Unit 203 – Work in a business environment NVQ Level 2 Business and Administration

INTRODUCTION

This unit is about being able to behave, and make contributions to work tasks and procedures, in a business environment, in ways that support diversity, security and confidentiality at work, reduction of waste and improve efficiency.

What is meant by diversity in the workplace and why should we value it?  (1.1)

Diversity means different individuals valuing each other regardless of intellect, talents or years.

Diversity should be respected and valued because nobody is completely the same as anyone else. Everyone in the workplace has to be treated equally because everyone has something to offer and everyone has a strong factor/skill that they can contribute to the company. They enrich a society because they allow people to experience different thinking processes, to see that there is more than one way of approaching issues or living one's life.

Diversity brings other point of view and perspectives to different situations. Mixing with different people can help us to overcome fears and prejudices having people from diverse backgrounds in the work place will bring different talents, skills and knowledge.

How can you be sensitive to peoples’ needs and respect their abilities, backgrounds, values, customs and beliefs? (1.2, 1.3)

I can be sensitive to peoples needs and respect their abilities, background, values customs and beliefs and by considering the opinions, circumstances and feelings of my colleagues and customers without make difference because of race, religion, position, circumstances, status or appearance.

By trying to always listen to people and be open to other points of view and by treating every one in the same way and don’t laugh about other religions and customs. By being polite, tolerant and patient with others and don’t use language or behaviours that could be offensive to others.

Why is maintaining security and confidentiality at work important and what are the key benefits? (2.1)

It is important to maintain security and confidentiality at work because we have a legal obligation to maintain the personal information that is given to us from customer and we have an obligation to our employer and colleagues to maintain the highest standards of security awareness.

If I am casual about security and information it could cost my employer quite a lot of money as they could face prosecution for breach of security and I could face disciplinary action.

What are the legal requirements in relation to security and confidentiality? (2.3)

The legal requirement in relation to security and confidentiality are described by in the Data Protection Act 1998 and says that anyone who records information about individuals is classed as a data processor under the Act and is required by law to process the data fairly and lawfully. The Act prevents the unauthorised use of data and so protects the privacy of individuals. The Act also say never to disclose information that my organisation holds about individuals.

The Act also allows individuals the right to know what information is held about them.

The Data Protection Act applies to any information held about individual.

What should you do if you have any concerns about security and confidentiality? What organisational procedures would you follow? (2.4)

When gaining employment in an organisation, it is the company’s duty to inform us of what the procedures are for security and confidentiality.

When working for an organisation or a business or any work environment, it is very important to follow safety, security and legal procedures. Every organisation has its own confidential information and care has to be taken to protect these documents from the public, else it will lead to disastrous effects. The property has to be secured with locks that can be opened by only authorised personnel. In our organisation, we have secure locks that can be opened only by the employees of the organisation using their swipe card. The rooms of managers are secured with number locks. All confidential information and files are secured in cabinets that are only accessible by the employees.

If I am having any concerns they must be raised to my line manager and my line manager will talk with one of the managers about it and try to fix the problem as soon as possible.

Why is it important to keep waste to a minimum and to improve efficiency in a business environment? (3.1, 5.1)

It is important to maintain waste to the minimum and improve efficiency in a business environment because it means being aware of our impact on our environment and ensuring that anything we do will help to reduce wastage and pollution and the need for landfill space for burial of waste.

If we keep the amount of waste produced to the minimum our organisation can save money though using less energy, resources, the cost of recycling used resources and paying for a landfill space.

What are the main causes of waste in a business environment and how do you minimise this waste?  (3.2, 3.3)

The main causes of waste in a business environment are:

o       Leaving lights on when the rooms are not being used and the same with air conditioner and not switching off office equipment.

o       Re stocking stationary when there is not need

o       Printing documents when we don need it

I can minimise waste by:

o       Turning off equipment that is not in use and switching off lights and air conditioner.

o       Don’t print if is not necessary. 

o       Used recycled materials.

o       Try to recycle as much as possible.

o       Take good care of the equipment we use so it can last longer.

How can you improve your own working methods and make use of technology to increase efficiency and reduce waste (in a business environment)? (3.4, 5.2)   

I can improve my own working methods and make use of  technology to increase efficiency and reduce waste in a business environment by:

o       Making proof-read documents on screen to avoid printing.

o       Scan documents and store electronically.

o       Scan documents and store electronically.

o       Setting up the printer to print in both sides of the paper.

o       Issuing documents electronically and ask other colleagues not to print if is not necessary.

Why is recycling important (in a business) and what are the key benefits?  (3.5)

Recycling is important to help fight climate change and to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill sites. Organisations save money by recycling because landfill sites are expensive. There is a charge for commercial waste collection so companies can save money by reducing the quantity of waste.

Businesses have a legal duty to have appropriate arrangement for the disposal of the waste they generate.

What are your organisation’s procedures for recycling materials? (3.6)

My organisation’s procedures for recycling materials are:

o       Dispose of different materials in designated bins ex: plastics, paper etc

o       Sending photocopy and printer machines cartridges for recycling.

o       Making sure equipment is dispose in a safe and controlled way.

 

What are your organisation’s procedures for the recycling and the disposal of hazardous materials? (4.2)  Why is it beneficial to have such procedures in place? (4.1)

The procedure is to write a COSHH assessment for each substance to be disposed of or recycled. This comprises writing an assessment of the hazards and risks, the safety precautions that are needed, what to do if something goes wrong and how to contain the waste material at the end.

It is beneficial to have such procedures in place because there are legal obligations on employers to control Hazardous Substances to preserve the health of their employees.

Mandatory Unit: 203 Level 2 Business and Administration