Unit 203 (Outcome 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)

Unit 203 Work in a Business Environment

Outcome 1: Understand How to Respect Other People at Work
Assessment Criteria
The Learner Can:
1.1 Describe what is meant by diversity and why it should be valued.

Diversity can be differences in race, heritage, gender, beliefs, physical appearance, mental capabilities, etc. Diversity should be respected and valued because nobody is completely the same as anyone else, even within the categories above. People tend to reject what is different. Our differences/diversities can lead to growth as a society or it can lead to violence and hatred. We must value our diversity in order to work together without causing problems for each other.
1.2 Describe how to treat other people in a way that is sensitive to their needs.

Treat every person the way that you want them to treat you. Observe each individual that you encounter and analyse what needs they may have and try to meet those needs. For example, physically disabled people need more space to move around the office area, to treat this person correctly and with respect I would hold doors open and keep walk ways clear. Furthermore, for a person with strong religious beliefs I would never discriminate against them because of their beliefs or use any offensive language - this is applicable to every person in the office as well as visitors.
1.3 Describe how to treat other people in a way that respects their abilities, background, values, customs and beliefs.

The best way to be a tolerant, open minded person, is to always remember that everyone has different ways of doing things and that most of the time there is not just one right way of doing something. Just because someone does something differently to you doesn’t mean they are less able than you.
1.4 Describe ways in which it is possible to learn from others work.

In order to learn from others you have to ask questions, until you feel comfortable that you understand what it is they are doing. Listen to what others tell you and observe what they do in order to learn from them. If you don’t ask questions or observe others than you will be left alone to do work that you may not understand. Outcome 2: Understand How to Maintain Security and Confidentiality at Work and Deal with Concerns
Assessment Criteria
The Learner Can:
2.1 Describe the purpose and benefits of maintaining security and confidentiality at work.
Confidentiality is important for a lot of varied reasons. The data pertaining to recruitment, compensation, and management of employees is naturally sensitive. In the wrong hands, this information could be misused to commit fraud, discrimination, and other violations. Some of the important reasons for maintaining confidentiality are: - To maintain a general degree of professionalism, it is important that your personal details remain personal. Disclose your personal details to only a few people and that too with discretion. Getting over-friendly with colleagues is a major cause of office issues. - Safety; Personal details like annual income, and marital status, if revealed, can be misused to cause trouble to you or your organisation. - Security; You may have access to sensitive information of the organisation and some of your personal details, like date of birth, could be your access code. In this case, maintaining confidentiality becomes important for the security of the information that is at your disposal.

2.2 Describe requirements for security and confidentiality in an organization.
There are many types of law that covers the security and confidentiality. Examples of these acts are: - Data Protection Act 1998: The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA 1998) is an act of the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament defining the ways in which information about living people may be legally used and handled. The main intent is to protect individuals against misuse or abuse of information about them. The DPA was first composed in 1984 and was updated in 1998. - Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988: The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, is the current UK copyright law. It gives the creators of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works the right to control the ways in which their material may be used. The rights cover: Broadcast and public performance, copying, adapting, issuing, renting and lending copies to the public. In many cases, the creator will also have the right to be identified as the author and to object to distortions of his work.
2.3 Describe legal requirements for security and confidentiality, as required.
Same as above?
2.4 Describe procedures for dealing with concerns about security and confidentiality in an organization.
1) Identify potential problems
2) Identify implications (potential loss) of each problem
3) Determine possible preventative measures (and cost of each measure) `
4) Assign a 'risk factor' to each problem

Outcome 3: Understand the Purpose and Procedures for Keeping Waste to a Minimum in a Business Environment
Assessment Criteria
The Learner Can:
3.1 Explain the purpose of keeping waste to a minimum.
Keeping waste to a minimum in the business environment serves the same purposes it does everywhere else: it decreases the amount of waste a business contributes to the environment (this can include solid waste, wastewater, and carbon emissions). Reducing waste is key to minimizing an individual’s or business’s environmental impact by reducing air and water pollution and limiting the amount of material that ends up in landfills. Reducing waste can also serve to save a business money. By enacting plans that conserve materials, they will inevitably cut down on the amount of materials they need to purchase. Likewise, any attempt to reduce carbon emissions inevitably relies on a reduction of energy use, which means less money spent on electricity and fuel. The advantage of applying waste minimizing principles in a business environment is that it impacts a larger number of people than would applying them in one’s home. Such actions can also serve to improve a business’s image.
3.2 Describe the main causes of waste that may occur in a business environment.
In a business environment, paper waste is a huge issue, with the average office worker using about 10,000 sheets of copy paper per year. People working in a business environment can cut down on their paper use by using both sides of the paper for printing, faxing paper that has only been used once on one side, emailing documents instead of printing them, and using old paper for things like taking down notes and brainstorming ideas.
3.3 Describe ways of keeping waste to a minimum.
One of the biggest ways is to practice energy efficiency. Make sure everyone shuts down their computers when they leave for the night and make sure that excessive lights aren’t left on. Motion operated lights are a great way of making sure that when there’s no activity, there’s no power. Paper waste is also a big factor, so make sure there is recycling for paper as well as plastic bottles. Ask yourself what are the other waste products that result from your office, then explore to see if there are green substitutes for them.

