2-2 Employment Competencies - Amazon S3 and Texts/Office... · 50 CHAPTER 2 Office Competencies to...

48 CHAPTER 2 OfficeCompetencies

Goals influence Expectations for EmployeesCompanies seek to hire the qualified workers who will help the company be successful. All workers are expected to help achieve company goals. If you were to read a dozen annual reports of major companies, you would find information about company achievements during the past year. You would also read about goals for the future. A primary goal of most businesses is to make a profit. Companies make predictions about level of earnings, new markets, new products, or improved customer service. The goals set by the company affect the work of all employees. Some companies post their goals on their company websites as shown in Figure 2-2.1.

Issues such as quality management, customer satisfaction, and teamwork affect how successful a company is in achieving its goals. These issues must be the concerns of all employees. The company expects all employees to be reliable and cooperative in efforts to increase productivity and meet company goals.

KEy TERmstotal quality management p. 49continuous improvement p. 49ethics p. 50e-commerce p. 52diversity p. 52productivity p. 53personality p. 55character p. 56integrity p. 56

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2-2a Explainhowanorganization’sgoalsinfluencetheexpectationsforemployees.2-2b Discussgeneralexpectationsrelatedtoemploymentcompetencies.2-2c Discusspersonalqualitiesandtraitsrelatedtosuccessonthejob.

2-2 Employment Competencies

Figure 2-2.1 Company Goals

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Copyright 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).

Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.

2-2: EmploymentCompetencies 49

Total Quality ManagementThe primary goal of all businesses is to make profits. In an effort to increase profits, many companies have adopted total quality management (TQM) plans. TQM means establishing and maintaining high standards in how work is done and in the creation and delivery of goods and services. All personnel, from the president to staff in the mailroom, are asked to view their work with an awareness of TQM.

The core idea behind TQM is that managing quality is everyone’s busi-ness. Quality standards apply throughout the organization. For example, in one company, all office support workers were asked to keep track of the er-rors in their work. Two common errors were omitting an attachment with a letter and failing to answer the questions of callers. After recording such er-rors, the next step was to establish a new way of working so the errors would not recur.

In some companies, an executive is assigned to lead the company’s efforts to improve quality. This person works with groups of employees to find out what will improve performance or products. Many companies have developed slogans, such as “Quality is everybody’s business” or “We want to be the best in all we do,” to highlight their quality goals.

Continuous improvementOver time, the policies and procedures used by a company may become out-dated or inefficient. Companies seek to avoid this problem by applying the concept of continuous improvement. continuous improvement means being alert at all times to ways of working more productively. This concept overlaps the principles of TQM. All employees are encouraged to take part in continu-ous improvement efforts.

Because of new technology, companies are finding that many aspects of their work require changes. Continuous improvement begins with looking at the work that is done and how it is being done. Improvements are often possible. The attitude reflected in the question “Could this be done in a better way?” helps work-ers think creatively about improvements.

Customer satisfaction“We are here to serve customers” is a mes-sage that many compa-nies send to employees. Thinking through what you do in relation to what it will mean to cus-tomers is a key focus in many companies. TQM principles can be applied

total quality management establishing and maintaining high standards in how work is done

continuous improvement being alert at all times to ways of working more productively

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Many companies provide a telephone number that customers can call with questions about products or services.





to solving problems or improving operations that will increase customer satisfaction.

Companies often conduct surveys to see if they are delivering the value expected by customers. They study the results of such surveys and then make changes to improve customer satisfaction.

What is the core idea behind the total quality management concept?

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Workplace connections

the staff of a company is involved in a variety of ways in meeting the goal of customer satisfaction. One beginning worker, Kim park, described his experiences in these words:

I serve as an assistant in our customer hotline office, which is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Among the team are members who speak English, Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese. Together, we are able to provide cus-tomers around the world with information about our products. We can quickly put a customer in touch with a technical person if additional assistance is needed.

Have you called a customer hotline for information? were you satisfied with the service you received? why or why not?

Ethical Standardsethics are moral standards or values reflected in your behavior. Ethical stan-dards require honesty, fairness, and justice in all business dealings. These qual-ities provide a foundation of trust. Company leaders should make clear their attitude toward standards of ethical behavior. Companies want to be consid-ered trustworthy by their employees, their customers, the companies with which they deal, and the public.

Companies have developed standards of conduct for their employees, called codes of ethics or codes of conduct. Such codes are shared with all workers. Employees are generally informed about the code of conduct when they first join the organization.

From time to time, employees are called together to discuss what the code means in relation to specific behavior and actions. For example, all staff in-volved with purchasing may attend a meeting dealing with a new conflict of interest statement. Employees deal with many vendors who are eager to sell their products. The new statement makes clear that no employee is to accept gifts of any value from any vendor. Figure 2-2.2 shows a portion of a compa-ny’s confidentiality policy that has been posted on the company intranet. This policy is part of the company’s code of conduct.

