Employability Skills Report: Responsibilities and Problem Solving

This report analyzes employability skills within the context of a customer service advisor role at Tesco PLC. It begins by outlining the student's responsibilities, performance objectives, and self-evaluation methods, emphasizing the importance of customer satisfaction and effective communication. The report then delves into recommendations for improvement, including management reviews, recognizing opportunities, and fostering communication among coworkers. It further explores the impact of motivational techniques, such as Maslow's hierarchy of needs, on improving the quality of performance. The report also addresses problem-solving strategies, communication styles, team dynamics, and time management techniques. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the skills necessary for success in the workplace, with a focus on practical applications and real-world examples.

EMPLOYABILITY
SKILLS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Set of own responsibilities in order to solve the issues....................................................1
1.2 Evaluation of own effectiveness against the objectives...................................................2
1.3 Recommendations for the improvement..........................................................................2
1.4 Effect of Motivational Techniques on quality improvement...........................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
2.1 Developing solutions to work based problems ................................................................5
2.2 Interfacing various communication styles at different levels...........................................7
2.3 Identification of various strategies for time management..............................................8
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Characters people play to achieve goals...........................................................................8
3.2 Examining dynamics of team ..........................................................................................9
3.3 Alternate methods for doing tasks and achieving goals.................................................11
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................12
4.1 Evaluation of the tools and methods..............................................................................12
4.2 Appropriate strategy to resolve the problem..................................................................13
4.3 Potential Impact of applying the strategies...................................................................13
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION
To be employable, an individual needs some transferable skills and that skills are called
Employability skills. These skills are very necessary to cope in the market. These skills can be
categorised in three categories which are discussed as following. Applied Knowledge means
when the combination of educational knowledge and technical skills are joined together in the
organisation for practical use. Actual Relationship means the social skills and the personal
qualities by which a person can interact systematically with the co-workers and higher
authorities (Tymon,2013). In Workplace skills, employees need systematic and organisational
skills to perform good in the task's given. Employability skills helps one in gaining the
confidence, being more responsible, having good communication with the co-workers and the
most important, understanding their role in the team (Sung, Loke and Ramos., 2013). Tesco PLC
is a multinational British retailer having headquarters in England. This report focuses on making
operations simple, personal and fair for the customers of Tesco PLC.
TASK 1
1.1 Set of own responsibilities in order to solve the issues
As a customer service advisor, I have to ensure to manage all my roles and
responsibilities in order to solve the issues in Tesco PLC. Some of my roles are discussed
below :
 The first priority would be on satisfying the customers by providing proper help and
support to them.
 Interacting with them patiently so that no customer gets disappointed or angry. Dealing
with them in a way so that they gets satisfied and happy with their queries.
 Taking proper feedbacks from the customers regarding the products and services, so that
the company can focus on area where lacking.
 Should have proper knowledge of computer based testing that includes TOPCIMA and I
should know how to manage some specific tasks as organising rooms, computers.
 Should be able to answer and transfer internal as well as external telephone calls in line
with the service standards.
 Should be able to use my leadership skills efficiently and manage the monitoring of the
department carefully.
Performance objectives
1

As a customer service advisor, I have also set some milestones so that I can be able to
achieve my expected targets. Some of them are describes as following :
 I must be capable of transferring the international calls as well as national to the support
team or the manager (Tymon,2013).
 I should ensure proper and efficient communication skills so that I can be able to well
interact with the customer and help them in resolving their queries.
 I should ensure various techniques in case I am unanswerable to the client or if the client
itself is trying to indulge me in an expense topic. I should be able to deal with the
situations patiently.
1.2 Evaluation of own effectiveness against the objectives
Self evaluation of the objectives plays a very important role. The objectives were able to
work with utmost effectiveness. In order to achieve this goal. Various techniques are adopted by
the individual. A proper evaluation of these objectives can be done in the following ways :
Measurement of quality
Measurement of quality is very important as it helps in analysing whether the word
performed by the employees compiles of an efficient quality or not. Taking feedbacks can also
help as it can easily verify that the quality and effectiveness of the task.
Comparison
Another better way is that the employees can make a comparison of the desired job
performance with the actual one. By this a better analysis can be done and also can help in
measuring the effectiveness of the performance in acquiring all the roles and responsibilities.
Benchmarking
Benchmarking is another method which helps in successful completion of the objectives
and fulfilling the goals in effective manner. Ascertaining the benchmark for each and every
activity can help in fulfilling the requirements of the objectives in the best possible manner.
2

