Business and Admin Level 2 Unit 1 assessment answers

Business and Administration
© Creating Careers Ltd 2011-2014. All rights reserved. Page 1 of 16
Unit one: Principles of personal responsibilities and working in a business
environment
Assessment
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Please note that this Assessment document has 15 pages and is made up of 7
Sections.
Name: D S
Section 1: Rights and responsibilities at work
This section will help you to evidence Learning Outcome 1: Know the employment
rights and responsibilities of the employee and employer
Learning objective Place in Assessment
1.1 Identify the main points of contracts of employment Question 1 Page 1
1.2 Identify the main points of legislation affecting employers
and employees
Question 2 Page 2
1.3 Identify where to find information on employment rights
and responsibilities both internally and externally
Question 3 Page 3
1.4 Describe how representative bodies can support the
employee
Question 4 Page 3
1.5 Identify employer and employee responsibilities for
equality and diversity in a business environment
Question 5 Page 3
1.6 Explain the benefits of making sure equality and diversity
procedures are followed in a business environment
Question 6 Page 3
1. Identify four main points that would be included in a contract of employment. If
possible, use an example contract to support your answer (feel free to obscure any
confidential information). [1.1]
The four main points included in the employment contract are:
 The Employers Name,
 Employee’s Name,
 Date of commencement of Employment
 Salary Details

For E.g.:
2a) List three key points of legislation that affect employers in a business
environment. [1.2]
 Data Protection: Data protection is process of safeguarding important information
from corruption, compromise and loss. The importance of data protection increases
with more data introduced in an organisation.
 Health and Safety: Health and Safety in an organisation means being safe at work. It
is the duty of the employer to make sure that they do the risk assessment which
identifies all the hazards and potential for harm whilst working.
 Contractual rights: Employers are bound to abide by employees’ contractual rights.
For e.g. hours of work, right to get training, disciplinary and grievance, trade union,
dismissal etc.
2b) List three key points of legislation that affect employees in a business
environment. [1.2]
 Salary: Salary is fixed amount of money paid to an employee by the employer in
return for the work performed.
 Pension: Pension is a fund into which a sum of money is added during the
employee’s employment years and added to a fund which is given to them
periodically after they retire.
 Employment Rights: All workers have number of rights that have been laid down to
ensure all workers are treated fairly by the employers. This include equal
opportunities, minimum wage, leave entitlement, no discrimination etc.

3. Identify a range of places where a person can find information on employment
rights and responsibilities. You should identify at least two internal and two external
sources of information. [1.3]
Internal Sources:
 Staff Handbook: A booklet made by most organisations which provides information
about rights and responsibilities of the staff, like time keeping, do’s and don’ts,
information about staff in various departments etc.
 Personnel Department: They are the people who can provide the best and accurate
information about most queries made by the staff.
External Sources:
 ACAS: An organisation which is like an epicentre of information regarding any issues
occurring within the organisation and how to resolve it remaining within the rules
and regulations of a company.
 Citizens Advice Bureau: A network of 316 charities that give free confidential
information and advice to assist people with their legal, financial, consumer and
other problems.
4. Describe how representative bodies can support employees. [1.4]
Representative bodies or trade unions are associations of workers who act as a legal
representative or bargaining agents for employees in a matter or by law. They are like a
support entity for an employee who are there to help and provide telephonic or in person
advice in situations like discrimination, racism, disciplinary and grievances etc.
The main common purpose of these associations is to improve the conditions of
employment as they work on a constitution which details the governance of their bargaining
unit depending on the industry that binds them legally to their negotiations and functioning.
The purpose of their formation is helping to make improvements in pay, benefits, working
conditions or social and political status. When required, they would help to negotiate
wages, work rules, occupational health and safety standards and any other problem an
employee would face during the course of their employment.
5. Identify employer and employee responsibilities for equality and diversity in a
business environment. You should give at least two employer responsibilities and
two employee responsibilities. [1.5]
If possible, provide relevant equality and diversity procedures from your workplace
(or place of study) to support your answer. These documents should be annotated
to highlight the relevant sections.
Equality and diversity play an important role in an organisation.
As an employer, it is mandatory to provide an employee, with a safe working environment
which is free of discrimination, harassment and intimidation. Every employer should provide
equal opportunity to an employee and they should not be treated differently because of
their gender, age, cast, colour or race.