Companies also have procedures for handling violations of ethical stan-dards. Employees found guilty of violating the code of ethics may be subject to disciplinary action or dismissal.

ethics moral standards or values reflected in behavior





how does a company’s code of ethics relate to the service it gives customers?

Responsible TeamworkSome people work alone at the company’s offices or at home. Frequently, however, employees must work in teams to complete tasks. Teamwork involves combining the efforts of two or more people to accomplish a task or achieve a goal. For a team to work effectively, each team member must understand the purpose or goals of the team. Each member of the team must accept responsibility for completing his or her duties and communicate clearly with other team members. For remote teams, in which team members may be located around the world rather than down the hall, communication is especially important.

Team members often are not from a single department. For example, cus-tomer collections were a problem in a relatively small company that makes shoes. The controller realized that those involved worked in the order entry, shipping, and billing departments. A team of several members of these depart-ments was assigned the task of reviewing the policies and procedures involved. Through teamwork, the group recommended a new policy and related pro-cedures. Soon thereafter, the problem was resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.

Why is effective teamwork considered so important in organizations?

Diversity in the Global MarketplaceThe area in which a company does business is called its marketplace. In the past, many U.S. companies operated only within the United States. This is called the domestic marketplace. Many U.S. companies now have employees

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Figure 2-2.2 A confidentiality policy is part of a company’s code of ethics.

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and customers in countries around the world. Some companies have moved into the global marketplace using only traditional sales methods, such as retail stores. Other companies have expanded using e-commerce. These companies sell goods and services online using the World Wide Web.

Moving into the global marketplace affects how companies do business. Employees must travel to other countries. Company personnel who live in other countries may visit the United States. Employee and customer groups are diverse. Diversity is the quality or state of having differences or variety. This term is often used to describe people from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

All company personnel must be sensitive to variations in cultures. Mes-sages used for websites, advertising materials, and product instructions must

be available in many languages. Employ-ees must communicate clearly with people of other nations. They must take into account varying time zones. They must find sources for information about travel and places for travelers to stay and work in other coun-tries. Employees are expected to respect co-workers and customers

from all backgrounds. In some companies, training programs help employees become aware of issues related to diversity.

General Expectations for EmployeesA company expects the same basic work qualities in all employees. The way these qualities are shown will depend on the nature of the employee’s work. Employers expect workers to be reliable and to cooperate with others in achieving company goals. They also expect them to be productive and to con-tinue to learn the new skills and knowledge needed to be effective in their jobs.

ReliabilityReliable means dependable and trustworthy. Employers rely on employees to report to work on time. Employees are expected to devote their time on the job to completing their work. Companies expect employees to keep company business confidential and to protect the assets of the company.

Most office employees work with others daily. Information must be shared, and tasks often require more than a single worker. Being cooperative is an im-portant quality for all employees. Employees must be prepared to learn new skills and handle new tasks as circumstances change. Most office workers have

e-commerce business conducted electronically, as in buying and selling on the World Wide Web

diversity the quality or state of having differences or variety

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Having a diverse workforce can help companies serve a diverse group of customers.





job descriptions, but seldom do such descriptions fully describe everything the employee will do on the job.

are employees who believe they need to do only what is outlined in their job descriptions effective workers? Why or why not?

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alice palmer, a manager in a real estate office, comments on employee reliability:

Employees who have to be watched every minute in order to keep them doing what they should do are worthless to us. We must have reliable employees. One of the most common reasons for dismissal is unreliability. For example, several times a new employee, Elena, failed to be at the office at eight o’clock on the mornings she was scheduled to open the office. The office was unattended. She didn’t call to explain her lateness; she just arrived two hours later. This pattern continued in spite of several warnings. At that point, we had to dismiss her. We cannot run our office effectively without reliable employees.

How could unreliable behavior by employees affect a company’s ability to achieve its goals?

Productivityproductivity is a measure of the amount of quality work done in a certain amount of time. Employers expect workers to produce a reasonable amount of work. Often specific standards for a day’s work are not practical. Manag-ers, however, have some level of output that they believe is reasonable for an employee. Following a schedule that ensures you will complete the amount of work expected of you is important.

Valuable workers are aware of what they are accomplishing each day. They are able to evaluate their own work and make changes as needed. Some man-agers discuss productivity with their workers in informal ways from time to time. Other managers expect workers to decide on their own what changes are needed to improve productivity.

