Making the most of skills - a guide for reps

skills INVESTMENT MAKING THE MOST OF SKILLS A GUIDE FOR UNION REPS

CONTENTS Foreword

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About this guide

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How to use this guide

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Section 1 Making the most of skills – the business case Case study 1: BAE Systems' Military Aircraft and Information division

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Section 2 Conducting a skills survey

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Survey: Making the most of skills

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Case study 2: Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

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Section 3 Guide to conducting a skills interview

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Section 4 Workplaces that use skills effectively

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Case study 3: Norse Group

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Section 5 Working with trade union colleagues

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Section 6 Engaging with managers effectively

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Further information Sources and contacts

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Foreword here is a consensus that supporting workers to improve their skills is essential in the pursuit of the twin aims of improving the nation’s economic competitiveness and achieving greater social justice.

However, in recent years the evidence has been growing that enabling individual employees to acquire new skills is only one part of the equation.

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how jobs and working practices should be adapted to maximise the benefits of developing the skill set of all employees.

The evidence shows that a workplace culture that supports negotiations of this nature can deliver considerable rewards for employers and employees alike.

The term ‘skills utilisation’ has been increasingly referred to by policy makers in making the argument that employers and employees will only make significant gains from existing and newly acquired skills if these skills are put to best use in the workplace. A lack of focus on improving the application of skills in our workplaces means that too many individuals are not fulfilling their potential at work because their job role and wider working practices remain undeveloped.

Individuals and workplace teams often find that they are empowered to have much greater control over their working lives as a result of this approach. All too often improved job satisfaction and enhanced job commitment are tangible benefits and employers see improved productivity and organisational performance as a direct result of employees who are more participative, engaged and liberated to work smarter rather than harder. Career progression and in some circumstances improved earnings are also another aspect of the potential pay-off for workers.

Various research findings demonstrate that there is a clear win-win situation for employers and the workforce if all aspects of the skills agenda are fully negotiated, including

This guide is aimed at supporting all union reps in the workplace to come together to negotiate a skills agenda that will enable all employees to fulfil their potential by acquiring

the appropriate skills and being empowered to put these skills to best use. The practical advice in this guide is largely drawn from best practice as evidenced by the three case studies.

Bargaining on skills in a way that combines a focus on equality of access to learning with negotiating changes to how people do their jobs can be a demanding challenge. But it is the way forward if we are to extend the reach and impact of the union learning agenda so that it delivers an even greater range of benefits.

Tom Wilson

Director of unionlearn

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About this guide nion learning representatives (ULRs), working jointly with other trade union representatives, have had a huge impact on boosting learning opportunities for workers in recent years. And in many circumstances, as a direct result of this, employees have been empowered to either develop their current job or to support their progression at work. But union reps and individual employees are also aware that sometimes there is little attempt to assess how jobs and wider working practices should be changed in order to make the best use of existing or newly acquired skills.

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Various research surveys have also highlighted that it is increasingly apparent that although UK workers are becoming better skilled, too many do not have an opportunity to put their skills to best use in the workplace. For example, one survey shows that employees’ skills correspond well with their duties in only half of UK jobs.1 Another survey highlights that one third of permanent workers and four

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fifths of agency workers in the UK feel that their skills are not being fully used at work.2 Unionlearn has published another publication alongside this guide looking at the research and policy picture on skills utilisation in more detail and also providing more information on the case studies in this guide (Making Skills Work: trade unions and their role in optimising the use of skills in the workplace, Unionlearn Research Paper, no.17). See page 30 for more details about this and other resources.

Why does this matter?

Not using skills effectively can be bad for workers, bad for business and bad for the economy. Having a well skilled workforce will not deliver any benefits to the worker or company if those skills are not used effectively.

■ Not being able to use your skills at work can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. Workers who are able to use their skills and abilities have improved health, higher job satisfaction and job commitment.

■ Better skilled workers are better rewarded. If a worker’s skills are not recognised or used, they may not be earning to their full potential.

■ Employers who are not making the most of their workforce’s skills are often missing out on opportunities to improve performance, innovation and productivity.

■ UK productivity is lower than some of our competitors, including the USA, France and Germany. Part of this can be explained by our failure to use skills effectively.

So what can we do?

This model describes what action can be taken in workplaces to ensure that people are making the most of their skills. In order to ensure effective use of skills, we need:

Confident, motivated and relevantly skilled individuals who are aware of the skills they possess and know how to best use them in the workplace

Workplaces that provide meaningful and appropriate encouragement, opportunity and support for employees to use their skills effectively

IN ORDER TO Increase performance and productivity, improve job satisfaction and employee well-being, and stimulate investment, enterprise and innovation.

Unions have an important role to play in making sure that people have the opportunity to use all their skills and abilities at work. Unions have played a crucial role in driving up skill levels by encouraging employers to avoid ‘low road’ strategies, and instead to compete on the basis of quality provided by a skilled workforce.

Here are just a few ways that union reps can have an impact on the use of skills: ■ building employees’ confidence ■ improving the quality of the work, terms and conditions, to improve motivation ■ making employees aware of the skills they have ■ helping companies improve the quality of management ■ helping employees progress at work and have opportunities to use their skills ■ working with managers to provide the workforce skills necessary for business growth and development.

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How to use this guide his guide is designed to support ULRs and their trade union colleagues to help their members make the most of their skills at work. There is information and tools to enable reps to: ■ find out what skills employees have ■ find out how skills are used at work ■ understand how workplaces can change to use skills better.

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Some of the sections of this guide will be made available separately on the unionlearn website (see page 30) in Word and PDF formats so that they can be downloaded by reps (and also amended to meet local circumstances where appropriate). There are also sections of the guide (e.g. The Business Case) that reps may wish to download or photocopy to give direct to employers in order to gain their support for the strategies set out in this guide.

