- Describe ways in which it is possible to learn from others at work.
As technology and the way we think and do things is constantly changing, there is always room to learn in the workplace. One possible way is through asking for someone’s help and them offering it with a simple instruction that is easy to remember and stays with you. There is also the idea of shadowing someone, observing exactly how they carry out certain tasks and then imitating them as, should they carry out the tasks correctly, so should you. Furthermore, you can also learn more personal skills, such as how to deal with other people in the correct manner, following said methods of learning.
Outcome 2: Understand how to maintain security and confidentiality at work and deal with concerns.
2.1 Describe the purpose and benefits of maintaining security and confidentiality at work.
Maintaining security and confidentiality means that there is a lot of trust in the business, as someone has trusted you with their personal details, be it an employee or a customer. Without maintaining , the trust would be broken, causing a breach of trust and also could lead to disciplinary action being taken with regards to The Data Protection Act. This is clearly a very serious issue and one which everyone should take into consideration should they be working with other peoples personal information.
2.2 Describe requirements for security and confidentiality in an organisation.
Requirements for the security and confidentiality of personal information held by the organisation are that first of all they must meet the standards set by the Data Protection Act. If it doesn’t this could be a punishable offence. Furthermore, the information needs to be stored securely under lock and key if paper-based or under a password if electronically stored. Finally, information should not be given out to any 3rd parties unless permission is gained from the person who’s information it is being held, or as required by law enforcements.
- Describe legal requirements for security and confidentiality, as required.
Legal requirements for security and confidentiality state that personal information should be kept as stated in the Data Protection Act 1998. This means that it should not be handed out to other parties without given consent, apart from in some exceptions, such as when the law requires the data to be given out. Additionally, data cannot be gained unlawfully and must be stored securely so that it cannot be accessed by others at any given time.
- Describe procedures for dealing with concerns about security and confidentiality in an organisation.
The first thing I would do would be to go to Martin (Managing Director) and express that I felt the standards of maintaining the security and confidentiality of the files we keep were slipping and need to be improved. Upon doing this I would then check the security of the files and take action where I felt necessary, i.e. adding new passwords to electronic files or moving them to another location.
Outcome 3: Understand the purpose and procedures for keeping waste to a minimum in a business environment.
- Explain the purpose of keeping waste to a minimum.
There are several purposes of keeping waste to a minimum in a office environment. One is to be more eco-friendly – essentially saving the Earth’s resources and spreading them further. Also there is the need to waste as little as possible so that office supplies do not have to constantly be purchased, being much economically friendly. It also makes the office look like a much neater and tidier place to be.
- Describe the main causes of waste that may occur in a business environment.
One main cause of waste in a business environment would be printing things in an unnecessarily high quality, where as the ink would last longer should they change the print quality settings to “Quick Print” or something of the like. Another waste associated with this is printing things that do not need to be printed, then wasting both paper and ink. Another waste in a business environment is when minor errors are made in a report or piece of work that has been printed out and then needs printing out again after corrections have been made.
- Describe ways of keeping waste to a minimum.
Ways of keeping waste to a minimum are by recycling all old office equipment that you can, checking through work before printing it out, better communication within an office as this could lead to less errors and duplications being made and using the knowledge of how and why things have caused waste and planning not to let them happen again.
- Identify ways of using technology to reduce waste.
By storing files electronically, this means that when you find you have no need for them in the future they can be deleted without having wasted office resources such as paper. This also reduces the amount of space that they would take up in the office. By storing things electronically by computer, there is no waste. For example, when taking down a message, the message could be written down on the computer and sent via email to save on the use of paper based message systems.
- Outline the purpose and benefits of recycling.
The purpose of recycling is to try and save the Earth’s natural resources and not to waste anything. This is because the materials that are left for recycling are then stripped down and reformed to make new products. The benefits of this are that there are more resources being made available for everyone and especially for future generations. Further benefits are that less waste is being put into landfills so that less is clogging up the Earth for years to come.
- Describe organisational procedures for recycling materials.
In the office block that we are currently situated in there are separate bins for recyclable materials and general waste. The recyclable materials bin generally contains cardboard boxes and such. In the previous building we resided in, there was a paper waste bin in every office and a few bottle bins provided in various areas. This was then moved into a large recycling bin situated just outside the building.
Outcome 4: Understand procedures for disposal of hazardous materials
- Describe the benefits of procedures for the recycling and disposal of hazardous materials.
The primary benefit of said procedures is the protection of human health and the environment. That said, further benefits are that specific recycling procedures should mean that they are more consistent. A consistent procedure is usually much more cost effective and produces less waste in the long run, another benefit.
- Describe organisational procedures for the recycling and disposal of hazardous materials.
Outcome 5: Know how to support sustainability in an organisation.
- Outline the purpose of improving efficiency and minimising waste.
The purpose of improving efficiency is to manage raw materials to reduce waste and therefore reduce additional, unnecessary costs. It can also have a positive effect on the environment leading to a reduced carbon footprint made by the company.
- Describe ways of improving own working methods and use of technology to achieve efficiency and reduce waste.
One way of improving own working methods to reduce waste and improve efficiency is to set the computer that is being used to a more ecologically friendly setting such as hibernation mode if left unused for more than 15 minutes. This would reduce the energy costs and would save on power overall. Another way would be to print less i.e. do not print unless it is really necessary, as it can be left as an electronic file until it may need to be printed. This would save on ink, paper and electricity usage that is not needed.
