PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT TO COLLEAGUES

1. D1.HML.CL10.14D1.HRM.CL9.05 PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT TO COLLEAGUES

2. Subject Elements This unit comprises four Elements: • Describe the nature of internal professional support to colleagues • Create and maintain a positive and supportive relationship with colleagues • Provide structured support to colleagues • Provide unstructured support to colleagues.

3. Assessment Assessment for this unit may include: • Oral questions • Written questions • Work projects • Workplace observation of practical skills • Practical exercises • Formal report from supervisor.

4. Element 1: Describe the nature of internal professional support to colleagues

5. Describe the nature of internal professional support to colleagues Performance Criteria for this Element are: • Identify the benefits of initiating workplace support to colleagues • Identify the staff who may provide internal professional support • Identify the staff who may receive internal professional support • Describe the resources that may be required to provide professional support.

6. Workplace staff A hospitality organisation employs many individuals, each with their own specific and unique: • Skills • Knowledge • Attributes. that hopefully blend to provide a unique experience for customers

7. Workplace support No one person is: • Responsible for doing everything. • Can do everything. Therefore it is expected that each and every person will need the support and advice of others to help in a specific task or activity

8. Workplace support • All workers will therefore require different types, levels, and intensity of support in their workplaces • This support may come from a variety of people and resources • Businesses provides support to their employees and offers them a wealth of resources during the normal course of business.

9. What is support? In a professional situation, there are a number of key phrases that helps to define what ‘support’ aims to provide. These include • To hold up • To provide a foundation • To maintain • To provide assistance, advice and help.

10. Aim of support The aim of any support or mentoring approach is to enable a recipient to: • Achieve either work related or personal goals and objectives • Make their jobs easier through help and assistance.

11. What is mentoring? "Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be." Eric Parsloe, The Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring

12. Mentoring • Mentoring is not about doing a task for a recipient, but to direct them on the right path towards success • A provider will use their knowledge and expertise to provide guidance, support and encouragement to enable the recipient to use, improve and expand upon their existing skill sets.

13. Benefits of support Benefits to owners, managers and supervisors • Opportunity to help staff • Improved teamwork and morale • Greater understanding of current skill levels of staff • Greater understanding of what resources staff need to perform their responsibilities and job tasks • Higher levels of customer service.

14. Benefits of support Benefits to owners, managers and supervisors • Higher levels of productivity and profitability • More skilled workforce • Higher levels of customer satisfaction • Greater chance of increased repeat business • Less customer complaints.

15. Benefits of support Benefits to staff • Ability to increase their knowledge, skills and attitudes • Ability to learn and get ideas from experienced people • Increased confidence in undertaking tasks • Better equipped to undertake their jobs.

16. Benefits of support Benefits to staff • Better relationship with managers as they get to know them and feel like their work is valued • Less accidents, mistakes and complaints • Higher tips through increased customer satisfaction • More opportunity for promotions.

17. Benefits of support Benefits to customers • Higher levels of service • Better value for money.

18. Teamwork Teamwork is classified as the collective actions towards a number of people towards a collective goal. In a hospitality or tourism organisation, no one person can meet the needs of all customers. It requires the collective efforts of many people to achieve success.

19. Teamwork Whilst each business will have a range of goals, in essence the primary goal is to: • Provide an enjoyable experience for customers • For a reasonable return on investment • In a safe and lawful manner.

20. Team A team is often characterised through: • Having a common goal • Working interdependently • Independent job functions • Enjoying their work • Accountability • Empowerment • Understanding the importance of teams.

21. Role of support • Support is a two way street and who provides or receives support will change depending on what is required to effectively handle each situation • It is not uncommon for one specific person to be both the provider and the recipient of support, in different situations • As mentioned, everyone has different skill sets, knowledge and experiences, and these will be called upon at different times.

22. Providing assistance to others In the same way that you may need help from others, you must be similarly prepared to render assistance to others when it is called for. • What assistance can you provide?

23. Providing assistance to others Why provide assistance? The intent of helping team members is: • To ensure that team goals are achieved • To deliver excellent service to customers • To prove your commitment to the team • To encourage team members to help you when you need assistance.

24. Providing support to others What is the difference between providing ‘assistance’ and ‘support’?

25. Providing support to others Support and assistance is quite similar and often the two are interlinked. Simply, where assistance may require you to undertake some activities on their behalf, support may involve: • Providing guidance • Offering encouragement • Making recommendations or suggestions for improvement.

26. Identifying need for support • The aim of any workplace is the achievement of tasks, to a predetermined standard or expectation • Any failure to do so, may require some type of support to rectify any shortfalls • As a manager, identifying the need for support is a complex matter which must be approached with delicacy, professionalism and subtlety.