The guide is made up of six different sections. It has been designed so that each section works by itself, so you can select the parts that are relevant to your workplace:

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1. The business case for skills utilisation You can give this to the employer, or use the information to help you make the case.

2. Survey Many ULRs and union reps will already use surveys to find out about workers’ skills. The questions in the survey in this guide are also designed to find about how skills are used at work. You can integrate them into your existing survey, or use them on their own. The information gathered can be used to inform your union’s discussion with managers, and make the case for better skills use.

3. Interview guide The survey suggests workers might want to discuss their skills further with a ULR or union rep. You can use this interview guide to find out more about their skills and skills use.

The interview can help raise workers’ awareness of the skills they have, and you can also use the information gathered to inform your union’s discussions with management.

4. Workplaces that use skills effectively This section gives you more information about the workplace practices that can help improve the use of skills.

5. Working with trade union colleagues Improving the opportunities for people to use their skills at work is likely to be a shared agenda between ULRs and other union reps in the workplace. This section suggests some of the ways that ULRs and union reps can work together to make progress.

6. Engaging with managers effectively Constructive working relationships with managers are essential if unions are to help people get on at work. This section gives some advice and guidance on how to work effectively with managers.

This guide can be used in conjunction with the union learning Climbing Frame (see page 30 for more details).

Putting skills to work The diagram on the opposite page shows how the different parts of the guide can be used to improve the use of skills in your workplace. Improving skills use is likely to be a collaborative effort between ULRs and union reps, and this diagram shows the stages where it will be helpful to work together.

MAKING A PLAN What are you trying to improve?

What evidence do you have?

What do you want to achieve?

Are there trade union colleagues you can work with?

GATHER YOUR EVIDENCE Use the skills survey

Use the interview guide

Research to understand the strategic challenges facing your employer

Decide whether you want to carry out this work jointly with the employer

MAKE YOUR CASE Understand the benefits of better skills use to your employer

Discuss skills use with trade union colleagues – how can this be integrated into the bargaining agenda?

Understand how to engage with managers effectively

EMPOWER LEARNERS Use the 'engaging with managers effectively' section to advise and support learners on how they can discuss skills and progression with their managers

Create a skills, knowledge and experience list employees can use to identify progression opportunities

Identify learning aspirations and opportunities to gain new skills and experience to progress

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Section 1 Making the most of skills – the business case You can copy this section for the employer, or use the information to help you to make the case for why using skills effectively matters.

overnment, employers and trade unions have worked hard to improve the skills of the workforce in recent years.

However, there is evidence to suggest that too often the skills of the workforce are not used as much as they could be. This means that employers are not seeing the full return on their investment in training and developing their workforce.

They are also missing out on potential productivity gains, improved performance and innovation.

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So what is the scale of the problem?

■ Skills are under-utilised: Between 35 and 45 per cent of the workforce feel they are under-utilising their skills at work.3 ■ It impacts on UK productivity: UK productivity is lower than France, Germany, the US and the G7 average (excluding the UK).

Putting skills to best use is one of the most effective ways for our businesses to remain competitive. Doing so has been shown to engage the workforce and result in greater innovation, improved productivity and

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higher profitability. Failure to maximise workers’ skills will see British businesses being overtaken by emerging economies that can compete on low wage costs, and by the other international businesses who have already realised the potential of their workforce, and who are now putting their employees’ skills to best use.

Why does maximising skills use make business sense?

Innovation Innovation is the principal source of productivity growth, and holds the key to remaining competitive.

Research shows that innovative firms grow twice as fast in both employment and turnover as firms that fail to innovate.

Innovation is not just about creating new goods and services – it can also mean improving organisational processes to lead to significantly improved performance. Innovation leads to higher productivity, greater profitability and improved business success.

Innovations are often inspired or produced by the workers at the shop floor level. In order to

maximise the possibility of this happening, however, workers need to understand the challenges facing the business and have opportunities to use their skills, problem solve and contribute ideas. Failure to do so risks leaving staff demoralised and disengaged, factors which are conducive to stifling vital innovative potential.

Profitability and productivity Labour productivity, how much each worker produces per hour, is a key determinant of economic performance.

There are several factors affecting productivity, and workforce skills are one of them. Employees that are appropriately skilled, and crucially, able to use those skills in the workplace, are more productive. Higher productivity has bottom line benefits: it can reduce waste, reduce costs and improve profitability.

Upskilling in itself is insufficient if these skills are not being put into use. Scotland, which has led the way in research into this area, found that despite its skills level improving significantly, it was not seeing the full benefits of

this investment in productivity improvements. The reason was simple; the skills were not being used effectively. The Scottish government is now working closely with employers and trade unions to address this problem.

People having skills that are not being used is not only unproductive for the individual concerned, but for the business and the economy as a whole.

Failing to put skills to best use means unrealised productivity gains, but also workers who are unable to use their skills are disengaged and unmotivated, further damaging productivity.

Employee engagement More and more employers understand the benefits of engaging their workforce.

Employee engagement describes an approach to managing and involving the workforce that enhances the commitment and contribution of the workforce to the success of the organisation.

Having well designed jobs and supportive managers that enable their employees to do their job well is an important part of employee engagement

and is valued highly by the workforce.

■ A 2006 survey of British employees found that being able to make use of their abilities in the workplace was of even more importance to them than ‘good pay’ – 83 per cent versus 76 per cent.4 The evidence shows that complex job tasks, which allow staff to utilise their skills and abilities more effectively leads to improved health, to higher levels of life satisfaction and job satisfaction, and enhanced job commitment. The benefits for business are self-evident.

Employees who are participative, engaged and committed work harder, are more productive and require less supervision.