1.3 Recommendations for the improvement
Recommendations can actually help in improving some area that needs some sort of
modification or improvement. Some factors that can help in improving the situations are
discussed as under :
 Review Management : Making some sort of improvement or change in the
management as well as in the organisational structure can actually help in maximizing
the performance of the employees. But this must be done by taking suggestions of each
employees as after a better decision making process.
 Recognition of different opportunities : Usually at Tesco, employees work at a basic
level, but they can involve their own ideas and views that can help them in getting huge
number of opportunities as well. The authorities of Tesco also motivates the employees
to a huge extent so that by using their own ideas and methods, they can be able to gain
various opportunities.
 Communication with the co workers : In Tesco, interaction level of people is better
enough that they all interact with each other and share their opinions. This further helps
in maintaining a happier and healthier environment in the work place which leads the
company in achieving better results because it helps in maintaining a peaceful
environment in which the employees are able to focus on the work properly
(Smith,2010).
1.4 Effect of Motivational Techniques on quality improvement
Motivational techniques can actually help in increasing the rate of thinking of a person
because it somehow manages to encourage and motivate the people so that they can attain a self
confidence, which can reflect in their outcomes as well. Although there are various motivational
theories, out of that, Maslow hierarchy is discussed as under that can help in improving the
quality of performance. It is discussed as further :
3

(Source : Wilton, 2012 )
1. Physical Needs : Physical needs mean something more than a person think they want.
This means to satisfy the basic needs as hunger, thirst, sleep etc. If any person is hungry,
somewhere it creates some sort of disturbance which can lead to disturbance in his work,
like that only if all these needs are fulfilled, a person can feel comfortable without any
disturbance and can concentrate on the work well (Sung, Loke and Ramos., 2013). So,
Tesco can follow the physical needs of their employees as well as customers so that none
of the both may have to face any complexity.
2. Needs for welfare : It includes the security and the safety features. Safety of every
employee is very important. So, maintaining the safety and security of the employees is
the responsibility of the Tesco. Tesco can consider these facts and it can prove very
beneficial for the company as well.
3. Public Needs : It means friendship, giving and receiving love, engaging in public
activities. Here in Tesco, the authorities ensure to organise some sort of social gatherings
on a regular basis to create that fun environment so that everyone will be chilled and
when they go back to work, they can freely concentrate on it. BY this way, Tesco can
4
Illustration 1: Maslow hierarchy

focus on the public needs of the customers as well and it will help in increasing the
success and growth rate of Tesco.
4. Honour-needs : It includes self honour with self respect. Every month, sessions have
been organised in which a discussion about the common factors is being done i.e. self
esteem, personality development and we do some sort of activities also so that we can
guess our own level of confidence and esteem (Chithra,2013). It helps in a better
evaluation that the company can focus upon.
5. Self accomplishment : It means the wish to develop and realize our own potential.
Realising our own potential is very necessary to work in some workplace. By this, the
company can divide the whole work in smaller groups so that they can focus on that and
it will further help in achieving the targets of the company.
The above mentioned motivational theory helps in fulfilment of the requirement of the
employees. It motivates the employees to work with utmost zest so that the job can leave them
satisfied for the highest possible time frame. The basic needs and parameters discussed in
Maslow’s theory helps in encouraging the employees to work harder so that they can reach to
next level. Hence, this theory holds great importance in handling the staff at the work place.
TASK 2
2.1 Developing solutions to work based problems
No matter what, but there are always some issues in a workplace, whether small or big, but they
are. So, one should be capable of developing various ways or techniques so that the issues can be
resolved.
5