As an employee, it is a duty to follow the equal opportunities to their fellow colleagues and
not discriminate with them due to any protected characteristic. Also, one should not engage
in a behaviour which could be interpreted as harassment, irrespective of any motive and
treat everyone with respect and dignity
6. Explain the benefits of making sure equality and diversity procedures are followed
in a business environment. Your answer should include one benefit for the
employer, one benefit for the employee and one benefit for the overall organisation.
[1.6]
When thinking about equality and diversity, factors such as age, race, background and
gender come into mind, but diversity doesn’t just involve how we think about ourselves but
how we think about others and work with them as a team. Equality and diversity are
relevant to all the workplaces, regardless of the number of employees or the work location,
whether an office, warehouse or shop. The aim of having equality and diversity is that
everyone has access to same opportunities and are treated fairly.
For an employer, treating an employee fairly and being diverse helps them reach more
customers. This means that through their staff, they can relate to every customer and in
many more regions with their range of ideas, interests and opinions that ultimately help
them to target bigger range of clients.
As an employee, working in an organisation which promotes and practices equality and
diversity directly affects their performance. An employee would be more committed and
creates innovative business output by bouncing off ideas each other and contributing them
to the success of the business.
And finally, for an organisation overall, promoting equality and diversity can have a big
influence on everything like retaining their best staff, opening up opportunities for a
talented new staff and creating a media friendly brand identity because the staff working for
such organisation would put their best into work hence improving business performance.

Section 2: All about health, safety and security
This section will help you to evidence Learning Outcome 2: Understand the
purpose of health, safety and security procedures in a business environment
2.1 Identify employer and employee responsibilities for health,
safety and security in a business environment
Question 1 Page 4
2.2 Explain the purpose of following health, safety and security
procedures in a business environment
Question 2 Page 4
2.3 Identify ways of maintaining a safe and secure
environment in a business environment
Question 3 Page 5
1a. Identify employer and employee responsibilities for health and safety. [2.1]
Every organisation where people work should be safe for the people who work in it.
As an employer, it is a duty under the health and safety act to protect the health, safety and
welfare of their employees and other people who might be affected by their business. A risk
assessment of all employees is a foremost duty of every employer.
As an employee, it is mandatory to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and
others where possible. This can be done by co-operating with the employer on health and
safety matters, using all equipment safely and not misuse them for enjoyment (e.g. Fire
extinguishers)
1b. Identify employer and employee responsibilities for security. [2.1]
If possible, provide relevant health, safety and security policies / documents from
your workplace (or place of study) to support your answer. These documents should
be annotated to highlight the relevant sections.
Every organisation should be safe and secure for the people to work.
As an employer, it’s a legal duty to prevent violence in a workplace, ensure that the
premises are safe to work in by making it equipped with security cameras, employing
designated building staff to check all entrances and doors are locked at the end of the day
and alarms are secured to avoid any intruder activities.
As an employee, some of the responsibilities are making sure that they take care of security
by keeping keys, access cards and any other security and confidential equipment provided
by the employer safe, close the windows and computer screens when they leave, try not to
work late as a lone worker or have company when doing so.
2. Explain the purpose of following health, safety and security procedures in a
business environment. [2.2]
Health, safety and security are the procedures which are followed in an organisation for not
only the employees but for customers and visitors too. Whether it is the nature of the
business or not, danger of unwanted accident or mishap can cause damage to anyone,