Working smarter not harder Employers recognise that not having people with the right skills can lead to more work for other employees. So making sure that organisations have the skills they need, and are using them effectively, can help to make high performance sustainable. Using skills more effectively is not about asking

Top three tips for employers and unions to make the most of the workforce’s skills: ■ Know what skills you’ve got: What skills do employees have, and do they match the jobs they’re doing?

■ Match your learning and development strategy with your business strategy: Do you have the skills you need to grow and develop? What skills do you need?

■ Management and leadership: Are employees motivated to use their skills to meet the organisation’s business objectives? Do they understand the strategic direction and have the opportunity to contribute?

employees to work harder; by organising workplaces and working practices so that skills can be used better, employees are able to work smarter.

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Case study 1 BAE Systems’ Military Aircraft and Information division Background BAE Systems’ Military Aircraft and Information division is one of the world’s leading manufacturing and support providers of military aircraft. Its site at Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire is the home for the production of the Eurofighter Typhoon. The Aircraft Manufacturing, Maintenance and Support Staff (AMMSS) – numbering 4,000 employees – are skilled production staff comprising 13 different trades, largely represented by Unite.

In recent years the company’s business strategy has focused more on competing in a global market and this has placed increased pressure on the company to improve productivity. However, industrial relations at the Warton Unit had been through a challenging period and several attempts to reach agreement with the unions over changes to working practices had failed.

In spite of this the trade unions had a well established learning agenda in place since the 1990s.

Also, shop stewards had been encouraged to take on the role of union learning reps to help

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integrate the learning agenda into all areas of the business.

Process and change In 2008 a series of new discussions began between the managers and unions. As the union convenor, Phil Entwistle, said, “There was a culture change, where people began to see that they weren’t maximising the potential of the skilled population on the shop floor by giving them more roles and responsibilities.”

From the start management made a strong commitment that employee engagement would be at the heart of any strategy to improve productivity and cut costs. At the same time the union wanted to secure progression opportunities for AMMSS staff to achieve greater parity with other groups of employees at the site.

Both employees and managers were aware that a key barrier to progress was the clear demarcation between trades.

Production flows were often halted as one trade waited for another to complete their task before the first could continue with theirs.

There was also a widespread awareness that informal skills of the workforce were not being used to their full potential, in particular to resolve problems in the production processes.

The resulting negotiations over a new agreement based on multi-skilling and continuous improvement were complex and took over 18 months. A crossskilling subgroup made up of shop stewards/ULRs and managers was established to work closely with employees to map and record all the skills used by the 13 trades.

This resulted in a series of skills portfolios detailing all the tasks carried out by each trade.

Each employee was given an individual skills portfolio plan which identified two additional skillsets from other trades (limited to 20 per cent of their working time) that would help them improve the process on which they worked.

The Working Practice Change scheme would operate over a three-year period on a voluntary basis. However, almost all AMMSS staff (97 per cent) signed up to the scheme in the

BAE SYSTEMS

BAE SYSTEMS HAVE WIDENED THE SKILLS OF THE AMMSS WORKFORCE

first year and full participation was achieved by the beginning of the second year. Staff also received pay increases linked to their participation in the scheme.

Joint union/management committees were also set up to review the use of portfolio skills and to identify the skills they believed were necessary to improve the processes in their area.

Impacts and benefits BAE Systems has seen significant improvements in productivity as a result of Working Practice Change with employee hours required to complete one unit of the Eurofighter reduced by almost 20 per cent.

The benefits to the workforce included a means to progress as they acquired and utilised new skills, an opportunity to improve their pay, and an improvement to their status.

All of this has helped employees feel more respected and valued, which in turn improved the quality of the relationships between employees and managers.

The joint approach to designing and implementing the changes meant that the union, ULRs and employees led much of the work to identify, map and design the new skills portfolios.

By involving the workforce, managers also helped to increase employees'

understanding and commitment to the new ways of working, making implementation more successful.

Widening the skills of the AMMSS workforce, and changing the way people worked, did change the balance of work within teams. Rather than managers deciding how to adjust to this, groups were set up in each area to see how work could be reorganised.

Empowering and allowing teams to solve problems and design solutions was an important principle of the new way of working, based on the belief that those doing the job understand it best.

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Section 2 Conducting a skills survey

Why do a survey?

One of the most important things ULRs and union reps can do is to get out and talk to the workforce to find out about their learning needs and use of skills.

This survey is a tool to help ULRs and union reps do this.

Every organisation is different.

This survey is designed to help union reps to gather evidence on: ■ what skills and training employees need ■ what skills and training employees have received ■ what difference training has made to employees’ jobs ■ how well employees feel their skills are used at work ■ how satisfied employees are at work.

The evidence gathered through the survey can be used by you and your colleagues to get a better sense of what training employees want, how they’re using their skills and what impact this is having.

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It can also be used to inform your union’s discussions with managers on skills and training.

Managers may not be aware of the skills employees have, where they feel they need further training, and the extent employees feel their skills are well used at work. Gathering evidence through a survey is often an effective way of making the case for positive change to managers.

In some workplaces, working with the employer to carry out the survey might help to increase their buy-in, and lead to joint work to address the issues identified through the survey.

There are further sections of this guide designed to help you to have effective conversations with managers about skills and training.

How to use this survey If you already carry out a survey, such as a training needs analysis, you can of course integrate some of the questions listed here into your existing survey rather than using the survey in this guide.

You may want to survey all of the employees within a company or organisation; or the workers from a specific branch or department from a company or organisation; or all the union members from within that company or organisation. There isn’t any minimum or maximum number of participants necessary for the survey to work, but often larger surveys carry more weight.

Copy or reproduce the questions in the survey below, and distribute one to each employee. If you think employees may not be able to fill in the survey, either because of practical reasons or because employees may not have the necessary reading and writing skills, you can conduct the survey by asking employees the questions and filling in the answers yourself.

