Managing_Organisations_and_People

Introduction This report has developed out of the necessity to successfully accommodate new apprentices who start their programme with ill physical and mental health. It has risen due to a recent influx of apprentices who have had to have immediate time off from work due to ill health. I am basing the report on one particular apprentice who is currently on leave from work; my aim is to create a framework that can be applied to future instances of immediate and urgent apprentice sick leave. Utilising concepts and theories from the BZX628 course, I will seek to demonstrate my understanding of an actual case study of a problem and look to develop an understanding and draw conclusions of how best to deal with the situation that has arisen. The report is primarily based around people management, however this does link into other areas such as; budget issues, departmental resources and equipment. Problem report The current problem involves a new apprentice who has only completed three days of work in her first two weeks of her apprenticeship programme. The workplace who have hired the apprentice are starting to lose patience as there is no concrete reason being given for the apprentice’s sickness leave, the only thing being co-ordinated back from the apprentice is that the doctor has signed a sickness certificate for two weeks. The certificate is yet to materialise. The apprentice’s workplace is now exploring their options regarding termination of the apprentice’s contract. My team have a responsibility to ensure apprentices are developed while on programme, this includes ensuring their safe welfare. We also have a responsibility to the workplaces we service as they require value for money which is not occurring with this apprentice as they have yet to make a meaningful contribution in the workplace. In order to meet our funding requirements from our funding body, we must progressing the apprentice, therefore it is in our best interest to integrate apprentice back into the workplace to give the best opportunity of remaining on programme and achieving long term success. We also need the workplace to cooperate and view this as an opportunity for a young person who may prove to be a worthy acquisition in the future (e.g. if they decide to employ after the apprenticeship programme has completed). I would also like to use this as an opportunity for reflection and implementation of standard procedures to use with similar cases that are becoming quite common in my line of work (e.g. apprentices with immediate sickness when starting their programme). To better capture the problem and promote ease of analysis, I have constructed a problem description table; 1 What was the problem and how did you recognise it' A new apprentice has been signed off by her doctor. 2 To whom was it a problem (the ‘problem-holder’) and who else was involved' Myself and my team, the supervisor and her team. Most importantly it was a problem for the learner. 3 What caused the problem' Depression. 4 How much investigation did you have to do to find out what caused the problem and how did you do this' What demands and constraints influenced your investigation' I discussed it with the learner, her supervisor and referred her to Occupational Health who gave a report back to me. 5 What needed to be done, why and by whom' We allowed her the time off from work. I also referred her to Occupational Health to assess her fitness to work and to see if any procedures could be implemented to help her. 6 Were there several solutions to the problem' If so, how did you choose between them' What demands and constraints influenced your choice' The only solutions were to seek expert advice from Occupational Health. 7 What was the outcome of the chosen solution' The learner was assessed by Occupational Health as fit to work. 8 Was there communication with those involved at every stage' Yes, I had to co-ordinate between the supervisor to update her on the development with Occupational Health (the same with the learner). I also checked in with the learner during her 2 weeks leave to make sure she was okay. Table 3.2 (BZX628, Course activities, pg26) Problem analysis From the current method of dealing with issues raised relating to apprentices on immediate sick leave, it appears that we are inadequately set up to deal with this rising issue. When speaking with colleagues regarding how to deal with this current issue, it was difficult to find a specific procedure to follow and their recollection of past instances was not detailed enough to help me form an informed decision. The main aim is to create an appropriate partnership between the workplace and apprentice so that the apprentice will have faith that their ill health will not have an adverse effect on their placement and to assist work placements to understand and accommodate apprentices in times of hardship. I decided it would be appropriate to draw up a framework for problem-solving to begin to think about dealing with the issues; A framework for problem solving BZX628, Managing and managing people, pg86) The control loop BZX628, Managing and managing people, pg104) I referred to the Control loop to plan and manage my solution to the problem. Each stage is detailed below. Stage 1 I set out a criteria for success by drawing up an options comparison table; Step 1 – set objectives: Achieve apprentices successfully returning from immediate sick leave with full workplace support. Step 2 - S – Apprentices come back to working role M – Monitoring their progression upon their return A – Line Manager R – I believe this is achievable T – Immediate effect (2 week turnaround). This may become the template for future instances). Step 3 - Please see the remainder of the report. Step 4 - Please see the remainder of the report. Step 5 - See Step 2. Table 3.1 (BZX628, Managing and managing people, pg87) Stage 2 My plan is identified below under the SCHEME mnemonic; S - From previous experiences dealing with apprentices with immediate sick leave, it has proved useful to contact Occupational Health. This helps establish if the person is fit to work and any special requirements they made need. I feel this is an important stage to include to find out if the apprentice will be able to complete the programme. C – If the apprentice does not attend the Occupational Health consultation, then a fee of £200 is incurred. It is important to set this money aside in case the apprentice decides they no longer wish to be on the programme. My plan is listed below under the SCHEME mnemonic; H – Myself the Supervisor in the workplace and my line manager. E/M – Sufficient amount upon return to work to help integrate and feel prepared/welcomed into