physical and/or mental. The main reason of accidents in a workplace is when the procedures
of safety and security are not properly followed. Some examples are below:
- In spite of the measures taken, approx. 6,40,000 injuries a year happen in a
workplace.
- 1.8 million people fall sick or suffer deterioration of health
- Approximately, 13 million working days were lost due to poor health of the
employees
Any socially or morally conscious business is liable to implement the right health, safety and
security procedure because of these reasons:
- It shows that the business cares about the well-being of their employees
- It is required by the insurance of the company
- It is mandatory by the government that correct guidelines and instructions are
followed.
The result of doing so is that the employee’s attendance at work is regular which helps in
lowering the cost of their training and replacement. As a result, it also reduces the
company’s compensation premiums. The benefit of this to the company is maximum when
following correct procedures and taking their employees’ health, safety and security
seriously is that it keeps the workers motivated to give their best in return which helps in
the company or business’s growth and development.
3. Describe three different ways of maintaining a safe and secure business
environment. [2.3]
An ideal business environment is where an employee feels safe, healthy and secure. To
create and maintain such a work healthy and safe environment, every business follows the
three kinds of procedures which are physical, health and safety and security procedures.
Business offices can be a target of thefts, frauds and unlawful entry and having a right
security and safety procedures create a physical and psychological barrier to keep any kind
of threats away. Some of them could be like having key card systems at the entrances,
having CCTV cameras all around the premises and a crisis communication mechanism must
be put in place between employees and security office etc. Some companies also install
RTLS for employees so that they can keep their employees safe.
A healthy and happy workforce is the biggest strength of a business as it keeps their work
performance and creativity at its best. That is why the health procedures are very
important. This can include conducting regular health and dental check-ups for the
employees, ensure proper hygiene is maintained at the eating areas within the
organisations, provision of clean drinking water to avoid any contamination etc.
Last but not the least, feeling safe at a workplace is very important for everyone. If
employees are not aware of potential hazards, they can put their lives in danger. These
could be things like training the staff about fire drills, who to contact in case of accidents like
slip or trip, using safety equipment if they come in contact with chemicals or hazardous
substances, usage of signs if there is any spillage or freshly mopped floors etc.
All the above contribute equally towards the progress of any organisation and make it
completely safe, healthy and secure to work with.

Section 3: Communicating effectively with others
This section will help you to evidence Learning Outcome 3: Understand how to
communicate effectively with others
3.1 Describe different methods of communication Question 1 Page 6
3.2 Explain how to choose the most appropriate method of
communicating with others
Question 2 Page 6
3.3 Describe ways of actively listening Question 3 Page 7
1. Describe three different methods of communication. You should include two
verbal, two non-verbal and two written methods of communication. [3.1]
Communication skills are vital, whether in personal life or professional. It is an art of sharing
information from one person to another or to the group of people. It is absolutely necessary
when building relationships, sharing ideas, delegating responsibilities, managing a team and
much more. Communication is categorised into verbal, no-verbal, written and visual.
Verbal communication is defined as the use of language to transfer information. It can be
through speaking or sign language. It is important because its efficient. Types of verbal
communication is presentation and one to one conversation. Presentation is targeted
towards group of people whether as one to one is more for a single or between two people
whether on phone or in person.
Non-verbal communication is mainly the use of body language, gestures and facial
expressions to convey information to others. This type of communication is helpful when
one is trying to understand others’ thoughts and feelings. A closed fist or crossed arms can
show anxiety, anger or nervousness. Similarly, arms by the side and smile on the face shows
positivity and openness to information.
Lastly, written communication is in the form of writing, typing and printing etc. it can be in
the form of books, letters or emails, pamphlets, memos etc. they are the most common
form of communication on a professional environment and treated as an important
document or as evidence or proof when required. This form of communication is treated as
most formal and serious and at the same time also depicts a tone of expression.
2. Using two specific examples, explain how to choose the most appropriate method
of communication to meet your needs and the needs of others. [3.2]
Communication is considered as a soft skill or interpersonal skill, and most important part of
sharing information in any form whether verbal, non-verbal, written or verbal. Any
professional person would know when to use which form of communication in a given
situation.

