BSBIND201

Topic 2 - Work in a team

Student Book
Topic 2: Work in a team
Good teamwork comes from everyone
working towards the overall objectives of
an organisation. Organisations where
people work well together are effective in
meeting their customers’ needs. If you are
part of a team that is working well
together, you will feel that you are adding
to the success of the organisation and that
you are important and valued.

The way you relate to other people, and

the way you carry out your job, has a big
effect on how successful your work team
is.

In this topic you will learn how to be courteous and helpful at all times; complete allocated
tasks; seek assistance when difficulties arise; ask questions to clarify instructions or
responsibilities; and use a non-discriminatory attitude in all communications with others.
2A Be courteous and helpful at all times
To be courteous means being respectful and considerate of others. Courtesy means treating
other people in the way you would like them to treat you. Here are some examples of courteous
and helpful behaviour in the workplace.

Be polite
Be polite by always saying please and thank you. Saying please and thank you lets other people
know that you appreciate their efforts – even if you are asking them to do something that is part
of their job.

Be helpful
Being helpful means putting in the time or effort to make things easier for someone else. Doing
something just because it is part of your job is not being helpful. If someone is having trouble
getting something done on time, carrying something heavy or understanding a complex
document, you could offer to help. They will appreciate it, and it’s likely the other person will feel
like helping you when you need it.

Be cooperative
Cooperation means working together toward common goals. Doing your fair share, avoiding
conflict and having a positive attitude are all parts of being cooperative. By cooperating with
each other, people can achieve a lot more than they will if they are always putting their own
interests first.

Keep your work area clean

Keeping a clean work area shows respect for your co-workers and your employer. If you work in
an open-plan office or share common work areas, think of others. Make sure you clean up,
restock supplies and put equipment back in its place after you finish a task so everything is
ready for the next person to use.

In the case of a shared desk, keep your materials (such as papers and folders) tidy, and on your
side. This makes it easier for other people to work and shows others that you are considerate
and concerned for the wellbeing of your team and your organisation.
Practice task 7
Your organisation has a goal of providing excellent customer service to all its customers.

List three practical ways that you could help meet this goal and describe why each is important.

Example responses are on the next page.

Example responses

Responses should include three of the following:

 Saying please and thank you - this lets others know that you appreciate what they have
done
 Being helpful - to make things easier for someone else on my team
 Being cooperative - because we are working toward common team and organisational
goals
 Keeping my work area clean - to show respect for my co-workers and the organisation
 Being punctual - so customers are not left waiting
 Dressing appropriately for my workplace - to create a good first impression for customers
and set a good example for my colleagues
 Being responsible in dealing with customers - to ensure their needs are met
 Showing initiative when dealing with customers - to make sure their needs are met
2B Complete allocated tasks
In every job, you will be given, or
allocated, tasks to do.

To be a valuable team player, make sure

your co-workers can depend on you by
completing all your allocated tasks on
time.

For example, if you agree to complete

some photocopying by the end of the day,
make sure it is ready as promised. If you
agree to attend a meeting, don’t be late or
cancel at the last minute. When you make
any type of promise or commitment, keep
it.

Being on time for a meeting, for instance, shows that you don’t want to waste other people’s
time. Treat colleagues and customers as you would like them to treat you.

If for some reason you know you can’t complete a task as agreed, it is important to let your
supervisor or team know what is happening. Be open about what is happening with your job and
keep people informed.
Practice task 8
Read the case study, and complete the task that follows.

Case study

Mary is a data processing officer in a large government organisation. Mary and 10 other people
enter complex information into a database. Each person in the team must meet targets set by
the supervisor. Mary is more experienced than her co-workers are and finishes her work earlier
than they do. She then spends the rest of the afternoon talking to her co-workers who are trying
to meet their work targets, or chatting on the phone to friends.

Mary’s new supervisor has asked her to stop making personal calls and to help her co-workers
when she has spare time. Although she does help, she does it in a way that makes them feel as
though she is telling them how they should do their job. Mary notices that her co-workers are
angry and doesn’t know why. The problem is clear to her supervisor: Mary is not a team player.
The supervisor has told Mary that she must learn how to work in a team.

List three things Mary could do to become a more useful and active team member.

Example responses are on the next page.

Example responses

Responses should include three of the following:

 Stop distracting her co-workers when they are busy.