the workplace plus any suggestions that come out of the Occupational Health consultation. E – Occupational Health doctor who assesses the apprentice. Stage 3 To monitor progress it will be important first of all to view the report issued from Occupational Health. This will help develop the situation while enabling all parties to act sensitively to the apprentice. To monitor the situation long term and in-depth, I will look to utilise the monitoring process we fulfil with each apprentice (this is a form of appraisal that occurs every twelve weeks). I have previously seen apprentices more frequently when they have returned from immediate sick leave, this has proved useful to keep them on track and to provide support efficiently and effectively. To standardise the process I believe the reviews should be conducted during the first week the apprentice returns to work and then once a month (for two – three months depending on development). As the reviews involve questioning and discussion (face to face with both the supervisor and apprentice), regular report forms being written up (a copy is given to the supervisor and apprentice) and exception reporting is utilised in between reviews if progress has been affected. These ‘...three ways of commonly seeking information’ (BZX628, Managing and managing people, pg87) will help build up a fuller picture and help to assess the success of the apprentice’s integration back into work. Stage 4 The current outcome has been very good. The apprentice has been reintroduced to the workplace due to being assessed as fit to work by Occupational Health. The monitoring reviews have given the chance for both the apprentice and supervisor to voice concerns and to make sure minor concerns do not evolve into major ones. It would seem that doing nothing would be the best course of action as the objective has been reached and all components met the required aims. Conclusion The report details a successful control loop to help encourage and develop an apprentice’s continuation on programme in times of ill health. The path laid out in my problem analysis heavily suggests that this is an appropriate process to follow in order to ensure learners return to the workplace and make sound progression. A major flaw could be the focus on only one apprentice; the details of this report are very specific to one case history and has therefore neglected any contingencies for other influences. To use this model again could cause problems if, for instance, a supervisor does not wish to continue with the apprentice’s contract. A new strategy would then need to be developed in order to progress the apprentice and create a success of them. Recommendations In order to contribute to a continuation of assessing and evaluating the value of the procedures used, it may be useful to implement records/routine statistics when other similar situations arise to help revise and plan for further situations in the future. This would need quite a lot of time to collate and analyse the information. The report has highlighted a successful model when dealing with an increasing issue in the workplace that had no previous starting point. Word count – 1597 The statement on practice Planning and control 1. I have previously used a transformation process to break down work based tasks that I carry out to review what processes go into it and what we get out of it. The value of doing such a task is that you can critically lay out information and easily identify areas that could be improved. I have been unable to incorporate the transformation process into my current role as I was use to the basic flow chart and didn’t feel confident to review any of my current tasks adequately enough to evaluate strengths and weaknesses. When completing Table 4.1 for my activity 1 in week 4 of the course, I realised the table allowed me to go much more in-depth into a situation. I used the progress review task as an example because it is a task that is proving to be more and more difficult, I thought completing table 4.1 might help figure out what the problem was (reviews are now taking up so much of mine and my teams time that we are missing target dates to complete them all with our apprentices). Since completing the table (see below) I realised the problem was a lack of understanding on the work placement supervisors’ part. They do not understand that the review process is a development tool and is not intended to be a basis to dive straight into a disciplinary. They also do not realise that apprentices should not be up to the standard of an employed member of staff. Describe the activity My team deals with carrying out progress reviews for our apprentices. This involves us travelling to their workplace to meet with them and their supervisor. Inputs Transformation Outputs Negative consequences The control loop BZX628, Course Activities, pg32) I have not yet implemented any changes but I have SMART planned what I would like to do; S – Improve supervisors’ understanding of the apprenticeship scheme by holding a Q&A meeting/workshop. M – Feedback through the meeting/workshop and practicable tasks with an assessable component to it. A – Line manager. R – I believe this is achievable. T – 3 months. Before the course, I was unaware the depth a simple task could lead to. I have now completed the first two sections of the control loop and feel confident to progress through the final two stages. I have now come to realise that we must take responsibility with informing all contributors to the apprenticeship programme, carrying out the course activities has helped me be more proactive in the workplace. 2. When completing table 1.3 for activity 5 week 1 of the course, I realised that I had become more proactive with shaping my working role in light of an impending restructure. I have since developed my workplace activities which has involved greater control and contribution to the Internal Verification process that our apprenticeship qualifications must go through. This has been useful as I have been able to learn these new skills and put them into practice. I SMART planned how I would develop myself in light of completing this task; S – Contribute to the IV process to learn the skills required to fulfil the role. M – Complete 2 portfolios each month. A – No one, I am qualified and can do it when I wish. R – This is achievable. T – End of this month (and continued thereafter). The major stress factor in my work: What I will do about it: How I will do this: Table 1.3 BZX628, Course Activities, pg11) References The Open University (2010), B628 Course Activities; Milton Keynes: The Open University The Open University (2010), B628 Managing and managing people; Milton Keynes: The Open University