In a professional environment, when due to unpredictable circumstances, information has
to be circulated or shared urgently. It could be regarding an issue that needs immediate
attention of everyone working in the organisation. In this case, a written form of
communication is the best way to use. It can be in the form of a memo or a generic email to
all staff. This way, the relevant problem gets immediate attention and staff would act
according to the instructions given.
On the other hand, if there has been a miscommunication between two staff members or if
any staff member needs to be appraised regarding their performance, that should be a form
of communication which has to be verbal and would need one to one attention. In these
cases, a meeting can be taken place at the workplace or outside of the office environment
so that the staff can feel comfortable to talk and discuss, are not disturbed and the matter
can be addressed appropriately.
3. Describe at least two ways of actively listening. [3.3]
Communication skills are beneficial both in and out of the workplace. An ability to clearly
communicate instructions, ideas or concepts are a ladder to success.
One of the most critical skills in effective communication is active listening. It is defined as
an ability to focus completely on the speaker, understand their message, comprehend the
information and then respond thoughtfully.
Active listeners use verbal and non-verbal techniques to show and keep their attention to
the speaker which not only helps their ability to focus but also ensures the speaker that they
are being heard.
Paraphrasing is a brilliant example of verbal form of active listening. It is defined as
summarising the main points that have been spoken in order to understand their meaning.
This way the speaker gets an opportunity to clarify the information and expand their
message.
Another wonderful verbal example of active listening is displaying empathy. Empathy means
showing compassion towards the speaker so that they understand that their emotions are
recognised and they are able to share their feelings better. The benefit of this is to build up
connection with the speaker and establish a sense of mutual trust.

Section 4: Working with others
This section will help you to evidence Learning Outcome 4: Understand how to
work with and support colleagues
4.1 Explain the purpose of agreeing standards for own work
with others
Question 1 Page 8
4.2 Explain the purpose of taking on new challenges and
adapting to change
Question 2 Page 8
4.3 Explain the purpose of treating others with honesty and
consideration
Question 3 Page 8
1. Explain the purpose of agreeing standards for your own work. Give at least two
reasons. [4.1]
Work standard is a written description of how a process should be done. They provide the
employee with explanation about their ways of work, specific performance expectations
and results expected, and then observe their behaviours and actions to see the end result.
Any organisation provides a foundation of work standards to ensure that everyone knows
what is required of them. The main reason of doing so when working with others is that it
helps in clarifying instructions and work requirements. For that reason, behaviour standards
are put in place which defines acceptance and understanding of the expectations like proper
uniform, everyone is expected to be well dressed and smart, also timekeeping, which
defines value of reaching to work on time and they have to be abided by.
Another reason for the above is that it helps in assessing how sharing of work goals and
plans encourages new ideas, opinions and options. When set of instructions and the end
goals with certain expectations are announced, a team would then delegate work amongst
themselves accordingly and would be receiving inputs from each other on regular basis
which makes it easier to provide them with the output. This interdependence forms a base
of good work standards.
2. Explain the purpose of taking on new challenges and being able to adapt to
change at work. [4.2]
Every organisation makes changes. It could be bringing in new staff in the form of managers
or advisors, introduction of new technology, systems and software, certain practices at
work, social or legal changes etc. These changes could be sudden or over a period of time
but it is important as a staff to be able to adapt these changes and not get stuck with same
things and make their life harder. This is another form of taking up challenges as it makes
one flexible with any surroundings ultimately making them an asset to any organisation.
In the process of adapting to change, one reaps many benefits. They could be that one gets
the best opportunities that come in the way and keeping up with any change would help in
setting up new ideas and goals and one can focus or concentrate on owning up their own