You may want to include an explanation of what the survey is for, and what you will do with the results. Ask the employee to fill in the survey and return the form to you, or to a certain place. It can be helpful to reassure employees that the results will remain anonymous and that they will not have to give their name on the form.

If you are able to, offering a small prize or incentive can often help to increase the number of responses you get.

Once the results are in, the next step is to collate the information. If you do not have the capacity to undertake this task on your own, then you should get help (e.g. from a colleague) to ensure that the survey findings are presented in an accurate way.

Presenting the overall survey findings can provide powerful arguments and incentives for change. For example, if the results showed that 80 per cent of workers feel either extremely unsatisfied or somewhat unsatisfied at work, and that 80 per cent see using their skills at work as important or very important, then there would be a powerful incentive for managers to agree a joint strategy with the unions to make better use of employees’ skills.

Of course, individual forms will also be useful to support a case to be made to management as regards meeting additional skill needs of an individual or adapting their job to maximise the use of their skills.

You may want to use the survey findings to answer some specific questions, such as: Getting a return on investment for skills: What percentage of employees use the training they’ve received from their employer in their day-to-day role?

Making the most of your workforce: What percentage of employees have skills that they don’t use at work?

Improving job design: What percentage of employees think their job description doesn’t match the job they do?

Achieving a satisfied and engaged workforce: What percentage of employees are satisfied or very satisfied in their role?

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Survey Making the most of skills

Skills required 1. Do you feel you currently have all the skills and training you need to perform your job to the best of your ability?

Please tick one Yes No, I require more training

2. Do you feel your job description accurately describes the skills required to do your job?

Please tick one Yes Yes, to a large extent, but it does require some alterations No, it requires various alterations No, it is completely wrong I don’t know

3. Do you have any skills or qualifications that you don’t use in your job?

Please tick one Yes No

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4. Has a member of the management team ever attempted to find out what skills you have?

Please tick one Yes No Don’t know

5. If yes, was any action taken to incorporate these skills into your job?

Please tick one Yes No Not yet, but I have been assured that a plan is in place

6. Have you had an appraisal or a personal development review in the last 12 months?

Please tick one Yes No Don’t know

7. Has your employer provided you with any training, courses or development opportunities in the last three years?

Please tick one Yes No Not yet but this is scheduled to take place soon

Using your skills 8. If you answered yes to question 7, how much of what you learnt on your course or training are you putting to use in your role?

Please tick one All of it A great deal of it Some of it Hardly any of it None of it None of it so far but the training/course was only completed recently.

9. If you answered yes to question 7, has your job role changed as a result of the training you undertook?

Please tick one Yes No Not yet but this is scheduled to take place soon

10. How well do you feel your skills are matched to the job you currently do?

Please tick one I am overqualified – I have skills I don’t use in my job I am well matched to my current role, given my current level of skills I am under-qualified, I require more training I don’t know

11. How satisfied are you in your role?

Please tick one Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Satisfied Somewhat unsatisfied Unsatisfied Extremely unsatisfied

If you would like to meet with a union learning rep to discuss your skills, work and career, please write your name and contact (email and/or phone number) here, and they will get in touch.

Name: 12. How important is it to you that you are able to use your skills and knowledge at work?

Please tick one Very important Important Somewhat important Not that important Not important

Phone number:

Please return this form to:

13. Would you like to discuss your skills, work and career further with a union learning rep?

Please tick one Yes No

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Case study 2 Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Background Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a large hospital trust with a number of trade unions, the largest of which is UNISON. The main site is Blackpool Victoria Hospital where the majority of the 4,000 staff and services are based.

The Trust had previously undergone a significant period of change. In 2006 it faced a number of major challenges, including a £21m budget deficit. To help address these challenges it developed the Blackpool Way to improve performance and engagement by working with the trade unions and the workforce on continuous improvement.

However, from 2010 NHS trusts have been required to identify significant efficiency savings to cope with the reduction in public spending and the financial and quality challenges facing the Trust have put a renewed emphasis on continuous improvement and learning and development.

There have been ULRs at the Trust since 2004 and the employer recognised that their

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role in improving access to Skills for Life courses through the learning centre was an important way of enabling employees to access intermediate training by building their competencies and confidence.

A full-time post was funded for the ULR chair to work within the learning and development team and this, in combination with union representation on the board and other levels of governance, has helped to integrate the union and employer learning agendas.

Process and change In 2010 the Trust began a series of meetings with the workforce to discuss the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Performance (QUIPP) agenda, which would identify efficiency savings across the Trust. Many actions were identified which in some cases would lead to restructuring.

To help make employees aware of the likely consequences of the efficiency savings, the union was given the opportunity to speak at meetings and also arranged its own series of meetings for members.

To minimise the number of redundancies, union officials were particularly keen to encourage employees to take up the “aspirational interviews” that were offered by the Trust, which included an audit of employees’ skills used in their job or otherwise. The records from the interviews were then used to match employees facing redundancy with any other vacancy that they might be qualified for.

The union helped individuals to prepare for these interviews as well as accompanying them if necessary. As well as reducing the number of redundancies, union convenor, Steve Holmes, noted that the process provided a good opportunity for employees to identify their skills and discuss their progression with managers.

There were also several cases where employees were working in roles that did not use all their qualifications or skills.

With some additional training they were able to fill vacancies that entailed career progression for them.

CHRISTOPHER THOMON D/REPORTDIGITAL.CO.UK

REDEPLOYMENT OF THE LAUNDRY WORKFORCE LED TO CAREER PROGRESSION FOR THE MAJORITY

For example, a skills audit of the laundry workforce (which was to be contracted out) was undertaken and Skills for Life were identified as an area requiring particular attention, with suitable training provided through the union learning centre. Employees were subsequently given support with their applications and interviews and nearly 90 per cent were redeployed within the Trust, the majority in higher banded positions.