 Stop chatting on the phone, as this is distracting for others.
 Offer to help her co-workers with a friendly and cooperative approach.
 Give co-workers the benefit of her experience to help them get the job done and targets
met.
 Ask her supervisor if there is anything else she can do when she finishes her tasks early.
2C Ask for help when difficulties arise
If you are having problems carrying out a task, it’s important to ask for help before the situation
gets worse. Sometimes people find it difficult to ask for help in the workplace. If you don’t ask
for help, you may not be able to complete your work on time and you might let people down. If
the problem continues, you may worry more and stress levels may increase.

People may find it hard to ask for help because they:

 fear people may think they are weak or rely too much on others
 fear people may think they can’t do their job
 think they should be able to handle all situations
 have a supervisor who is not approachable
Types of difficulties
It’s likely that you will come across
difficulties in the workplace. Some of these
difficulties will be within your control and
others will be out of your control. It’s
important to understand there are people
in your workplace who are willing to help
you. If you choose not to ask for help, this
can have a major effect on you, your co-
workers and the organisation.

It takes courage and honesty to

communicate and ask for help. Remember
the saying ‘A problem shared is a problem
halved’. Your co-workers and supervisor cannot offer you their support, experience and problem-
solving skills if you don’t ask.

Consider the following information about difficulties that often occur in the workplace.
Failing to deliver as promised
We all want to successfully deliver
products, services and projects on time.
Usually, we can do this with good time
management and organisational skills.

Sometimes things happen that mean you

can’t deliver what you have promised.
Supplier delays, staff illness, equipment
breakdowns or even bad weather can put
you behind schedule.

As soon as you realise that you won’t be

able to fulfil your promise to deliver, let
your supervisor or team leader know right
away, so they can help work out a solution. For example, they may be able to extend a deadline
or offer a different product to a customer.
Not having the authority to do what is required
Sometimes in the workplace, we will be responsible for doing a job, but we won’t have the
authority to change anything about the job, or make decisions about something that affects your
job. This can be very frustrating.

In this situation, it’s important that we are clear about what our role is, and to talk to your
supervisor.

Guidelines for working within your authority:

 Contact your manager or supervisor, discuss the situation and gain agreement about the
situation in writing
 Define your role; be clear about the scope of your job; refer situations to others in
authority for resolution
Example: not having the authority to do what is
required
Here is an example of a workplace conversation about a person’s authority to perform his role.

Alesandra: We need to talk about the brochures that you sent out last week.

Martin: Is there a problem?

Alesandra: Yes, they weren’t approved by the marketing department.

Martin: But I was asked to prepare them and get them sent out as soon as possible.

Alesandra: I understand, but there was a mistake – the old company logo was used.

Martin: Oh no!

Alesandra: It's my fault. I should have defined your role a lot better.

Martin: I don’t understand. I thought you gave me the responsibility for this job.

Alesandra: I did. You carried out your responsibilities, but you exceeded your authority on this
occasion.

Martin: Ok, I understand now.

Too many tasks and responsibilities and not enough
time to do them
Sometimes there seems to be a lot to do and not enough time to do it.

When this happens, people often try to do it all and end up stressed, tired and irritable and
possibly sick. In addition, the quality of their work and their reputation is affected.

Here are some things you can do if you find yourself in this situation:

 make a list of priorities,

 create a schedule or work plan
 check with your supervisor to make sure you understand properly what you have to do
 set aside time when the tasks can be done
 try to minimise interruptions to your work
Who can offer assistance?
Getting help from others in the workplace shouldn’t be difficult. It’s important to know where to
go and who to ask. Here are some examples of people and places you can go to for help in the
workplace.

 Your manager or supervisor is there to assist you, or guide you on where to get
assistance and support.
 External sources such as government departments, professional associations and unions
can provide information about working arrangements, conditions and issues in the
workplace.
 Employee assistance programs (EAP) are set up to support all employees who are
experiencing issues that have an effect on work performance. These programs are
usually coordinated by the human resources area in an organisation.
Practice task 9
Read the case study, and answer the questions that follow.

Case study

Juan has worked in the mailroom for one year. He carries out administration tasks for three
departments. He has been collecting, sorting and distributing the mail as well as photocopying
and binding documents for other staff. All three departments rely on Juan to complete the work
on time and to a good standard.

