Target Workplace Foundation Skills
Purpose
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This lesson provides an introduction to workplace skills and the Ready for WAGES curriculum. Students will identify and become familiar with desirable workplace qualities that are necessary to maintain employment and succeed on the job.
Learning Outcomes
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Students will:
- List 10 workplace skills that are important to employers.
- Identify at least three new workplace skills not listed at the beginning of the lesson after viewing the Strive video.
- State an example of each of the four workplace skills (i.e., taking responsibility, problem-solving, communication, teamwork) necessary on the job.
Teaching Strategies
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- Inform students that the video is dated. Encourage them to concentrate on the content of the video, not the hairstyles and clothes that are not in fashion.
- After viewing Strive, hold students accountable for reporting to the large group on the most desirable workplace qualities.
- Structure the process so all students contribute to a list of desirable qualities (i.e., each person must generate at least three workplace qualities).
- Keep the list of workplace skills generated by the students for the duration of the curriculum. You will need this list in subsequent lessons.
Required Materials
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- Flip chart, whiteboard, or chalkboard
- Strive video (or jump drive)
- Display list of workplace skills
Vocabulary
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Vocabulary words for this lesson should be introduced after students have the opportunity to participate in Activity 1. Use the Workplace Skills Handout 1.1 to add clarity and understanding of lesson vocabulary if needed.
Workplace Skills: The attitudes and behaviors an employee demonstrates in the workplace that are most important for experiencing success on the job (for example, the way an employee talks to and acts when dealing with coworkers and supervisors). They include the following:
- Taking Responsibility: Being accountable for an action or behavior, whether good or bad. For example, an employee accepting a compliment from a coworker without appearing embarrassed.
Key characteristics and behaviors of taking responsibility: owning up to something you have done; fulfilling obligations in a dependable and trustworthy way; readiness or willingness to be accountable and accept the consequences for your actions; integrity; being honest with yourself.
- Teamwork: Working or cooperating with at least one other person to accomplish a common goal or task. For example, a group of workers efficiently moving furniture into a new office building.
Key characteristics and behaviors of teamwork: effective communication skills; cooperation among members; working toward a common goal; ensuring all opinions and ideas are valued; sharing responsibility; ensuring all are involved and active.
- Communication: The sharing of information, ideas, feelings, needs, wants, and desires—verbally or nonverbally—with at least one other person. For example, maintaining eye contact with your employer while discussing work tasks, acknowledging your supervisor’s instructions, letting your supervisor know in advance regarding issues you may be having, etc.
Key characteristics and behaviors of communication: ensuring the message is clear to all; maintaining contact (e.g., face-to-face, email, telephone, virtual meetings); ensuring you listen as much as you speak; stating ideas clearly.
- Problem-Solving: A process of identifying a problem, generating possible solutions, choosing a solution, and assessing whether the solution selected solved the problem. For example, an employee figuring out how to ask the manager for more hours on the job or requesting a change in their schedule.
Key characteristics and behaviors of problem-solving: recognizing the problem or challenge and stating it; working through the problem step by step; thinking of possible solutions and evaluating them; choosing the best solution; considering how others might be affected; determining whether the selected solution solved the problem.
Activity 1.1: How Employers Expect Me to Act on the Job, Part 1 (20 minutes)
- Set students up to think about WHY they would want to cultivate workplace skills. Ask an essential question such as "Why do people work?", "Why would you want to develop workplace skills?" or "Why would you want to get and keep a job?"
- Pair students and instruct them to brainstorm a list of workplace qualities that are important on the job. Examples include punctuality, efficiency, and dependability.
- Have each team report their list of workplace qualities to the large group.
- Record each team's contribution on the board or a flip chart to create a class list of workplace qualities.
- Discuss the value of each workplace quality as each one is presented by the students.
- Introduce one (or more) short videos from the Strive website as a job training "get tough" program that aims to develop many of the same workplace qualities that the students brainstormed.
