling a meeting
<
<
<
<
Exercise 3
Questions
For any kind of communication to take place, whether it is verbal, non-verbal, written or via computers, there are two main components – what are they?
sender and receiver.
What kinds of ‘hindrances’ can cause bad or poor communication to occur?
noise, poor medium, misunderstanding, personal problems, feeling unwell.
How can you tell if someone is listening to you?
Body language, head gestures, facial expressions.
It is always better to make a ____ Suggest or request______________ rather than command or order someone to do something.
Communication is a ___ Two-way_________ process.
Besides passive communicators there are two other main types, what are they?
Aggressive and Assertive
List some of the differences between these main types of communication styles:
Aggressive – hurtful, forceful, self-opinionated, commanding
Assertive – Clear and honest, respects the rights of others, requests rather than commands.
Case study 1
Read the following scenario and list the communication and customer service faults.
Robert Martin needed some information on the latest accounting software available from the local Computer Store.
Robert experienced the following:
There was no one at the counter when he walked in, so he looked around the store for a while, then went back to the counter and called out for someone.
A sales person finally appeared complaining about the end of month paper work and how there was not enough time in the day and there were too many interruptions!
Before Robert had time to finish his enquiry the phone rang and the sales person answered the call, which took several minutes to complete.
He finally got to finish his enquiry but the sales person felt there was someone else better suited to answer his questions, so called a second person to the counter.
Robert then had to repeat everything again.
The sales person did not seem too interested in his needs and talked him into buying a different version of the accounting software, which cost more.
Robert went away feeling like he had been “fobbed off”, but was pleased to finally have his software.
When he tried installing it however, he discovered the hardware did not support that version of the accounting software, at which point he became very angry and frustrated.
After identifying the customer service faults, write a letter of complaint to the manager of the computer store and make some suggestions towards improving their communication and service techniques.
Dear manager,
I was a customer that tries to buy accounting software in your store; I felt that I had been “fobbed off” by your sales person. I was trying to enquiry my demand for accounting software but your sales person was busy and keep complaining about the end of paper work and got too many interruptions, which I felt “I was the too many interruption”. I haven’t finished my enquiry and I’m sure that the sales person wasn’t listening all of my enquiry, so he rang up the other sales person so I have to replied all of my enquiry, but he didn’t look very interesting with my enquiry and suggested me to buy another version from what I‘ve looking for and it cost me extra money.
I take the suggestion, I bring the software home to install it, and then I discovered the hardware didn’t support the version of the accounting software, I’m really disappoint with the service from both of your sales person.
Please notice I‘m a costumer which I deserve to be service very kindly. I know everyone can be stress up by their job or live, however please note to your down line don’t complaining about internal problem with the customer. The second is teach your down line to hear every single word of demand from customer so that mistake which I experience wouldn’t happen again.
Exercise 4
Compose a memorandum to all Helpdesk staff, from you as the IT Services Manager advising them of the list of questions they must ask clients when they log a call for help:
Date, time, name of client, where they are from, what was the user trying to do when the problem occurred? Has this happened before? Write down exact wording of any error messages, which application were they using? Did they try re-booting?
Include all this information on the log sheets provided.
Key in memorandum or use a memo template from Word.
Memorandum
TO CC FROM DATE SUBJECT REF
All Helpdesk Staff
IT Management Services Your name, IT Services Manager Date of todayQuestions for Client’s Your Initials
The following questions must be asked when logging a support call from clients. These will enable us to help solve the problem as quickly as possible: Date Time Name of client What section/department/company are they from? What was the user trying to do when the problem occurred?
Have they had this problem before?
Write down exact wording of any error messages. Which application were they using? Did they try re-booting? Please include all this information on the log sheets provided.
Exercise 5
Telephone technique
What are some of the advantages of using telephones?
Advantages: Instant response, speak to someone in person over long distance, they can save time, issues can be clarified over the phone – reducing travel time and unnecessary delays.
How would you describe correct courtesy and preferred greeting when using the telephone?
Courtesy: Respect what the other person has to say, don’t interrupt or cut them off before they are finished. Be polite at all times, even if they are abusive or upset. The success of the conversation relies on this kind of courtesy.
Greeting: A pleasant greeting, which will be different depending on whether you are making or receiving the call. It is the first impression and can decide how the remainder of the conversation will go.
Briefly list the main points to consider when answering an incoming call.
Answer with a greeting such as “Good morning/afternoon”, then identify the name of your company/organization/department followed by your name and ask, “How may I help you”. If you can not assist then you should be able to direct them to someone who can.
Briefly list the main points to consider when making an outgoing call.