actions which prove to be more meaningful and fulfilling. This could result in more people
joining in during the process who can help and support as well as build new work
relationships. These work relationships can also turn social which build up more connections
and helps in business in prosper.
3. Explain the purpose of treating others with honesty and consideration. [4.3]
Respect and consideration are qualities which is a right of every human being, whether in
personal or professional life. In a workplace, both management and staff work closely
together as a team to accomplish any work goal. It is important to be honest so that the
work is done smoothly and efficiently. ‘Treat others as you want to be treated’ is a moral
that needs to be followed by every individual working with each other that is why treating
each other with respect and consideration is helpful to make and maintain relationships at
work. Behaviour of one person towards the other influences the behaviour of others, so one
has to be kind and nice to everyone working with them.
In spite of the above, there always exist some problems at every workplace like favouritism,
ignoring an employee’s efforts over someone else, stepping one someone’s head to climb
the ladder of success before them etc. As an employer, it is important to tread the entire
team and treat them with same respect which can be done by recognising differences,
appreciation and toleration. By respecting other’s views, they not only encourage an
atmosphere of trust, mutual respect and tolerance but it also leads to openness and a more
productive environment.
Section 5: Planning your own work
This section will help you to evidence Learning Outcome 5: Know how to plan own
work and be accountable to others
5.1 Explain the purpose of meeting work standards and
deadlines when completing tasks
Question 1 Page 10
5.2 Identify ways of planning own work Question 2 Page 10
5.3 Compare ways of keeping other people informed about
progress
Question 3 Page 10
1. Explain the purpose of meeting work standards and deadlines when completing
tasks in a business environment. [5.1]
As we discussed earlier, work standards are the tools on which the accomplishment of any
task is dependent. Better the work standards, better the results. Therefore, it is important
for workers to work within or over, if they are able to, the decided work standards to
produce a desired outcome.

Defining the standards helps to improve the quality of work produced, when they know
what is expected of them which then helps in meeting deadlines at the given time scale by a
client or customer. It also shows that the workers are efficient and reliable which builds up
trust of managers and other seniors in their competency and they are then trusted to
complete other tasks too within the agreed deadlines. Working as a team is also a very
important as each colleague is dependent on the other for some or the other task, input or
output and success of one member in the team brings pride to all as it is part of their
combined efforts.
If, for any reason, the deadlines are not met within the desired timescale and according to
the given work standards, both the organisation as well as the workers bare the
consequences in the form of loss of clients or customers, additional cost and effort involved
in extension of the deadline, difficulties in getting future customers as they would go
elsewhere for a better quality and timeliness and loss of job for a worker which would be
another loss for an organisation.
2. Identify two different methods that you can use to plan your own work in a
business environment. [5.2]
Planning gives an estimate of the time required to complete a task and defining the actions
and standards by which it can be done more effectively in order to keep on top of the
deadlines. Planning is a best way for a worker to show their organisation skills with correct
tools to achieve the desired result.
The ways in which the work can be planned is by using resources such as a diary or schedule
in order to set a time that will be taken to complete a particular task and also squeeze in
mini tasks while completing a big one. Being meticulous and planned helps in achieving any
target more efficiently and impactfully.
Another simple but a very reliable way to plan work is creating trays for work that is of low
importance, medium importance and high importance. This enables a worker to foresee
emergencies of work and be flexible with their work load as they would still know which
work needs how much attention.
3. Describe ways of keeping other people informed about progress and compare
their effectiveness. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each approach? [5.3]
Keeping people informed is also called as planning ahead. It might seemlike an invisible
activity to many but it is a best way to ensure that they are able to participate in any
changes when required. Not keeping people informed of any changes keep them vulnerable
to disinformation and it can cause a big hinderance to the planning process.
Some of the things that everyone needs to be aware are guidelines and procedures relevant
to work, reporting any accident and absence at work, fire drills, codes of practice etc.
Other than these, ways to keep everyone informed are:

 Word of mouth: Any good work is highlighted very quickly through this and gain fame
and praise but it can also be in the form of rumours, misinterpretation or
misunderstanding, Words can get around very quickly or can be concise and essentials
are highlighted.
 Memos: They are quick to circulate but are short notes broken down to bare minimum
words and information and also lack security.
 Post: They provide detailed information and are in the form of original articles and
personal effort is shown. The drawbacks of post are that it is lot to send out, very costly
and very slow. Reliability of postal service is not there too.
 Phone and texts: Phones are personal, quick and have various levels of communication,
like audio call, video call and call conferencing. Texts can be detailed, quick and easy,
economical and accurate. But drawbacks of using phone is that people can overhear and
for texts is that they need a lot of time to read and need lot of space.
 Social media: It can be detailed, can reach multiple people at the same time, economical
and can get opinions and comments, but that could be a drawback as it can be driven on
fame and false opinions sometimes, can also lack security and go viral.
 Emails: The most common source used as a source of information as it is quick and
accurate, detailed and thorough. It can be a bit unreliable as it can be hacked due to
confidential information being transferred and sometimes they are ignored and missed
out due to other jobs that need immediate attention.
Section 6: Improving your performance
This section will help you to evidence Learning Outcome 6: Understand the
purpose of improving own performance in a business environment and how to
do so
6.1 Explain the purpose of continuously improving own
performance in a business environment
Question 1 Page 12
6.2 Describe ways of improving own performance in a
business environment
Question 2 Page 12
6.3 Identify different types of career pathways that are
available
Question 3 Page 13
1. Explain the purpose of continuously improving your performance in a business
environment. [6.1]
Performance in work is a continuous process. Everyone who works in any organisation or
business wants to perform well to progress in their career and in order to do that, they
endeavour to do better in anything they do.

