Part 1 Being professional Chapter 1 BSBWOR301 Organise personal work priorities and development

Responsibility for own work Early childhood educators (just as any other employee) need to be responsible for managing their own workload being an effective team player by cooperating and supporting fellow staff members. This can partially be achieved by prioritising, planning and completing personal workplace tasks according to organisational standards and in consultation with others.

Element 1: Organise and complete own work schedule Employees in an education and care service have a responsibility to work within their defined job role requirements and to align their work practices with their organisation’s vision, mission and philosophy statements. Individual job descriptions will link to overall organisational requirements in terms of work practices.

Working towards goals Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) (similar to objectives) are measures to review progress towards goals. Employees are asked to provide evidence of their performance since the last review, documenting any achievements towards the objectives and KPIs, and any reasons why any requirements were not met.

Contingency plans Contingencies are possible events that must be prepared for by outlining possible alternative solutions/plans to problems. Generally, unforeseen circumstances such as accidents, problems with equipment, competing work demands and environmental factors (such as changes in the weather) will require contingency plans.

Use of business technology Educators may be asked to use technology to develop their work schedules and contribute to the documentation of children’s learning and development. This might include taking and uploading digital photographs, and operating office equipment (computers, photocopiers, scanners, printers, intercommunication systems, etc.).

Element 2: Monitor own work performance Reflecting on own performance in the workplace is a critical part of seeking continual self-improvement. ‘Establishing and maintaining a culture of ongoing reflection and self-review offers challenge, provides motivation and supports positive levels of educator, co-ordinator and staff member satisfaction.’ NQS Standard 7.2, NQS p. 174.

SMART goals Define SMART goals when developing personal objectives or KPIs and their associated tasks:

Seek feedback on performance Seeking and acting appropriately to feedback from managers, other staff members, families and others in the workplace is another method of self-assessment. Others may give performance feedback to compliment someone and to reinforce the benefit of good workplace practices. It may also serve to point out areas for improvement.

Quality of products and services Staff are expected to routinely identify and report on any variations in the quality of a service’s products and services. Products relate to physical items that a service produces, such as child, family and staff records, information in the form of literature and newsletters. Services relate to non-physical aspects of a service’s delivery, such as communicating with parents, and liaising with external agencies to support a child and their family.

Coping with stress Stress affects people in many different ways and there is growing awareness of the need to develop coping strategies to avoid negative impacts on one’s own and others’ personal and emotional health and wellbeing. Services will usually provide access to employee assistance programs (EAPs) when staff are experiencing difficulties such as stress-related illnesses.

Element 3: Co-ordinate personal skill development and learning Ongoing professional development is key to improving current job role performance and also for preparing for more advanced job roles. An employee may decide that further training is required in certain areas and will usually be asked to complete a self-assessment tool and then discuss this with a supervisor.

The training needs analysis A training needs analysis is the process of identifying gaps in workplace skills and knowledge, i.e. the difference between current skills and required skills. The training needs analysis will also involve staff identifying their personal learning and professional development needs and skill gaps.

Training Once your application to attend training is granted you will be expected to attend, so negotiations regarding staff replacements, travel costs, etc. should take place with a supervisor. Developing course notes into a short report after the training and providing access to this and other information, such as handouts distributed at the training session, will be one way of sharing with your work colleagues. Consider other required training needs.

Summary Organising personal work priorities and development requires the ability to: use business technology to schedule, prioritise and monitor completion of tasks in work plans assess and prioritise own work load deal with contingencies monitor and assess own performance against job role requirements by seeking feedback identify personal development needs access, complete and record skill development and learning.