When Juan started in his job, he could complete his job tasks on time and to the standard
required. However, recently there have been times when he hasn’t picked up the mail or
completed the photocopying and the binding is wrong. When asked why this is happening, Juan
just makes excuses.

Questions:

1. What difficulties is Juan having?

2. What effect would this situation have on Juan and the staff in the three departments?
3. What should Juan do and why?

Example responses are on the next page

Example responses

1. Difficulties that Juan is having include:

 too many tasks and responsibilities and not enough time to do them
 failing to deliver what has been promised

2. Effects of the situation may include:

 Juan is stressed and the quality of his work and his reputation is affected
 Juan’s co-workers aren’t sure that mail will be delivered on time, paperwork will be
ready or documents will be bound properly. This causes delays, stress and customer
complaints.

3. Juan should let his supervisor and the department contacts know what is happening. By
being open about which is occurring with his job, he can receive help. Juan could ask
for:
 advice on improving his time management skills
 help from another staff member during busy times
 advance notice from the departments when a big job will be sent through
2D Ask questions to check instructions and
responsibilities
It’s easy to misunderstand instructions or directions, especially if it’s only a verbal instruction and
not in writing. Make sure you must listen carefully, think about what you are hearing and ask
questions to make sure you understand. Always check if you aren’t sure.

Sometimes managers give out work with little or no direction on what is expected or how to do
the job. This causes frustration and unfinished or incorrectly completed jobs.

Managers may:

 withhold information the employee needs, either intentionally or unintentionally

 give misleading information, either intentionally or unintentionally
 be vague in their own understanding of what they actually want done
 be unclear in expressing what they want done
 use a third person to pass on information, who may lack a clear understanding of the
task or not pass on the information correctly
Listening techniques
To avoid mistakes and problems, it’s important to learn how to listen well. Listening is more than
just hearing; it means paying attention and taking note of what someone else is saying.

To listen effectively you should:

 avoid distractions such as noisy machinery, TV or other people

 take time to listen – let the other person know that you have the time to hear them
speak
 listen fully – don’t interrupt
 avoid judging the person
 watch body language – sometimes what people are saying is totally
 opposite to what their body is saying
 concentrate fully on what is being said
 take notes
 ask questions
 clarify and summarise what has been said.
Clarify information
It’s helpful to clarify any task or instruction
you’ve been given. One way to do this is
to repeat back and confirm any
information that you receive. You can give
the person a summary of what you think
they have told you so they can then check
you are both talking about the same thing.

Asking questions helps reduce the risk of

misunderstanding. Make sure you get all
the necessary information to effectively
perform your job.

When communicating with others, listen,

ask questions and repeat what you have heard. Keep doing this until you are sure you fully
understand.
Open and closed questions
There are two types of questions that you can use: open and closed.

Open question
An open question will usually receive a longer answer. They provide an opportunity for
discussion, thinking and reflection with another person. Open questions often begin with ‘what’,
‘why’ and ‘how’. For example:

 What should I do now?

 What would happen if we received more funding?
 How do I process this information?
 Can you please describe how to do this?

Closed question
Closed questions are answered with a single word or short phrase. These types of questions give
facts, are quick and easy to answer and keep you in control of a conversation. For example:

 Are you happy working here?

 Would you like me to help you with that?
 Is this what you said?
 If I deliver this now, can you sign for it?
Practice task 10
Read the case study, and answer the questions that follow.

Case study

Susie job requires her to complete projects to tight deadlines. Her boss, Michael, often gives
short and incomplete instructions. This has caused problems in the department where Susie
works.

Michael has just called and told Susie that the CEO wants a particular project completed within
the next four weeks and that jobs will be lost if it’s not finished. Michael provides a few details
over the phone, which Susie quickly jots down. He then says he has a meeting and ends the call
before she has a chance to ask any questions.

Questions:

1. What should Susie do to get more information from Michael?

2. Write six questions (three open and three closed) that Susie could ask. Indicate which of
your questions are open and which are closed.

Example responses are on the next page

Example responses

1. Susie needs to ask questions of Michael to make sure she fully understands what is
involved with this project. She should schedule a time to do this in person or over the
phone.
2. Questions Susie could ask include the following:
Open:
 Where can I get more information about the project?
 What do I need to do to get the project started?
 Can you describe what is involved in the project?
 What resources will I need on finish in time?