Outgoing call: You may need to organize some information or questions before making the call – be organized. Identify yourself, ask for the person you wish to speak to or state what you need so you can be directed to the right person, then outline the purpose of the call or ask questions.
To ensure effective communication, you must speak ___clearly______, using a __ pleasant _____tone and speaking at a speed that can be easily ___ understood_________.
What are two time-wasters that callers are most resentful of?
Time-wasters: Waiting for the phone to be answered or being put on hold for a long period especially without someone keeping them informed as to how much longer it might be.
List the main steps you should take when preparing to make a telephone call.
Preparing: In the workplace in particular, a lot of time can be wasted if you have not prepared what you need before making a call – having all the required information at hand and knowing exactly what you need to say or ask is very important. Write down a series of questions or have a list of specific points in front of you so nothing is overlooked. Taking notes during the conversation so nothing is forgotten – Do not rely on your memory.
When concluding a telephone conversation you may have to _ repeat _______the key points.
Exercise 6
You are working for the Bits & PCs Computer Company and your supervisor has asked you to fax a client regarding some delayed stock, which they were expecting from your company.
Compose a fax using a Fax Template from Word. Briefly apologize for the delay in delivering the printer cartridges and copy toners they ordered on 25 September and that since these items are now in stock they will be delivered to their office on Friday 5 October.
The information for Fax details is:
Bits & PCs Computer Company
TO: W & W Printing Services
405 Claxton Road
FAX: (02) 942952125
Wentworthville
FROM: Hendra
FAX: (02) 952216398
DATE: August 28, 2007
Pages including this one: 1
Subject: Delayed Stock
Message:
We apologize for the delay in delivering the printer cartridges and copy toners your ordered on 25 September.
These items have now come into stock and will be delivered to your office on Friday 5 October.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is any further problem.
Sample project
Communicate in the IT Workplace
You are to use the following case study to answer all the questions.
Read through it carefully and then refer to this situation as you answer each question.
Imagine that you work in a computer sales and repair shop. Mrs. Penn comes in on Tuesday morning. The digital video camera she bought from you a month ago has been damaged in an accident. She put it in for repairs at your shop two weeks ago last Friday. She has not heard from anyone and she needs the camera for a special videoconference she has arranged with her family overseas, next Saturday.
Promoting client satisfaction
How would you and an observer know if Mrs. Penn went away feeling satisfied?
Acting consistently with employer’s needs
What would you say to actively promote the image of Bits & PCs? What would you say to reassure Mrs. Penn that her decision to buy the Camera was a wise one?
We assure this is the best price you can get, than other shop, we also give a guarantee for all of our product
How would you check with Mrs. Penn that you had understood her main need in this situation? We’ll try our best to fix the video camera before the deadline
What reasonable solution could you find to the problem of the slowness of the repairs? We’re running out of stock with the spare part of the camera which we have to change
In the event that it cannot be fixed in time for the videoconference, what will you suggest for her? We’ll borrowing Mrs. Penn a video camera for the videoconference if, we’re unable to fix it on time
Interpersonal Skills
Write down four interpersonal skills your employer would like to see you use in a situation like this. Empathy, Assertive, Active listening, Passive
What interpersonal skills would you as a client like to find in someone helping you? Assertive and Empathy
Telephone Technique
How would you answer the telephone? Answer with a greeting such as “Good morning/afternoon”, then identify the name of my company/organization/department followed by my name
How would you greet Mrs. Penn once she had identified herself? Ask, “How may I help you”. If I can not assist then I have to be able to direct them to someone who can.
Questioning Techniques
Give two examples of open-ended questions you might ask Mrs. Penn.
- What is exactly things causing the camera out of order, did you drop it or?
- Do you trying to fix it by your self after the accident, I mean, did you touch any thing inside of the camera?
Give one example of a closed question you would ask Mrs. Penn.
- Can we have your number so that we could be able to contact you if the camera is ready?
Active Listening
Write one response that shows that you really heard what she said? Oh, I can see it. We’ll try to fix it before Saturday, if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday we’ll borrowing you camera for Saturday
Write one response that shows that you understood and empathized with her. That’s a very special moment, we’ll try our best to fix it before Saturday, if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday we’ll borrowing you camera for Saturday
Write down four ‘listening responses’ you would use in your exchange.
- We’re feel sorry for the delay, we’ll do our best to fix it before Saturday, if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday we’ll borrowing you camera for Saturday
- Sorry for the inconvenience slowness of fixing the camera, we’ll try to fix it before Saturday, if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday we’ll borrowing you camera for Saturday
- We have to wait for some spare part, because we’re running out of stock. We’ll try to fix it before Saturday, if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday we’ll borrowing you camera for Saturday
- The camera is almost ready we’re just want to make sure It can work properly on Saturday
Service follow-up
List three things that you and Mrs. Penn could agree on jointly as a course of action. These would be things that either you or your boss or she would do.