3.4 Identify ways of using technology to reduce waste.
You can email people instead of writing letters and notes out on paper and leaving them lying around. You could also phone someone instead of writing a letter out to them this is the quickest way of communication as long as the other person answers, this will save you time, ink and paper.
3.5 Outline the purpose and benefits of recycling.
Recycling at work is a great way to increase your business sustainability and help to reduce climate change. Once you start to recycle at work you’ll experience the wide range of benefits that come with making your company a more sustainable and environmentally responsible organization.
Enhances company image- Engaging in greener business practices and publishing those practices can do wonders for your company image and can attract both employees and customers.
Recycling is easy to do- Recycling at work is straight forward and easy to do. It’s easy to separate out materials to recycle from your other waste, if you get a good system in place it’s easy to implement and maintain.
Recycling increases customer loyalty- Customers prefer to do business with companies that behave in an environmentally-friendly way.
Recycling often reduces clutter and saves space- Recycling often reduces clutter and improves the working environment. Less clutter also means increased safety around your workplace.
Recycling is great for the environment- Recycling at work helps you reduce the environmental impact of your business. Recycling your waste materials means they can be used again in new products and applications, instead of simply going into landfills where they generate harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Increases employee morale- Employee satisfaction is the best reason to undertake a recycling scheme. Employees find great pride in working for a company that embodies environmental values and focuses attention on its environmental impact and responsibilities.
Recycling is cost effective- Recycling is a cost effective method of dealing with your waste, simple because is it often cheaper when compared with general waste management and disposal.
3.6 Describe organizational procedures for recycling materials.
The organisation collects, stores and sorts recyclable materials. Then the materials are collected by a recycling organisation where it is taken to a factory for further sorting and eventually taken to a factory to be recycled and re-made into a new product. Within the company they have separate bins for recyclable materials and a collector that empties those bins. Outcome 4: Understand Procedures for Disposal of Hazardous Materials
Assessment Criteria
The Learner Can:
4.1 Describe the benefits of procedures for the recycling and disposal of hazardous materials.
Generally, in the UK, you have to write a COSHH assessment for the disposal of hazardous materials. There is no one safe method and each substance must be individually assessed. For example, the disposal of a lead-acid battery is quite different to the disposal of an alkaline battery, which again is different to the disposal of a metal hydride rechargeable battery. All these contain toxic compounds that can be recycled.
Therefore the procedure is to write a COSHH assessment for each substance to be disposed of or recycled. This comprises writing an assessment of the hazards and risks, the safety precautions that are needed, what to do if something goes wrong and how to contain the waste material at the end. For instance, something like sulphuric acid can be rendered harmless in its disposal procedure, meaning that the end product can be disposed of by normal means. Other substances may remain hazardous, even after processing, and a special disposal method is needed. Lead, from a lead-acid battery, is an example but it can be recycled, so final disposal is unusual.
The benefits of this, are that all materials are checked and made sure they are risk-assessed, ensuring their safe disposal.

4.2 Describe organizational procedures for the recycling and disposal of hazardous materials.
There are no procedures for disposing of hazardous materials in my workplace, as we do not work with anything hazardous. However if we did, the procedure would be the same as above. Outcome 5: Know How to Support Sustainability in an Organization
Assessment Criteria
The Learner Can:
5.1 Outline the purpose of improving efficiency and minimizing waste.
The purpose of improving efficiency is so that raw materials can be managed in order to minimise waste and therefore reduce costs. Also, minimising waste can have a positive effect on the environment.
5.2 Describe ways of improving own working methods and use of technology to achieve efficiency and reduce waste.

- Learn how to maintain a computer;
A simple combination of Microsoft Security Essentials, Windows Firewall, CCleaner and Malwarebytes is enough to keep a PC running smoothly. This is assuming that the user does not visit dodgy Web sites, download software using file sharing programs, open dodgy attachments, switch their firewall off, install toolbars, or install more than 1 virus checker. If a computer is properly maintained then it will work smoothly for a long time. Often computers are replaced because the owner simply does not know how to properly maintain it. - Switch technology off when it’s not in use.
TVs, DVD players etc. should be switched off overnight when they are not in use. Leaving them on standby still uses some power. Most computers do not need to be left on overnight. If not using a computer for a few hours then the screen could be switched off rather than displaying a pointless screensaver for hours. - Learn how to use technology correctly.
So many people do not read instructions before using technology and just try and guess how to do things. Often this results in technology being broken or damaged for no reason. Learn how to use technology once and you can normally operate it far more efficiently.