Throughout the change programme union reps provided support to employees and encouraged them to take up learning opportunities and new roles.

Impacts and benefits The Trust and unions’

commitment to avoiding compulsory redundancies, and finding ways to redeploy staff across the organisation using skills audits, has helped to maintain the trust of the workforce during a difficult time.

The focus at Blackpool on retaining experienced members of the workforce throughout the reorganisation has further tied skills acquisition to skills utilisation. Through the reorganisation, employees’ skills have been identified along with the skills necessary to enable them to gain new roles in the Trust.

The accessibility and flexibility of the union learning centre means it has been able to meet the needs of the redeployed workforce and help them

improve their skills in order to progress in the workplace and enter new roles.

The union has developed a more responsive learning service that has helped a significant number of employees advance in the workforce and enter roles where they are able to use a wider range of skills.

There has also been public recognition of the innovative approach by the Trust and the unions working in partnership on learning and development.

The Trust was recognised as one of the “Times 75 Best Places to Work in the Public Sector” in 2010 and it retained the Investors in People gold status for the third consecutive year in 2011.

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Section 3 Guide to conducting a skills interview

What is this interview guide for?

One of the most important things ULRs and union reps can do is to talk to employees about their skills, learning and ambitions.

Many ULRs and union reps will undertake interviews or have informal conversations with learners as a matter of course.

This guide suggests some topic areas and questions that you may wish to use in interviews.

As you go through the interview questions, make notes to record what has been said.

The skills interview is designed to ascertain three key things: ■ the skills and knowledge the interviewee currently possesses ■ the career ambitions and training needs of the interviewee ■ the extent to which the interviewee is currently using his/her skills.

If you carried out the skills survey included in this guide, then this interview guide can be used to help you in the followup conversations offered to employees in the survey.

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You will need to allow sufficient time to carry out the interview, and find an appropriate place where you can have the meeting.

There is further advice on conducting successful interviews in the unionlearn Supporting Learners guides for union reps (see page 30 for more details).

Sample questions GENERAL ■ Name ■ Role ■ Department/area ■ Contact details SKILLS ASSESSMENT Learning history ■ School qualifications ■ Post-school academic qualifications ■ Post-school vocational qualifications ■ Other qualifications WORK HISTORY ■ What other jobs have you had?

■ What skills, knowledge and experience would you say you gained in those roles?

■ What would you say you’re good at? What do you enjoy doing at work?

YOUR ROLE ■ What skills and knowledge do you think are required to perform your job?

■ Do you think you currently have all the skills you need to do your current job?

■ Do you feel you would be better able to carry out your role if you were equipped with more skills or with additional training?

■ If so, have you spoken with your line manager or a member of the management team about this?

■ What training do you feel you require? Please specify.

■ Do you believe your manager is aware of the skills you already have?

■ Do you believe your manager is making the best of the skills you have?

■ If not, which skills do you think your employer could make better use of?

■ Please tell us about the training you have received so far since being in this role?

■ Has that training been helpful? Are you using what you’ve learned in your job?

CAREER DEVELOPMENT ■ What are your career ambitions?

■ Are there any other roles in the organisation you’d be interested in doing?

■ Do you know what career opportunities are open to you in the organisation?

■ Have you applied for any other roles in the organisation or elsewhere?

■ Have you discussed your career development with your manager recently?

Further action Skills, knowledge and experience list The interview will help you to find out more about the learner, but the discussion you have can also help to raise the employee’s awareness of their own skills and their confidence at work. You may want to develop a list of the knowledge, skills and experience of the interviewee. People are often surprised at the range of skills they have. Making employees aware of their skills can help them to identify other roles they might be suitable for.

On the following page is a list of the most common skills employers look for. This list is not exhaustive, but you can use this to help you identify the interviewee’s skills and to describe them in a way that employers will recognise.

Encourage interviewees to identify practical examples or evidence of where they have used each skill.

Plan of action Working with the employee, create a record of what training they believe they need, and what actions each of you will take to progress this.

Many of the questions may require the employee to discuss their career development and learning with their manager.

Subsequent sections of this guide contain information, advice and tools to help you to help learners to engage constructively with managers.

Your feedback to managers Conversations with employees tend to be confidential, but if you begin to identify trends from your interviews – for example, most employees you speak to have skills they do not use in their roles – you may want to raise this issue with managers. Section 6 of the guide contains advice on how to do this.

Making the most of skills

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Employability skills

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Skills that employers want

What does this mean?

Verbal communication

Express ideas clearly and confidently in speech.

Teamwork

Work confidently in a group and co-operate with others.

Analysing and investigating

Gather information systematically. Problem solving.

Self-motivation and drive

Act on initiative, identify opportunities and put forward ideas and solutions, determining to get things done and make things happen, look for new ways of doing things, be responsible.

Use numbers

Multiply and divide, calculate percentages, use statistics and a calculator, interpret graphs and tables.

Written communication

Express ideas clearly in writing.

Planning and organising

Plan activities and carry them forward effectively.

Commercial business awareness

Understanding the commercial realities affecting the organisation and its customers, and work culture, the need for up-skilling and re-skilling.

Time management, flexibility

Manage time effectively, prioritising tasks and able to work to deadlines. Adapt successfully to changing situations and environments.

ICT skills

Learn and adapt to new technology, use software packages, keyboard skills, and electronic communication.

Interpersonal skills

Relating well to others, building and establishing good working relationships.

Customer focus and care

Being friendly, helpful and diplomatic with clients, stakeholders and customers.

Making the most of skills

Negotiating and persuading

Persuade by expressing ideas and views clearly and confidently.