The main purpose of continuously improving performance at work is that it helps a worker
in their career progression. Continuous improvement in performance and productivity reaps
better rewards like an increment in salary, bonus at the end of year for achieving work
targets, service and performance awards etc. These achievements give respect and value
which can be in the form of trust of colleagues, dependency of doing every job with
brilliance and advice to other workers in problems.
This achievement encourages a worker to trust themselves and therefore exceed their
limitations by trying something new every time if they are successful, they find a new
motivation to even do better with their newly founded skills. These new skills would open
doors for new career opportunities when they feel they are ready to move on and repeat
the same process at their new role.
Overall, it is like a circle and the only change in this whole process is the amount of efforts
and the end results which are better than before.
2. Describe at least two ways of improving your performance at work. Where
relevant, illustrate your answer with specific examples from your own experience.
[6.2]
Improving one’s performance depends a lot on their attitude and how they would do
something. There are many ways in which one can improve their performance at work.
First and foremost, one should have the ability to set priorities and to separate tasks. This
not only makes work easier but also organises a person so they can set their tasks and
complete them timely with the scope of working on anything urgent that pops up sometime
and need immediate attention. This also gains trust of senior managers in them and they
can assure work getting done.
For e.g. I have always used various trays to segregate my work according to their deadline,
and importance which has facilitated my work and I have been able to finish it within the
timeframe when it is required and efficiently because I knew how much time a particular
task will take so when should I start it.
Another way of performance improvement lies in gaining knowledge and improving skills.
To know about something always makes work simple and gives a scope of innovation as it
can add on to one’s skills which is base of getting better.
For e.g. I have been an administrator from beginning and going back to doing Admin after a
long break. Before I start my new job, I wanted to gain knowledge and skills about how to
do my work efficiently as with time, the trends and patterns in any field changes and one
has to be flexible to be able to adapt to those changes and keep up with changing trends.
3. Identify at least two different types of career pathways or options that may be
available to you. [6.3]
One career pathway that could be perfect for me is an Administrator because I have
relevant experience in administration, and I could use my skills and knowledge from my past
job and this course into my new job.

Another job option could be being an Office Assistant or secretary in a school, where
I could use my experience of working in a school where I have experience working with
children and also administration which gives me an added advantage over other
candidates,
Section 7: Problems at work
This section will help you to evidence Learning Outcome 7: Understand the types
of problems that may occur in a business environment and how to deal with
them
7.1 Identify the types of problems that may occur in a business
environment
Question 1 Page 14
7.2 Explain ways of dealing with problems that may occur in a
business environment
Question 2 Page 14
7.3 Explain how and when to refer problems to relevant
colleagues
Question 3 Page 14
1. Identify at least two different types of problems that can occur in a business
environment. [7.1]
As a company or business grows, there are many issues and problems that need to be
solved so that the operations of the business can run smoothly. Problems can be
categorised into minor problems, which normally are easy to solve and major problems,
which need careful considerations because they usually have serious consequences.
Some of the minor problems that a business can face are:
 Finding right staff: A round ball for round hole and square ball for a square hole.
Similarly, only staff with a particular type of skill would suit a particular role. A
business will conduct many interviews and then choose the best suited candidate
which they think would match their requirements.
 Retaining customers: Any business survives on customers. More the customers,
more the profit. When a business suffers losses due to less customers, they adapt
many techniques and tactics to increase their sales and profit. It could be
advertising, branding and promotions. These help to boost earnings and help a
business grow.
Any business would also have to face major problems and that takes serious actions to make
things right. Such problems include:
 Regulation and Compliance: Regulation and compliance can be a major issue if not
dealt with properly. As markets and technologies evolve, they bring with them a new
set of rules and regulations. Unfortunately, businesses are often unaware of what’s