Workers should be careful to avoid these barriers to productivity:

■ Talking with friends on the telephone during working hours ■ Chatting with coworkers for long periods of time ■ Failing to keep an organized workstation ■ Failing to set priorities ■ Moving from task to task before completing any one task

think about the work you do for your school classes. are there times or places when/where you are more productive than others? Explain.

productivity a measure of the amount of quality work done in a certain amount of time

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Independence in LearningAs you may already realize, all you need to know to be an employee will not be learned while you are a student. Companies expect their employees to con-tinue to learn. Learning must be a lifelong activity. Professional workers, such as lawyers, doctors, and accountants, for example, must have continuing edu-cation each year. As an office professional, you may need to learn to use new computer programs or follow new procedures to complete your work tasks. There may be other skills or knowledge specific to your job that you will need to learn.

Some continuing education may be in formal programs. Much learning, however, is self-directed. Workers can learn much from what they observe at work. Many companies have resources such as databases and libraries that are available to employees.

Reading current articles is one way an employee can continue to learn. Magazines, journals, and websites contain many articles and reports related to work. Many industries have associations that seek to provide current informa-tion to members. Many associations have yearly conferences or seminars that members can attend. Current trends, new equipment or methods, and issues of concern are discussed at these meetings.

What types of information, such as news reports or weather forecasts, do you regularly find online?

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TECHNOLOGY CONNECTION

Many people see the value in continuing their education, either in an informal or a formal way. As mentioned in this chapter, reading articles in magazines and journals is a good way to learn about current trends or new methods related to your work. A great deal of information can also be found online. Websites for professional associations, online journals, and blogs are sources of career-related information. Online seminars are offered by professional groups and by some companies. For example, a software company might offer a seminar on ways using the software can increase your productivity. Some software companies also offer online tutorials for using the software. You can use these sources to continue your education in an informal and inexpensive way.

For more formal or structured learning, you can take courses online. Many colleges offer online courses. These courses typically last for one quarter or semester, just as courses do that are taken on campus. For some classes, you may need to attend a few class sessions on campus in addition to completing classes online. Some courses require only online work. This setup allows you to take classes from a college that is far away without having to travel to the campus. If you take classes from a few different schools, be sure the credits will transfer if you are working toward a degree.

Why might you want to pay to take online college courses rather than simply reading articles and other information that is free to access?





Developing CompetenciesYou are a student. What you have experienced as a student is of great value to you whatever career you choose. Your education has been focused on de-veloping critical basic competencies. Those basics included skills for reading, writing, arithmetic, speaking, and listening. You have probably also studied math, literature, history, social studies, physical sciences, languages, and other subjects. In additions to these basic competencies, you can develop general and specific competencies for becoming an effective worker.

As a student, you are evaluated when you submit assignments and take tests. You have some idea of what you are able to do and what you would like to learn. Consider the competencies you have now. Think about the employment skills discussed earlier in this chapter. What skills and under-standings do you have today that would be of value to an employer? What new skills do you want to learn? What skills do you want to improve? Set goals for improving or developing new competencies. You will develop many competencies as you study and complete the activities in this text-book. Your other classes and activities will also allow you to build your skills and knowledge.

What is one employment competency that you want to acquire as you complete this course?

Personal QualitiesFor most people, working involves interacting with other people. Even those who work at home interact with others. The behavior of each person in a group influences how effectively the group will work together.

Each individual is unique. The combination of traits that distinguishes one person from another is called personality. Your personal traits influence how

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personality the combination of traits that distinguishes one person from another

Many students take college courses online.

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you think, what you say, and how you respond to the demands in your daily life. What is remarkable about your personality is that, to a far greater extent than many realize, you have control of who you are and what you believe. This means that you can make changes in your personality.

CharacterThe basic values and principles that are reflected in a person’s behavior are referred to as character. Your parents, relatives, friends, or teachers have probably talked with you about issues such as character and ethics. This dis-cussion, therefore, is not a new topic for you. You may want to use this op-portunity, though, to review or reconsider some basic concepts related to character.

At the core of your character is what you believe about integrity. Honesty and trustworthiness are synonyms for integrity. Individuals with integrity are valuable at work because they can be trusted to use the resources of the com-pany only for company purposes.

What would happen in a company if many people acted dishonestly?

Self-AcceptanceAt the core of your personality is your attitude toward yourself. Experts in the field of mental health stress the value of accepting yourself. Many believe that you cannot change your personality without self-acceptance, which requires a realistic and honest view of who you are. To help bring about changes in areas of your personality:

■ Be honest with yourself. Do not deceive yourself about your behavior and beliefs. Identify your weaknesses and your strengths.

■ Understand that you are a unique individual. You share many of the same wants, needs, and fears of others. Remember that although others may not appear to have the same problems you face, they usually have problems of their own.

■ Believe in your own worth, while respecting the uniqueness of others. Regardless of your failings, you are worthy. Every human being is. Self-acceptance means that you are willing to accept your faults but still have a feeling of confidence and a sense of security. For example, you can accept constructive criticism.

how might showing a lack of self-confidence at work affect how others treat you?