- If the accident is because of human error, than Mrs. Penn couldn’t use her guarantee product to fix the camera
- We have to wait for some spare part; we’re trying our best to fix it before Saturday
- We’ll borrowing a camera if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday
How would you check that she was happy with this proposed course of action? By her body language and the tone of her voice
How would you re-check important details like phone numbers and times? Ask them once again, or we reply the detail after they say it.
The NSW HSC Online© site is bound by the responsibilities outlined in the disclaimer.
Communicate in the IT workplace
On completion of this unit learners should be competent in promoting professional client support through verbal and non-verbal communication. This Unit incorporates a broad knowledge of OH & S principles, organizational Policy and Procedures and the ability to process information and establish contact with both internal and external clients.
This Unit includes:
Establishing contact with clients
Processing information
Glossary Other Resources
Activities
Exercise 1 - Communication Model Exercise 2 - Communication Media Exercise 3 - Questions Case Study 1 - Customer Service Exercise 4 - Memorandum Exercise 5 - Telephone Technique Exercise 6 - Facsimile Sample Project
Glossary
Active Listening
Responding to what you hear, indicating you are listening.
Aggressive
To put others down, only see your point of view, pushy and abusive at times.
Assertive
To be clear and honest when speaking about your feelings and respect the rights and needs of others without making judgments.
Body Language
Movement of the body and facial expressions to communicate.
Communicate
Successfully convey an idea from one person to another using some form of medium – verbal, non verbal.
Communication Breakdown
Failure to communicate or be understood for some reason.
Compose
To produce or put together an idea, usually written.
Empathy
The ability to see things from the other person’s point of view.
Feedback
Any reply to a message.
Internal Client
Other workers within the same organization.
Interpretation
What the receiver understands from the communication and what they get from it.
Medium
The method or channel you choose to send the message by – verbal, written, visual, non-verbal.
Message
What you want to communicate – an idea, instruction, request, statement.
Non Verbal
Without talking (words)
Oral
By way of speaking in words.
Passive
When you do not clearly communicate what you think or feel.
Pessimists
People who always seem to see the negative side of things.
Receiver
The person/s who you want to communicate with.
Screening Calls
Listening to the caller and asking questions to establish the purpose of the call, then make a decision based on this information and the company policy.
Stereotypes
Judging or classifying people into a particular category according to appearance, behaviors, clothes or a belief.
Other resources
K Burton & K Le Rossignol, 2000, Communicating in an IT Environment, Eastern House, Victoria
Videos:
The Ten Deadly Sins of Communication, AV302.2242/TEND, by Wilson Main, 1994, Video Communicators, North Adelaide
Communicating with Customers and Clients (Internal and External), AV658.812/WORK, Hughes, Brown & Dickens, 1997, Video Education, Australia
Telephone Techniques, AV651.73/TELE, Video train, 1990, Carlton, Vic.
Activities
Exercise 1
In its simplest form communication can be described as a process and demonstrated in the following model:
Simple Model of the Communication Process
Using this model, think about the different types of mediums you can use in your communication to send a message to someone.
Different kinds of medium:
Conversation
Telephone
Fax
Meetings
Letters
Memos
Reports
Demonstration
Observation
Diagrams
Symbols
Body language
Video
Audio tape
Advertisement
Exercise 2
Consider all the different forms of media used for communication and place a tick in the boxes you think would be the most appropriate for the message being sent. There may be more than one choice.
Message
Phone
Meeting
Memo
Letter
Advert
In Person
Job Application
<
<
<
Information for staff
<
<
<
List of Specials
<
<
Asking a friend out
<
<
<
Message for work mates
<
<
<
Dinner invitation
<
<
Seminar Invitation
<
<
Feedback on a work task
<
<
<
Calling a meeting
<
<
<
<
Exercise 3
Questions
For any kind of communication to take place, whether it is verbal, non-verbal, written or via computers, there are two main components – what are they?
sender and receiver.
What kinds of ‘hindrances’ can cause bad or poor communication to occur?
noise, poor medium, misunderstanding, personal problems, feeling unwell.
How can you tell if someone is listening to you?
Body language, head gestures, facial expressions.
It is always better to make a ____ Suggest or request______________ rather than command or order someone to do something.
Communication is a ___ Two-way_________ process.
Besides passive communicators there are two other main types, what are they?