being asked of them. At this point, they will face fines and penalties, and something
that could easily have been resolved becomes a problem.
 Cyber Risks: Cyber security is a big risk for any business. If it is not managed
businesses leave themselves exposed to an increasing number of threats which can
lead to data theft, hacks and other attacks. Data theft has led to important customer
information being exposed, creating distrust amongst your customer base.
2. Describe at least two specific problems that can occur at work and explain how
they can be dealt with. [7.2]
People spend at least one third of their lives at work and workplace issues is a common
reason for stress for many. Their roles, expectations from work and their personalities are
different from each other which could result to conflicts if not dealt with in time.
One major problem that workers can face is communication problems. It is easy to
misinterpret or misunderstand someone which can lead to tension at work and make
professional relationship difficult.
Communication acts as a very important tool as when people are working together they
need to talk and discuss things out, attend meetings together, share work and also have
appraisals if it is between an employee and a manager. This sort of atmosphere is a distress
which can lead to decreased performance and productivity because when an information is
not communicated properly mistakes tend to happen and as a result, loss in business which
can also have other repercussions like loss of job, mental stress etc.
To deal with such problems, it is best to have a one to one meeting where the issue can be
discussed and sorted or if that is a problem then it can also be done in the presence of
another member of staff who is neutral so that when the issue is discussed, they can give an
unbiased opinion and help in sorting out the problem to best of their ability.
Another problem which is very prevalent is prejudice, which is defined as a pre-judgement
or presumption on the basis of inadequate knowledge. Prejudice can be conscious or
unconscious. It can be destructive in nature and can create many implications of superiority
and inferiority which disrupts work culture. An example of prejudice at work is due to age
where one would assume that if the other comes in a senior age bracket, they are incapable
to do physical labour, so age becomes a barrier in their selection for a particular job.
To overcome prejudice, it is important for everyone to have diversity education where
employees reflect on their own life’s prejudices and experiences and shares them with other
staff so that they can open their minds about themselves and their co-workers. Equal
opportunities and taking serious actions on the acts of discrimination is also another way to
overcome this problem.
3. List at least two problems you are able to deal with yourself and two problems you
would need to refer to others to deal with. Explain how and when you would refer
these problems to others. [7.3]

As I mentioned above, problems are part of everyone’s lives whether in personal or
professional life. Some problems are small and some are big and serious. A person is able to
solve some problems on their own and some does need involving others or expert advice.
Problems like workplace miscommunication is a kind that can easily be dealt by talking to
the relevant person or group of people and clarify your position and if needed, apologise for
the same and make one’s working relationship amicable.
Another problem which can be dealt with as an employee is correction of mistakes.
Everyone makes mistakes sometime or the other and that can become a reason for loss of
customer, money or any other function of the company. It is then very important to find the
cause of the mistake, correct it as soon as possible and then make sure that one is extra
careful in the future.
But there might be some problems that is not possible to be dealt with by the employee
themselves and need someone’s help, support or advice to be able to get sorted.
Such problem can be when an employee does an action of gross misconduct. It can be theft
or robbery. A theft is a crime and it is treated as an offence and has to be taken seriously.
Theft or robbery needs to be reported to the higher management and they can further
decide whether to involve the police or simply fire the responsible employee.
Another problem that needs an expert advice is when an employee is bullied or treated
badly by fellow colleagues or any other member of staff. In such cases, grievance
procedures are followed where a complaint is made to the next member in the hierarchy
and to trade union so that they, as experts in such cases, represent one’s case to the
organisation and help in getting justice for the employee.
Once you have completed all 7 Sections of this Assessment, go to
www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Business and Admin Level 2 Unit 1 assessment answers

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