Open to others’ views and opinions to meet a mutual agreement.

Leadership

Motivating others, inspiring the team to take your lead and confidence to lead a team.

Self-awareness and confidence

Understanding own strengths and weaknesses and having the confidence to put these into practise.

Willingness to learn

Being enthusiastic and open to new ideas. Willing to engage and expand skills.

Stress tolerance

Able to work calmly and effectively in a pressurised environment.

Integrity

To be honest and trustworthy. To act responsibly both individually and as part of team.

Independence

Being able to work unaided and on own initiative as well as part of a team.

Creativity

Generating and applying new ideas and solutions.

Professionalism

Behaving respectably and appropriately for a working environment.

Action planning

Prioritising, making decisions, assessing progress and making changes if necessary.

Decision making

Makes timely and sound decisions.

Networking

Building and establishing effective relationships with business partners.

Using foreign languages

Language skills used in a country other than its own.

Cultural awareness

An awareness and understanding of differences and diversity between themselves and people from different countries and backgrounds.

Making the most of skills

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Section 4 Workplaces that use skills effectively

he way employers recruit and manage people can have a significant impact on the extent to which people’s skills are used at work. Improving recruitment, management and job design can benefit the organisation and employees by increasing job satisfaction, progression and well-being among the workforce, and enhancing their performance and productivity.

T

This section describes some of the ways that workplaces can be improved to ensure skills are used more effectively.

ULRs and their trade union colleagues may want to use this information in their discussions with employers and managers.

Job design The design of jobs – how tasks are organised, what scope employees have to decide how to do their work, how work is assessed and rewarded – affects how skills are used.

Breaking down tasks into their most basic component parts can reduce the level of skills required. However, ensuring that jobs have some level of complexity will not only make them more interesting for employees, but it will also

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Making the most of skills

give employees greater scope to employ their skills to improve efficiency and innovate.

The level of autonomy employees have is also important in allowing them to use their skills. Employees that have some autonomy and influence over how they do their work are likely to use their skills to better effect. Employees often understand how to do their jobs best, and therefore if they have the freedom, can make improvements to the services they deliver or goods they produce.

ULRs and union reps are well placed to raise the issue of job design and quality of work with managers. Improving job design is a win-win, benefitting the employer as well as the employee.

Leadership and management Few people will work effectively if they aren’t motivated and encouraged to do so. The quality of leadership and management in an organisation has an important role to play in enabling people to use their skills at work, and encouraging and motivating them to do so.

Communication from leaders about what the organisation is trying to achieve is vital if employees are to understand the purpose of their work, and how their skills might be useful.

Managers, and particularly line managers, are critical in empowering employees to use their skills. Effective managers know that employees know best how to do their job, and that micro-management is counterproductive. Managers set clear objectives and offer support, but allow employees to use their skills in the most appropriate way to carry out the task.

Three signs of effective management ■ Set clear boundaries: Managers need to be clear about what staff are empowered to do and what they are not.

■ Avoid creating a blame culture: Establish what the person’s responsibilities are and what are the manager’s.

■ Avoid micro-management: Agree realistic milestones and reporting at the outset.

Involvement and participation One of the most effective ways to ensure employees' skills are used is for organisations to tie their business strategy and learning and development strategy together, to make sure that the skills that employees have, or are gaining through training, are those needed for the organisation’s growth.

Employees will have the opportunity to use their skills and progress, and the employer will see the return on their investment.

The Information and Consultation regulations provide workplace representatives with rights to be consulted over business change. Good practice organisations will consult their workforces as a matter of course, but it can also give unions the chance to question the business strategy and its consequences for the workforce, and more specifically, to question how learning and development can be used to support the company or organisation’s business strategy.

Three tips for effective consultation ■ Ask the right strategic questions.

■ Stay focused and objective.

■ Think “how am I going to communicate this to the members/staff?”

Career development and progression Few businesses will increase pay and rewards for employees simply because they increase their skills. To benefit, employees need to move into roles where their skills will be used. Giving career advice is often a core part of the ULR role, but ULRs can also work with the managers and HR officers in their organisations to put in place opportunities for career development and progression in the workplace.

Here are just some of the ways that ULRs and managers can improve progression in the workplace: ■ ULR and employee meetings: ULRs can help employees to identify their skills and discuss career aspirations. ULRs often have knowledge of the range of

jobs within the organisation and are well placed to advise employees on what progression routes might be available to them and what training is available. The encouragement and support ULRs provide employees with is also important in encouraging progression.

■ Appraisals and personal development plans: Regular appraisals give employees the opportunity to discuss their career aspirations with managers, and what training they might need to obtain a new role.

■ Flexible working and equality: A lack of flexible working can hold people back at work. Those with caring responsibilities often feel unable to progress because working hours and responsibilities may not be compatible. So, for example, women with children are often employed below their skill level. Improving flexible working can improve career progression.

Making the most of skills

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Case study 3 Norse Group

Background Norse Group is a holding company, bringing together facilities management and care providers, and providing employment for over 10,000 people. Norse is based in the East of England but has expanded in recent years to other parts of the country.

In the early 2000s trade union reps and local managers at Norse identified a lack of functional skills among the facilities management workforce (e.g. cleaning, catering, and maintenance services).

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five trade unions to successfully put together a joint bid to the Union Learning Fund to support a larger scale skills programme which was subsequently sustained by ESF funding.

Two union reps, one from GMB and one from UNISON, were seconded from Norse to work as part-time project managers.

Process and change One of the most significant barriers the project faced was gaining the trust of the employees and giving them the confidence to take up the learning opportunities that were being offered. The GMB’s training and development officer, Jenny Webber, personally recruited the first learners for the pilot project.

