Macquarie Training

Behavioural Safety - Human Behaviour

2012-02-16T09:49:00.001+13:00

Human behaviour has a direct influence on safety in many aspects of life - at work, in the home, on the road, in the air and at sea. What is meant then, by behaviour?

Behaviour is defined as:

How a person conducts themselves

The demeanour and manners of an individual

An observable action of a person

The causes of human behaviour are associated with attitude, personality, motivation and memory, together with those pyhsical and mental characteristics which constitute a person and his environment.

Protectingourselves and others from harm is second nature to most people. Let’s face it, we don’t intentionally plan tohave an accident, the question is how do we plan and behave so we don’t havethem? Individuals and organisations have a lot of responsibility from legislativecompliance to company, individual and team performance requirements. The bottomline is how people choose to behave, what they choose to do or not do is whatmakes the difference.

Everyorganisation in today’s business environment wants and expects safe workingpractices. This course will explore someof the core beliefs, values and habits that promote a safe workplace.

Interested? Want to know more about holding a Behavioural Workplace Health & Safety course in your workplace? Please contact us today.

Source: Macquarie Training and 'Human Factors and Behavioural Safety', Jeremy Shanks.

How are qualifications achieved in the workplace?

2012-02-09T08:30:00.000+13:00

Are you already in a Business Administration - Project Management - Management role, and have loads of skills and many years of experience, but don't hold a formal qualification? Would you like to get qualified but don't want to have to take time off work, or spend your nights and weekends studying?

Macquarie Training has the perfect solution for you. Our workplace based qualifications seek to draw out the knowledge you already hold, rather than make you learn things you don't need to know. You will complete assessments not by studying, but by providing evidence of your current competency.

To find out what that all means, please contact us for more information.

Waitangi Day

2012-02-07T08:21:00.003+13:00

Hope everyone had a great Waitangi weekend! Do you know the history behind Waitangi Day? It is quite a controversial time in the history of New Zealand. Click here to find out more...

MT Summer Newsletter

2012-02-02T08:19:00.003+13:00

Have you read our summer newsletter? If not, catch up on our happenings here. Enjoy!

Becoming a Workplace Assessor

2012-01-31T08:42:00.000+13:00

Are you a subject knowledge expert in your field? Do you want to help people in your industry achieve qualifications?

Becoming a Workplace Assessor is easier than you think. We offer two modes of completing training with us, either on-course several times a year, or via distance learning. In both cases, you work through our comprehensive training material and complete two assessments with candidates within your industry, under the watchful eye of a qualified observer. We can assist you with obtaining assessments, candidates and observers.

On completion of your assessment you will be awarded unit standards 4098 and 11281 which qualify you as a Workplace Assessor.

For more information click here.

Inspiration Corner...

2012-01-26T09:06:00.002+13:00

Busyas a bee - the buzz of improved performance…

Onceupon a time, there were two beekeepers who worked for a company called Bees,Inc. Demand for their honey was steadily increasing and as a result, eachbeekeeper was told to produce more honey at the same quality.

Approach1: Measure activities

Thefirst beekeeper established a bee performance management approach that measuredhow many flowers each bee visited. The beekeeper provided feedback to each beeat midseason on his individual performance, but the bees were never told aboutthe hive's goal to produce more honey so that the company could increase honeysales. The beekeeper created special awards for the bees who visited the mostflowers.

Approach2: Measure accomplishments

The second beekeeper communicated to each bee the goal of the hive to producemore honey. The beekeeper and his bees measured:

1. Theamount of nectar each bee brought back to the hive
2. The amount of honey the hive produced.

At theend of the season, the beekeepers evaluated their approaches…

Approach1: Results DECREASED

Thefirst beekeeper found that his hive had increased the number of flowersvisited, but the amount of honey produced by the hive had dropped. The QueenBee reported that because the bees were so busy trying to visit as many flowersas possible, they limited the amount of nectar they would carry so they couldfly faster. Also, because the bees felt they were competing against each otherfor awards (only the top performers were recognised) they would not sharevaluable information with each other that could have helped improve theperformance of all the bees, like the location of the flower-filled fieldsthey'd spotted on the way back to the hive. After all was said and done, one ofthe high-performing bees told the beekeeper that if he'd been told that thereal goal was to make more honey, he would have done his work completelydifferently. As the beekeeper handed out the awards to individual bees, unhappybuzzing was heard in the background.