- Instruct students to watch for the workplace qualities portrayed in the video that agree with their list and add any qualities not on their list. Tell students they will share their observations after the video.
- After the video, discuss the workplace qualities students saw in the Strive video that were on their list of workplace qualities and qualities that get in the way of employer expectations. Add any qualities that Strive introduced that were not on the original student-generated list.
Activity 1.2: How Employers Expect Me to Act on the Job, Part 2 (20 minutes)
- Post the list of workplace qualities that the students brainstormed, or distribute a copy to each student.
- Using the workplace skills definitions,
- provide students with an overview of the Ready for WAGES course: (e.g., students learn and practice the four primary workplace skills: taking responsibility, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication.
- explain the definitions of each of the Lesson 1 vocabulary words.
- refer to the students’ list of workplace qualities as the lessons are introduced.
- explain that the workplace qualities students generated will be taught within the context of the four skills.
- get students excited about the course by explaining that they will be doing many enjoyable activities.
- Write the four workplace skills representing the scope and sequence of the Ready for WAGES curriculum horizontally across the board or flip chart.
- Task: write each workplace quality on a separate sticky note and have students categorize each of the workplace qualities by sticking them under one or more of the workplace skills. For example, if students generated “cooperation” as a workplace quality, some students may post that quality under “teamwork,” and others may post it under “communication” or “problem-solving.” Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of placing the workplace quality under one workplace skill or the other.
Workplace Foundation Skills 1.1
The most important social skills identified by employers for getting and keeping a job include the following:
Skill #1: Taking Responsibility
Definition: When an employee is accountable for an action or behavior, whether good or bad. An example of taking responsibility: an employee graciously accepts a compliment from a coworker; an employee tells her manager that she broke one of the tools she needs to complete a job; showing up to work before start time dressed appropriately; etc.
Key characteristics and behaviors of taking responsibility are:
- owning up to something you have done
- fulfilling obligations in a dependable and trustworthy way
- readiness or willingness to accept the consequences
- being accountable for your actions
- having integrity
- being honest with yourself
Skill #2: Teamwork
Definition: Working or cooperating with at least one other person to accomplish a common goal or task. An example of teamwork: a group of workers efficiently moving furniture into a new office.
Key characteristics and behaviors of teamwork are:
- effective communication skills
- cooperation among members
- working toward a common goal
- ensuring all opinions and ideas are valued
- sharing responsibility
- ensuring all are involved and active
Skill #3: Communication
Definition: The sharing of information, ideas, feelings, needs, wants, and desires—verbally or nonverbally— with at least one other person. An example of effective communication (from a dominant culture perspective): an employee maintains eye contact with their employer while discussing work tasks.
Key characteristics and behaviors of effective communication are:
- ensuring the message is clear
- maintaining contact in a timely and respectful manner (e.g., face-to-face, email, telephone, virtual meetings)
- ensuring you listen as much as you speak
- stating ideas clearly
Skill #4: Problem-Solving
Definition: A process of identifying a problem, generating possible solutions, choosing a solution, and assessing whether the solution selected solved the problem. An example of problem-solving: an employee discovers how to complete an important task on the job more efficiently.
Key characteristics and behaviors of problem-solving are:
- recognizing the problem and stating it
- working through a problem step by step
- evaluating all possible solutions
- choosing the best solution
- considering how others might be affected
- determining whether the selected solution solved the problem
Check for Understanding
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At the end of this activity, have students fill out and hand in the workplace skills rating form.
Generate a discussion with students about the workplace qualities from their list that seem to be the most important for holding and keeping a job. Ask them the following:
- From our list of workplace qualities, which of them do you think employers value the most?
- From our list, if an employee lacks any of these workplace skills, which one might get them fired the fastest?
- Can someone define the four workplace skills that will be taught in the course?
Practice Activity
In the next 24 hours, have students identify each workplace skill and give an example of each in their current setting.