Aggressive and Assertive
List some of the differences between these main types of communication styles:
Aggressive – hurtful, forceful, self-opinionated, commanding
Assertive – Clear and honest, respects the rights of others, requests rather than commands.
Case study 1
Read the following scenario and list the communication and customer service faults.
Robert Martin needed some information on the latest accounting software available from the local Computer Store.
Robert experienced the following:
There was no one at the counter when he walked in, so he looked around the store for a while, then went back to the counter and called out for someone.
A sales person finally appeared complaining about the end of month paper work and how there was not enough time in the day and there were too many interruptions!
Before Robert had time to finish his enquiry the phone rang and the sales person answered the call, which took several minutes to complete.
He finally got to finish his enquiry but the sales person felt there was someone else better suited to answer his questions, so called a second person to the counter.
Robert then had to repeat everything again.
The sales person did not seem too interested in his needs and talked him into buying a different version of the accounting software, which cost more.
Robert went away feeling like he had been “fobbed off”, but was pleased to finally have his software.
When he tried installing it however, he discovered the hardware did not support that version of the accounting software, at which point he became very angry and frustrated.
After identifying the customer service faults, write a letter of complaint to the manager of the computer store and make some suggestions towards improving their communication and service techniques.
Dear manager,
I was a customer that tries to buy accounting software in your store; I felt that I had been “fobbed off” by your sales person. I was trying to enquiry my demand for accounting software but your sales person was busy and keep complaining about the end of paper work and got too many interruptions, which I felt “I was the too many interruption”. I haven’t finished my enquiry and I’m sure that the sales person wasn’t listening all of my enquiry, so he rang up the other sales person so I have to replied all of my enquiry, but he didn’t look very interesting with my enquiry and suggested me to buy another version from what I‘ve looking for and it cost me extra money.
I take the suggestion, I bring the software home to install it, and then I discovered the hardware didn’t support the version of the accounting software, I’m really disappoint with the service from both of your sales person.
Please notice I‘m a costumer which I deserve to be service very kindly. I know everyone can be stress up by their job or live, however please note to your down line don’t complaining about internal problem with the customer. The second is teach your down line to hear every single word of demand from customer so that mistake which I experience wouldn’t happen again.
Exercise 4
Compose a memorandum to all Helpdesk staff, from you as the IT Services Manager advising them of the list of questions they must ask clients when they log a call for help:
Date, time, name of client, where they are from, what was the user trying to do when the problem occurred? Has this happened before? Write down exact wording of any error messages, which application were they using? Did they try re-booting?
Include all this information on the log sheets provided.
Key in memorandum or use a memo template from Word.
Memorandum
TO CC FROM DATE SUBJECT REF
All Helpdesk Staff
IT Management Services Your name, IT Services Manager Date of todayQuestions for Client’s Your Initials
The following questions must be asked when logging a support call from clients. These will enable us to help solve the problem as quickly as possible: Date Time Name of client What section/department/company are they from? What was the user trying to do when the problem occurred?
Have they had this problem before?
Write down exact wording of any error messages. Which application were they using? Did they try re-booting? Please include all this information on the log sheets provided.
Exercise 5
Telephone technique
What are some of the advantages of using telephones?
Advantages: Instant response, speak to someone in person over long distance, they can save time, issues can be clarified over the phone – reducing travel time and unnecessary delays.
How would you describe correct courtesy and preferred greeting when using the telephone?
Courtesy: Respect what the other person has to say, don’t interrupt or cut them off before they are finished. Be polite at all times, even if they are abusive or upset. The success of the conversation relies on this kind of courtesy.
Greeting: A pleasant greeting, which will be different depending on whether you are making or receiving the call. It is the first impression and can decide how the remainder of the conversation will go.
Briefly list the main points to consider when answering an incoming call.
Answer with a greeting such as “Good morning/afternoon”, then identify the name of your company/organization/department followed by your name and ask, “How may I help you”. If you can not assist then you should be able to direct them to someone who can.
Briefly list the main points to consider when making an outgoing call.
Outgoing call: You may need to organize some information or questions before making the call – be organized. Identify yourself, ask for the person you wish to speak to or state what you need so you can be directed to the right person, then outline the purpose of the call or ask questions.
To ensure effective communication, you must speak ___clearly______, using a __ pleasant _____tone and speaking at a speed that can be easily ___ understood_________.
What are two time-wasters that callers are most resentful of?
Time-wasters: Waiting for the phone to be answered or being put on hold for a long period especially without someone keeping them informed as to how much longer it might be.
List the main steps you should take when preparing to make a telephone call.