27. Identifying need for support Whilst some people will actively seek support, many people will not do so because: • The problem may be caused by managers themselves • They may be embarrassed they cannot do something • Cultural characteristics exist where people do not want to ‘lose face’ • They want to maintain personal pride and asking for support may highlighting a weakness or incompetency.

28. Identifying need for support Signs of identifying the need for support • Observation • Staff behaviour • Direct request from a person • Customer complaints • Productivity reports • New tasks or job role.

29. Providing support to others Why provide support? The intent of helping team members is: • To ensure that team goals are achieved • To deliver excellent service to customers • To prove your commitment to the team • To encourage team members to help you when you need assistance.

30. People who provide support • There are a number of people who will provide support to others • Support is the provision of some area of assistance or expertise one person may have which can help others complete their tasks.

31. People who provide support Owners to managers Provide: • Authority • Responsibility • Resources • Advice • Encouragement • Support.

32. People who provide support Support departments to outlets • Staff have the most contact with customer • Therefore support must be given by all areas to ensure staff can provide service to customers • Specific departments provide support to operations.

33. People who provide support Support departments to outlets What support do each of the following support departments provide to operational managers and staff? • Human Resources • Finance • Security • Purchasing and stores.

34. People who provide support Managers to supervisors • Departmental managers provide support to supervisors through mentoring. Managers and supervisors to staff • They will provide support through instruction, training, guidance and direction.

35. People who provide support Staff to staff This is a very common type of support. As hospitality outlets are commonly very busy, even for brief periods, staff require the immediate assistance and support of other staff to: • Give a hand • Delegate a task to • Ask for specific information, opinions, knowledge or reinforcement.

36. People who provide support Staff to managers and supervisors • They will provide support through the completion of tasks and feedback in relation to operations. Customers to managers, supervisors and staff • Provide support through the giving feedback on products and services.

37. People receiving support Not everyone can do everything! On many occasions we need the support of others because: • We don’t know how to do it • We don’t have the time • Others are better equipped to do it • We need more than one person to do it.

38. Timing and support • Our industry is one that is very much time-oriented. Customers and other staff will rely on individuals to get nominated work finished by a set time • Customers expect service, food, drinks or rooms cleaned by a set time and when this doesn’t happen their satisfaction levels drop • At times, outlets have ‘rushes’ where support is needed.

39. Timing and support Examples of ‘rushes’ • The arrival of a coach of tourists who all require a quick check-in and their luggage portered to rooms • A group arrival in the restaurant – all needing to be seated, supplied with their first drink, and have their order taken • A sudden rush in the retail shop • The first half hour of trade when the nightclub opens • That one day when every room service tray has been requested at 8.30am.

40. Support from others Who can you ask for support? The people you may ask to assist can vary, but will commonly include: • Others from your team • People from other, but related, departments • Managers and supervisors.

41. Resources required to provide support All managers and staff within a hospitality business have a communal aim of ensuring they have the necessary resources to be able to complete their job roles and responsibilities in a professional manner. • What resources are needed to provide support?

42. Understanding colleague needs • Knowledge • Skills • Training • Equipment • Time • Appropriate allocation of work • Support • Fairness.

43. Identifying colleague needs The best method of identifying colleague needs is through constant communication: • In meetings, whether at a departmental or senior management level • In staff briefings at the start of a shift • During a shift as needs arise • In staff debriefings at the end of a shift • Through comments in handover documents between shifts • Through emails, memos and telephone calls.

44. Types of support There are a number of resources that can be used to help support a colleague including: • Physical support • Intellectual support • Financial support • Infrastructural support • Resources support • Mentoring.

45. Identify support available • Many staff may not be aware of the support and mentoring avenues available to them • Getting staff to take advantage of the support resources that are available in a workplace may take some effort and guidance on behalf of management • Even if a staff member knows about a specific support or mentoring resource, they may not know how to access or benefit from its use.

46. Choosing the correct support • In essence, the most effective support tool is the one that mostly benefits the individual • There is not always a ‘set’ support to solve all problems • When identifying the right support required, for every support need that is identified, a variety of support resources may be available.

47. Choosing the correct support Some questions that need to be considered include: • Is the individual satisfied with the arrangement? • Are the individual’s needs being met? • How is the support impacting their job? • Is integration enhanced as a result of the support? • Is the employee satisfied? • Are the company’s standards being maintained?

48. Element 2: Create and maintain a positive and supportive relationship with colleagues

49. Create and maintain a positive and supportive relationship with colleagues Performance Criteria for this Element are: • Apply appropriate interpersonal skills • Develop mutual trust, confidence and rapport • Maintain colleague’s privacy • Share workplace experiences, frustrations and challenges • Encourage and motivate colleagues • Address out-of-work situations that are having an impact on-the-job performance.

50. Interpersonal skills When creating a positive and supportive relationship with others, the personal characteristics and the approach you take will have a great impact on the success and effectiveness of a support structure and culture that is developed in a workplace. • What interpersonal skills do you have?