6
MEMO
Developing solutions to work based problems
To: Team members
Date: 16-10-2017
Solutions to work based problems are discussed as under:
 Identification of the issue
To solve a particular problem, it is first important to find out the root cause of the issue.
After correcting it, it can be easy for one to solve the whole issue.
 Taking care of everyone's interest
Often there are some employees in a workplace who feel less supported and motivated, so it
is important to treat all the employees equally, so that nobody gets disappointed or
disheartened. This however, affects their mental health and their focus towards the work.
 Listing of Options
As Customer Advisor, having options or backup helps well. If at sometime, one has to deal
with a situation in which we have no further ideas or options, that time if Tesco will be
having various options or backups, that time it can help in recovering from the situation
easily (Husain and et.al., 2010).
 Assessment of Options
After listing, it is very important to evaluate the options. Proper assessment help in
evaluating that the product or service has given what benefits or what disadvantages.
 Documentation
It's not good to depend on memory. It may fade someday but it is preferable to pin it down
because that will help in going through the details. Properly maintained documentation can
sometime help from useless misunderstandings between the co workers.

There are various problems in every organisation, so some are in Tesco as well. But with the
help of these solutions, these can be overcome. Some recommended solutions to these problems
are discussed as following :
 Identification of the issue
To solve a particular problem, it is first important to find out the root cause of the issue. After
correcting it, it can be easy for one to solve the whole issue.
 Taking care of everyone's interest
Often there are some employees in a workplace who feel less supported and motivated, so it is
important to treat all the employees equally, so that nobody gets disappointed or disheartened.
This however, affects their mental health and their focus towards the work.
 Listing of Options
As Customer Advisor, having options or backup helps well. If at sometime, one has to deal with
a situation in which we have no further ideas or options, that time if Tesco will be having various
options or backups, that time it can help in recovering from the situation easily (Husain and
et.al., 2010).
 Assessment of Options
After listing, it is very important to evaluate the options. Proper assessment help in evaluating
that the product or service has given what benefits or what disadvantages.
 Documentation
It's not good to depend on memory. It may fade someday but it is preferable to pin it down
because that will help in going through the details. Properly maintained documentation can
sometime help from useless misunderstandings between the co workers.
2.2 Interfacing various communication styles at different levels.
Communication styles help in making the whole communication more effective and
according to the situation and other factors, these styles can be used. All these three styles are
discussed as under :
1. Assertive Style at higher level : High Self esteem is the main factor here. Assertive Style
is given higher priority because it is considered as the most efficient communication
7

style because of its features. Its focus is on achieving goals without hurting anyone. This
style is communally and emotionally very expressive (Wilton, 2012). This style also
protects their own rights as well as of others. They respect their privacy. These factors
take assertive style at the top level.
2. Aggressive Style at medium level : Aggressive style is considered somehow less than the
Assertive Style as this refers to achieve goals at the expense of others. In Non verbal
behaviour also, the volume is very loud and the gestures of it are big, sharp, fast and
jerky. People on the other end feel this style as uncooperative and quite humiliated.
3. Submissive Style at lower level : This style only focuses on pleasing people. Due to
some of its behavioural features, it comes on the lower level. Taking responsibility of all
the decisions and their management is difficult for this style. It receives very fewer
comments but whenever it receives, it declines them as well.
2.3 Identification of various strategies for time management
In Tesco, managing various strategies for time management is very essential as it can
help the company in achieving good results by managing time well which can however reduce
the stress levels and work load of the employees of the Tesco. There are some basic steps for
these strategies and these are discussed as under :
1. Setting Goals - Setting an achievable goal can be considered as one of the most important
strategies as it can help the employees in staying focused so that they can be able to
manage the time accordingly. Setting deadlines can also help in accomplish the targeted
goals.
2. Prioritisation – Listing down all the things that needs to get done also has a huge impact.
This is called Prioritisation and then sorting this list by keeping the most important at first
and then the least important at last can help (Chithra,2013). Honesty here matters a lot.
One should be honest with themselves while listing things. Doing the hardest task before
can help in increasing the confidence level of an employee.
3. Planning – Planning acts as the most effective strategy. Planned things can go well than
the unplanned stuff. A regular check on it also plays very essential to add on the required
modifications.
8