Preparing: In the workplace in particular, a lot of time can be wasted if you have not prepared what you need before making a call – having all the required information at hand and knowing exactly what you need to say or ask is very important. Write down a series of questions or have a list of specific points in front of you so nothing is overlooked. Taking notes during the conversation so nothing is forgotten – Do not rely on your memory.
When concluding a telephone conversation you may have to _ repeat _______the key points.
Exercise 6
You are working for the Bits & PCs Computer Company and your supervisor has asked you to fax a client regarding some delayed stock, which they were expecting from your company.
Compose a fax using a Fax Template from Word. Briefly apologize for the delay in delivering the printer cartridges and copy toners they ordered on 25 September and that since these items are now in stock they will be delivered to their office on Friday 5 October.
The information for Fax details is:
Bits & PCs Computer Company
TO: W & W Printing Services
405 Claxton Road
FAX: (02) 942952125
Wentworthville
FROM: Hendra
FAX: (02) 952216398
DATE: August 28, 2007
Pages including this one: 1
Subject: Delayed Stock
Message:
We apologize for the delay in delivering the printer cartridges and copy toners your ordered on 25 September.
These items have now come into stock and will be delivered to your office on Friday 5 October.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is any further problem.
Sample project
Communicate in the IT Workplace
You are to use the following case study to answer all the questions.
Read through it carefully and then refer to this situation as you answer each question.
Imagine that you work in a computer sales and repair shop. Mrs. Penn comes in on Tuesday morning. The digital video camera she bought from you a month ago has been damaged in an accident. She put it in for repairs at your shop two weeks ago last Friday. She has not heard from anyone and she needs the camera for a special videoconference she has arranged with her family overseas, next Saturday.
Promoting client satisfaction
How would you and an observer know if Mrs. Penn went away feeling satisfied?
Acting consistently with employer’s needs
What would you say to actively promote the image of Bits & PCs? What would you say to reassure Mrs. Penn that her decision to buy the Camera was a wise one?
We assure this is the best price you can get, than other shop, we also give a guarantee for all of our product
How would you check with Mrs. Penn that you had understood her main need in this situation? We’ll try our best to fix the video camera before the deadline
What reasonable solution could you find to the problem of the slowness of the repairs? We’re running out of stock with the spare part of the camera which we have to change
In the event that it cannot be fixed in time for the videoconference, what will you suggest for her? We’ll borrowing Mrs. Penn a video camera for the videoconference if, we’re unable to fix it on time
Interpersonal Skills
Write down four interpersonal skills your employer would like to see you use in a situation like this. Empathy, Assertive, Active listening, Passive
What interpersonal skills would you as a client like to find in someone helping you? Assertive and Empathy
Telephone Technique
How would you answer the telephone? Answer with a greeting such as “Good morning/afternoon”, then identify the name of my company/organization/department followed by my name
How would you greet Mrs. Penn once she had identified herself? Ask, “How may I help you”. If I can not assist then I have to be able to direct them to someone who can.
Questioning Techniques
Give two examples of open-ended questions you might ask Mrs. Penn.
- What is exactly things causing the camera out of order, did you drop it or?
- Do you trying to fix it by your self after the accident, I mean, did you touch any thing inside of the camera?
Give one example of a closed question you would ask Mrs. Penn.
- Can we have your number so that we could be able to contact you if the camera is ready?
Active Listening
Write one response that shows that you really heard what she said? Oh, I can see it. We’ll try to fix it before Saturday, if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday we’ll borrowing you camera for Saturday
Write one response that shows that you understood and empathized with her. That’s a very special moment, we’ll try our best to fix it before Saturday, if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday we’ll borrowing you camera for Saturday
Write down four ‘listening responses’ you would use in your exchange.
- We’re feel sorry for the delay, we’ll do our best to fix it before Saturday, if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday we’ll borrowing you camera for Saturday
- Sorry for the inconvenience slowness of fixing the camera, we’ll try to fix it before Saturday, if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday we’ll borrowing you camera for Saturday
- We have to wait for some spare part, because we’re running out of stock. We’ll try to fix it before Saturday, if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday we’ll borrowing you camera for Saturday
- The camera is almost ready we’re just want to make sure It can work properly on Saturday
Service follow-up
List three things that you and Mrs. Penn could agree on jointly as a course of action. These would be things that either you or your boss or she would do.
- If the accident is because of human error, than Mrs. Penn couldn’t use her guarantee product to fix the camera
- We have to wait for some spare part; we’re trying our best to fix it before Saturday
- We’ll borrowing a camera if we couldn’t fix it before Saturday
How would you check that she was happy with this proposed course of action? By her body language and the tone of her voice
How would you re-check important details like phone numbers and times? Ask them once again, or we reply the detail after they say it.
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