Closed:
 What is the budget?
 Will I get additional personnel to assist?
 Can we make the deadline?
 When is the project to be completed?
2E Avoid discrimination in the workplace
Treat everyone the same in the workplace and don’t discriminate. Discrimination occurs when
you treat a person differently because of something that doesn’t affect how they do their job,
such as their gender.

In Australia, it is illegal to discriminate against someone at work because of their race, colour,
gender, religion, political opinion, social origin, age, medical record, marital status, pregnancy,
family commitments, impairment, disability, nationality, sexual preference or trade union activity.

Workplaces need to avoid direct, indirect and hidden discrimination.

Direct discrimination happens openly in the workplace, sometimes with the support of managers
and other employees. For example, an advertisement in a cafe window saying ‘Waitress wanted’
is direct discrimination against men.

Indirect discrimination happens when people don’t understand, or are unaware, that they are
discriminating. For example, an advertisement for a cleaner that asks for ‘high-level written
English skills’. Because you don’t really need these skills to be a good cleaner, this could be an
example of indirect racial discrimination.

At other times discrimination is hidden – people know they shouldn’t discriminate but do it
anyway.

Here are some examples of hidden discrimination:

 giving a particular type of job to ethnic groups and not others

 instantly rejecting people with disabilities without trying to make adjustments in the
workplace to accommodate their needs
 Stereotyping (labelling) particular groups by an expecting low performance
Discrimination
Discrimination can cause lots of problems in the workplace. It can:

 hurt people’s feeling

 ruin working relationships
 lead to good workers quitting their jobs
 be stressful for victims and cause economic hardship
 lead to legal action
 lead to a loss of business

Discriminatory behaviour and bullying can be the same thing, for example:

 spreading rumours about an employee

 making rude or offensive comments about a co-worker
 physical abuse or threatening violence
 ignoring the feelings of people who are the subject of jokes or abuse
 making life difficult for someone who complains about the way they are being treated or
who supports the victim
How to be non-discriminatory
If you see discrimination or harassment in
the workplace, it can be difficult to speak
up or report it. You might be scared that if
you speak up, you will become a target
too.

Regardless, discrimination is wrong and

against the law. If discrimination in a
workplace is accepted, it affects everyone
in workplace and may be very difficult to
stop.

Managers must act, even if the victim does

not complain. As an employee, you should
understand what discrimination is, and be non-discriminatory by taking action when others are
discriminating.

Remember to think about your own behaviours, too.

Practice task 11
Read the case study, and answer the questions that follow.

Case study

Maria starts a new job as a senior supervisor with a large company. A month after she starts her
job she begins to experience pins and needles in her legs. She goes to the doctor who tells her
she has a pinched nerve in her back.

Maria tells her employer that she has a back injury and needs three weeks off work to recover
and attend specialist appointments. She is sure that she can return to full-time work and perform
her duties, and has a medical report supporting this. However, one week into her sick leave,
Maria receives a letter that says she has been fired from her job.

The company claims that while employed, Maria was not performing her job properly. It says
that the company decided to fire her because a back injury is very unpredictable and they doubt
she will be able to perform the requirements of the job over time.

Maria meets with her employer and provides a medical report clearly saying that she if fit for
work, or able to perform the 'inherent requirements' of her job.

Questions:

Has discrimination occurred in the case study? If yes, in what way?

An example response is on the next page

Example response

Yes, Maria has been discriminated against. Under Australian federal and state laws, it is illegal to
discriminate against a person in the workplace because of health or disability if they are able to
do their job, or perform the 'inherent requirements' of the job. The employer must make
'reasonable adjustments' to help the person continue in their job.
Congratulations, you’ve finished Topic 2. Return to the course menu to continue.
Summary

1. Courtesy, helpfulness and

cooperation are important in the

workplace.

2. Completing tasks on time to the

standard required by the workplace

is important in any workplace.

Finishing of tasks on time also

shows respect and a consideration

for others.

3. Difficulties can arise in the

workplace at any time. It is important to ask for help if this occurs. Most organisations

have systems available to support employees.

4. Poor communication can cause workplace problems. It is important to listen effectively,

ask questions and seek clarification on what has been said when instructions are given.

5. Discrimination in the workplace, whether direct or indirect, is against the law. It is

important that every employee and employer demonstrates a non-discriminatory

attitude.