MaturityA person in our society is expected to behave in a mature way by the end of adolescence. Of course, many young people show maturity earlier. A mature person has the emotional and mental qualities that are considered normal for a socially adjusted adult. To be mature means that you see beyond the moment

character basic values and principles that are reflected in a person’s behavior

integrity honesty and trustworthiness

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and understand the consequences of your choices. A mature person considers the rights of others and makes decisions based on such understanding.

You are mature when you are willing to:

■ Accept criticism or disappointment tactfully ■ Acknowledge that you do not know or understand something ■ Admit that you made a mistake ■ Learn from your mistakes ■ Be considerate of others ■ Demonstrate respect for the differences of individuals ■ Be objective and honest in your relationships with others ■ Value the worth of every person, and do not act superior to another person

A mature person can identify weaknesses and plan to overcome them. Think about your personality and the traits you have that will make you a valuable employee. Are you honest, reliable, and cooperative? Do you work well with others in teams? Do you try to learn new ways to complete tasks that will make you more productive?

Identify traits that you would like to improve or develop that will make you a more valuable employee. Create a plan for ways to develop or improve these traits. For example, suppose you need to improve your teamwork skills. Join a club, sports team, or other group that will give you opportunities to work in a team. Read books or articles about teamwork. Ask your teacher, coach, or friends to give you feedback on how you relate to others in team situations. Evaluate your progress from time to time and continue to try to improve until you reach your goal.

What is one personality trait that you would like to change or improve?

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A mature person accepts and learns from constructive criticism.

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REViEw 2-221st Century skillsInteracting with OthersTanya, a manager in an advertising agency, called a meeting for three mem-bers of the staff—Jill, Chin, and Delores. Tanya explained that she had just received an exciting offer to submit a proposal for a new account. Tanya told them the project will require an intensive period of work. The proposal must be submitted within two weeks.

The project is complex. Tanya believes, though, that the three of them can do the job. They will be given some help from the department secretary. They must research the types of advertising campaigns used in the industry. They must also gain information about what the client’s goals are and its pres-ent image in the marketplace. After they have gathered this information, they must develop what they believe are promising campaigns. Tanya told them that they can decide among themselves how to divide the work.

Jill, Chin, and Delores met immediately after leaving the supervisor’s desk. Jill said, “Look, I feel rather tired and I just don’t want to start work on this right away. Could I just beg off the research? Then I’ll be happy to help you develop some plans for a campaign. I think I’m better in the creative part of such a project. I know that there will have to be many overtime hours during this first week of work. I just do not want to change my plans.”

1. In a group with two or three other students, discuss what you would say to Jill if you were Chin or Delores.

2. Prepare notes on your response for use in a class discussion.

making Academic ConnectionsReinforcing English SkillsCompanies have many different types of policies. These policies are often in-cluded in an employee handbook.

1. Open the data file 2-2 English Skills, which contains a workplace moni-toring policy. Read the document. Correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and word usage.

2. Ask a classmate to review your work while you review his or her work. Make corrections based on the feedback you receive, if needed.

2-2 Activity 1Checklist for Evaluating Team Projects (Outcome 2-2a) As you have learned, the ability to work effectively in a team is a valued job competency. For this activity, work in a group with three or four students to develop a checklist for evaluating team project participation.

1. Search the Internet or other reference sources to find at least two articles about effective teamwork. Make a list of the main points of each article and share this list with the group.

2. As a group, prepare a list of factors to be included on an evaluation check-list. For example, one factor might be: Completed work on time.





3. Decide on a system to use in rating how well a student does on each fac-tor on your list. (Hint: Should there be A, B, C grading? or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5? or Excellent, Good, Poor?)

4. Prepare a final copy of the checklist with the factors and rating scale. Use an appropriate title and format the document so it will be easy to read and use.

5. Participate in a class discussion and share the factors your team used on the checklist.

2-2 Activity 2Professional Reading File (Outcome 2-2b)Develop a file to record the source of newspaper, magazine, or online articles that will help you increase your knowledge of office work and related issues. Many articles that are published in hard copy newspapers and magazines can also be found online. Use your favorite search engine to look for articles on-line. Many major newspapers also have online sites where you can find some of their articles.

1. Create a file to store information about articles for professional develop-ment. This file can be in a word processing, database, or spreadsheet program. Name the file Reading File.

2. Create a table or other setup to store information. Include the following information for each article: title, subject, author, publication or website name, date, and web address for online materials. Also record your brief notes about the article.

3. Begin your reading file by finding one article related to any topic in Chap-ter 2. Read the article and enter the data for this article in your reading file.

4. Ask three classmates to share the data for the articles they have located. Enter data for the three articles in your reading file.

5. As you study each remaining chapter in this textbook, find at least one article related to topics studied in the chapter. Read the article and update your file.




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