In addition to the detrimental impact on organisational performance and health and safety, this was adversely affecting the company’s ambitions to expand. Staff lacked the skills and confidence to progress in the company by applying for internal vacancies and recruitment in the local labour market was proving difficult.

In the second phase the development of ULRs was central as they played a crucial role in helping to bypass the natural anxiety about sharing skill gaps direct with line management.

To combat this the employer, together with the GMB, established a small Skills for Life pilot project in 2001. Norse subsequently worked with its

The company and unions worked with local colleges to deliver the courses, rolling them out site by site, mostly in the evening and normally in the

Making the most of skills

workplace. Employees were offered half pay for the hours they spent at the courses and this helped to cover expenses such as childcare and travel.

Friends and family were also given the opportunity to take the courses, which gave learners more support and helped improve retention.

By 2007 over 2,000 learners had completed skills training and this triggered a demand for further learning opportunities at a higher level. The company has since developed a wide range of NVQs, management training qualifications and more recently, apprenticeships aimed at 16- to 24-year-olds.

When the ESF funding ended in 2007 the company established its own training academy, which has given it significant capacity to train and develop its own workforce.

More recently Norse has expanded into domiciliary care services and is working closely with UNISON to establish a project to support the learning and development of this new part of the workforce.

JESS HURD/REPORTDIGITA L.CO.UK

FOR OLDER PEOPLE HOME CARE SERVICES ARE AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR ALTERNATIVE TO RESIDENTIAL CARE

The HR Director believes that the success of the project over the years has been in large part due to the involvement of unions and ULRs and that this will continue to be the case as the company expands into new areas.

Impacts and benefits Norse has grown rapidly over the last five years and this has been supported by the partnership between the unions and employer on learning and development.

Firstly, Norse has built a base of functional skills among the workforce and a learning culture that encourages and supports progression within the company, producing a larger talent pool.

Secondly, the training opportunities on offer are

an attractive part of the employment offer, making recruitment easier, especially in local labour markets.

Currently 67 per cent of current employees hold NVQs Level 1–3.

The company has received two Business in the Community’s awards for its Skills for Life programme and retained its Investors in People award in 2011.

By gaining the skills and resources needed to do their jobs – along with greater responsibility and autonomy – employees are now more willing and able to identify improvements and efficiencies.

In 2010 Norse had a 96 per cent customer retention rate.

The accident rate has reduced by 10 per cent and sickness absence by 3 per cent with

improved retention and decreased turnover.

There have also been direct commercial benefits with national recognition making the company more attractive as a potential partner, particularly when contracting or establishing joint ventures with the public sector.

There have also been cost savings (e.g. the company estimates that it saved £67,000 in management time in 2010 following an intensive programme of literacy and numeracy).

The unions have also benefitted – membership levels rose during the period and the shared learning agenda between the trade unions and the employer has contributed to good industrial relations.

Making the most of skills

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Section 5 Working with trade union colleagues

kills are a core part of the trade union workplace agenda, and making sure that employees are able, incentivised, and rewarded for using their skills effectively will often require ULRs and union reps to work closely together.

Make a plan ULRs and union reps can work together to make an initial assessment of how skills are currently being used in the workplace. How do union reps and ULRs think things could improve? What could they achieve together?

ULRs often have evidence and insight into the skills and learning aspirations of the workforce that can benefit union representatives in their negotiations with employers.

However, union reps will often have more negotiating experience and established relationships with the employer.

Gather evidence ULRs can use the surveys and interview guides to gather evidence on how skills are used in the workplace currently.

Union reps might have access to information on the organisation’s business strategy or corporate plan, the organisational development strategy, and other information such as the staff survey results.

You can use this evidence to help develop your case for why employers should think about using workforce skills more effectively.

S

The diagram on page 7 at the beginning of this guide shows the points at which ULRs and union reps might want to work together.

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Making the most of skills

Make the case Your union may have regular meetings with the managers informally, or through a joint negotiating and consultation committee, staff council or forum. Union reps might sit on joint committees on organisational development or learning and skills. These can provide ideal opportunities to discuss learning and the use of skills. You can work with union colleagues to identify suitable opportunities to discuss skills and skills use, and also how to present the evidence you’ve gathered to make the case.

Using learning agreements

Connecting learning with the bargaining agenda

The best basis for negotiating on skills use is to have a learning agreement with the employer. If you already have a learning agreement in place, including elements that commit employers to working with the trade union to monitor and review how skills are used in the workplace will help to get skills use on the agenda.

As should be clear, there are a number of workplace practices that can affect the use of skills including progression routes, recruitment practices, quality of management, job design and work organisation, as well as wider issues such as the organisation’s business strategy. If unions are recognised for bargaining purposes in your workplace, then it is possible that many of these issues could be addressed through negotiations with the employer.

If you don’t already have a learning agreement in place, then union reps and ULRs can work together to put one in place. Your union will be able to advise on how this might be done. There is advice in on model learning agreements, and how to use them on the unionlearn website and in various unionlearn guides (see page 30 for more details).

Making the most of skills

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Section 6 Engaging with managers effectively

onstructive working relationships between union reps and managers are necessary if unions are to help employees get on at work. Many of the areas covered in this guide so far, such as career progression, involvement and participation, and leadership, rest in some part on the decisions of managers. It is vital therefore, that ULRs are able to engage with managers effectively.

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Opportunities to engage managers

Engaging managers in learning

ULRs can work with union reps to identify suitable opportunities to engage with managers. This could be through negotiation or consultation meetings, staff councils or forums. There may be regular meetings between the union reps and HR or operational managers where skills and skills use could be discussed.

The aim of this guide is to help employees to make the most of their skills. Managers stand to gain from this as much as employees, but union reps will often have to make a persuasive case as to why it matters. Why should managers reorganise roles, rethink job design or how appraisals take place? The business case section of this guide provides plenty of information on why using skills matters, but how you make your case is often as important as the content.