TASK 3
3.1 Characters people play to achieve goals
There are nine types of roles to play in a team and these are discussed as under :
1. Shaper Role : Only dynamic people can play this role. The best thing about shapers is
that they are able to maintain a positive mental attitude towards every challenge which
comes their way (Husain and et.al., 2010). Whenever obstacles come, they find the best
possible solution to overcome it. They own great communicational skills.
2. Implement role : These are those people who actually implements the ideas to get things
done. They think practically. Implementers are considered as the people that actually
turns their ideas in actual plans.
3. Completer : The completers are the ones who detects the errors in a file after checking it
properly. The only problem Completer's deal with is, deputation.
4. Co-ordinator role : The role of coordinator is always given to a mature and confident
person who can coordinate the team well. The person acting co-ordinator should have
some seriousness that everyone will obey him/her. He/she should be well mature to
control and handle the team well.
5. Team worker role : The role of a team worker is to ensure that the team remains united.
The whole team works regarding solving an issue (Chithra,2013). Team workers helps
other members also which leads to affect the team dynamics.
6. Specialist role : The people who are specialised in a particular area are called specialists
but they don't have any extra knowledge that is external to their specialised area.
Although they have much knowledge of their specific area, they have minimum interest
in other fields.
7. Evaluating the monitor role- The people playing this role are critical thinkers. Instead of
rushing in a situation, they critically analyse the situation and then make any final
conclusions. The people here have less capability of motivating other team members.
3.2 Examining dynamics of team
Dynamics of team can be termed as some forces of any higher authority that influences
the behaviour and performance of the team. Some factors are discussed as under that can be very
beneficial for team dynamics :
9

1. Relation Balance : For a good team performance, it is very important to know the
effectiveness of the balance relation of the team. It is very important to maintain good
relations with the team members.
2. Team Potential : Diagnosing the strength, challenges and performance of the team is very
essential because it is a very important factor for checking the potential of the team.
3. Integration : There should be an efficient level of integration in the team members.
Having good integration in the team members benefits for the success of the organisation
(Jones, Torezani and Luca., 2012).
4. Interaction : Interaction levels in an organisation is a very essential component. It is
because when everyone will be interacting with each other, it can lead to a happier and
healthier environment of Tesco which can help Tesco in achieving the results better and
in an efficient way.
As a Customer Service Advisor, some strategies can be used for maintaining the team dynamics.
Explaining them as under :
1. Know your team : Understanding and knowing the team is very essential as the
authorities at Tesco should ensure that they know their employees well (Wilton,
2012). So the authorities should be aware enough of what and when they are
doing tasks in the work place. Also, the authorities should understand that
everything is going under control and is manageable in Tesco.
2. Tackle problems Quickly : Ensuring that everything is good between the team
members is very necessary. There are some roles of the authorities as well as like
in case if the employers at Tesco observe some sort of change in the behaviour of
employees, then they should focus on resolving the issue as soon as possible
because if the employee is going through some tough condition or any mental
pressure, in that case, they cannot be able to focus on the work. So managing this
is also a responsibility of the authorities of Tesco PLC.
3. Defining Roles and Responsibilities : Explaining all the roles and the
responsibilities to the employees matters a lot because if an employee is not aware
of their roles and responsibilities, then better results cannot be expected from
them (Chithra,2013). So at Tesco PLC, they make sure to define all the employees
their roles and regulations towards their job so they should have no confusion in
10