The guidance here on engaging managers effectively can be used to help prepare for formal or informal meetings with managers. If you are trying to bring about change in your workplace, then it is equally important to engage line managers and middle managers, as it is to engage senior managers.

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Making the most of skills

Keeping managers on board ■ Talk strategy, not ‘tea and toilets’.

■ Know what’s going on in the business world you are dealing with – understand the strategic intent of the business.

■ Come up with alternative suggestions.

■ Challenge positively and constructively.

■ Don’t try to ‘catch people out’.

Preparing for meetings, and helping employees prepare for meetings Being well prepared for meetings will help increase confidence and effectiveness.

ULRs and union reps need to prepare for meetings with managers and this guidance can be used as a checklist.

However, ULRs and union reps will also provide individual support to employees. To improve the use of skills, employees need to be aware of the skills they have and confident about using them.

ULRs can therefore use this guidance to help employees prepare for meetings with managers, such as appraisals or personal development reviews, where they can discuss skills, development and progression.

■ Be sure of your facts by gathering all the relevant information.

■ Write out the main point you want to make and make sure you cover it in the meeting.

■ Put yourself in the position of the person you are talking to – how does this sound to them?

■ Be persistent in seeking an explanation for why a decision has been made – what else did they consider?

■ Be assertive not aggressive.

How to discuss survey results with managers: The results of the survey, or your interviews with learners (see sections 3 and 4), provide a good opportunity to start a discussion with managers about how skills can be used more effectively in the workplace. To make the discussion constructive, you might want to consider the following: ■ Look at the positives first rather than go straight in with the negatives.

■ Keep a sense of perspective and impartiality – managers will tend to dismiss criticism if they think it’s your personal view.

■ Discuss the areas of improvement in the short, medium and longer term – if there is no “instant fix”, staff need to know.

■ Encourage managers to involve staff in any action plan – consultation is more effective if it’s done before final decisions are taken.

■ Encourage honest communication – staff will see through spin.

Making the most of skills

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Further information Sources and contacts

Skills utilisation Unionlearn has published an accompanying report to go with this guide comprising more detailed case studies and analysis of best practice about how unions can promote better use of skills in the workplace (Making Skills Work: trade unions and their role in optimising the use of skills in the workplace, Unionlearn Research Paper, no.17).

Unionlearn has also previously commissioned Professor Francis Green of the Institute of Education to undertake a study looking at the potential for unions to increase the role that they could play in supporting better application of skills in the workplace as well as examining the wider policy perspective (Unions and Skills Utilisation, Unionlearn Research Paper, no. 11).

Both these reports and copies of this guide are available at: www.unionlearn.org.uk/skillsutilisation.

In addition, this part of the unionlearn website also allows for sections of this guide (e.g. the survey and the interview schedule) to be downloaded in both Word and PDF formats for use by union reps in the workplace.

The STUC has also undertaken a project looking at the role of trade unions in promoting skills utilisation and further information about this is available at: www.scottishunionlearning.com/ support/skills-utilisation-project

Other unionlearn resources In order for union reps to promote better use of skills in the workplace, they will also need to draw on a range of advice and resources that are available on the unionlearn website.

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Making the most of skills

Supporting Learners A handbook for ULRs - Working for Learners – is available at www.unionlearn.org.uk/ulr. A range of specific guides to help ULRs support learners as well as information about the unionlearn learning and careers advice service is available at: www.unionlearn.org.uk/advice. This part of the website also contains information about the union learning Climbing Frame, a free website for ULRs to help them in their role of supporting learners in the workplace.

Bargaining for Skills Unionlearn has recently produced a guide for union negotiators on engaging employers in bargaining for skills, including setting the scene for putting learning and skills on the bargaining table and highlighting the importance of developing agreements with employers on this issue (Negotiator’s Guide for Bargaining for Skills). Many unions have developed their own model learning agreements that negotiators can adapt. Unionlearn’s model learning agreement and the negotiator’s guide can be found at: www.unionlearn.org.uk/agreements Different forms of learning and training The unionlearn website provides advice and guidance on how unions can engage employers in a wide range of learning and training, including: ■ Skills for Life www.unionlearn.org.uk/skills ■ Apprenticeships www.unionlearn.org.uk/apprenticeships ■ HE or higher level skills www.higherlearningatwork.org

Contacts Regional contacts for unionlearn can be found at: www.unionlearn.org.uk/regions For general inquiries about the work of unionlearn in relation to skills utilisation, please contact: Iain Murray (Senior Policy Officer): imurray@tuc.org.uk; 020 7467 1264.

Details of trade union representatives on Sector Skills Councils can be found at: www.unionlearn.org.uk/ssc

IPA This guide was produced for unionlearn by the IPA, a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity. The IPA provides research and consultancy to help organisations find new ways of working based on collaboration and trust. Its aim is to improve employees’ well being and quality of work while developing more productive outcomes for the organisation. The IPA also publishes research to help inform public and policy debate on the workplace and working lives.

IPA, 42 Colebrooke Row, London N1 8AF www.ipa-involve.com

NOTES 1 5th European Working Conditions Survey, 2010.

Eurofound, 2012 2 Forde, C. & Slater, G. The Nature and Experience of Agency Working in Britain, Personnel Review, 35, 2006 3 Brinkley, I. et al Knowledge Workers and Work The Work Foundation, 2009 4 Felstead, A. et al Skills at Work, 1986–2006, SKOPE, 2007

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unionlearn Congress House Great Russell Street London WC1B 3LS April 2012 Design: www.design-mill.co.uk Cover photos: BAE Systems; Simon Weller; Chris Schmidt/I-Stock Print: College Hill Press