Approach2: Results INCREASED

Thesecond beekeeper had very different results. Because each bee was focused onthe hive's goal of producing more honey, the bees had concentrated theirefforts on gathering more nectar in order to produce more honey than everbefore. The bees worked together to determine the highest nectar-yieldingflowers and to create quicker processes for depositing the nectar they'dgathered. They also worked together to help increase the amount of nectargathered by the poor performers. The Queen Bee of this hive reported that thepoor performers either improved their performance or transferred to anotherhive. Because the hive had reached its goal, the beekeeper awarded each bee hisportion of the hive incentive payment. The beekeeper was also surprised to heara loud, happy buzz and a jubilant flapping of wings as he rewarded the individualhigh-performing bees with special recognition.

Themoral of this story is…

Measuringand recognising accomplishments rather than activities - and giving feedback tothe worker bees - often improves the results of the hive. Although it somewhatsimplifies performance management, the beekeepers' story illustrates theimportance of measuring and recognising accomplishments (the amount of honeyproduced per hive) rather than activities (visiting flowers).

Source:Workforce Performance, August 1997 US Office of Personnel Management

If you would like toknow about our training workshops that cover more management techniques, pleasecall us on 07 542 0857 or email phil@mtrain.co.nz.

Coached Workplace Development

2012-01-24T08:45:00.000+13:00

Achieve a nationally recognised, NZQA approved BusinessAdministration qualification in the workplace! No downtime, no textbooks, no lectures, no exams! Qualifications are employer funded and attractITO subsidies.

In-workqualifications are achieved by providing evidence of your competency in completingeveryday tasks. Your exact frameworkwill be determined when you fill out a ‘Skills Analysis’ that identifies yourstrengths and your current areas of work.

Your assessorwill visit you on a regular basis in your own workplace to help you complete yourassessments and collate the information you need. You can also contact them for assistance viaphone or email at any time.

All it takes is 1- 2 hours per week for 6 - 12 months for Certificates, and 12 - 24 months forDiplomas, depending on your workload.

Update yourexisting skills while researching quality improvements and identifying moreefficient ways of completing tasks. Increase your value to your company and open up pathways for careeradvancement!

Click here for more information.

NZQA Level Descriptors

2012-01-19T08:27:00.000+13:00

Ever wondered what your qualification 'Level' means? What is a Level 2 qualification? Is that higher than a Level 4 or is a Level 5 the highest of them all? Click here for a detailed explanation of where your qualification fits into the NQF. Want to achieve the next Level up? Contact us today!

Macquarie Training Website

2012-01-17T08:41:00.000+13:00

The Macquarie Training website, www.mtrain.co.nz, holds a wealth of information for anyone interested in training or gaining a qualification. From Managers to Administrators to would-be Workplace Assessors - we have something for everyone!

Happy Friday the 13th!

2012-01-13T10:49:00.000+13:00

What is it about Friday the 13th that keeps cars in garages and eyes shielded from black cats?! While we can all assume the hype is simply unfounded superstition, check out these freaky facts...

- The fear of Friday is skeviphobia, the fear of the number 13 is triskaidekaphobia, and the fear of Friday the 13th is paraskevidekatriaphobia (aka friggatriskaidekaphobia).

- Apollo 13, which barely escaped becoming a doomed flight, was launched on 13:13 CST, April 11,1970, with the explosion that disabled the craft occurring on April 13 (a Monday).

- Oklahoma bandit Crawford "Cherokee Bill" Goldsby murdered 13 victims, and was captured with a reward of $1300. At his trial, 13 eyewitnesses testified against him, the jury took 13 hours to render a verdict of guilty, and he was hanged on April 13, 1896 on a gallows with 13 steps!

- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt would never host a dinner party with 13 guests in attendance and refused to travel on the 13th day of any month!

- The majority of skyscrapers in America do not have a 13th floor, while some hospitals avoid rooms numbered 13, and a few airline terminals bypass gates numbered 13!

- Every calendar year has at least one Friday the 13th. The most Friday the 13th's that can occur in any given calendar year is three, such as in 2012 (January, April and July)!

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-franklin-ruehl-phd/friday-the-13th-facts_b_1198259.html

Welcome to the Macquarie Training blog!

2012-01-12T11:57:00.000+13:00

Welcome to the brand new Macquarie Training blog! The purpose of this blog is to keep you up to date with all of our happenings, as well as industry news and articles we think you will enjoy.

Check back regularly for updates or subscribe to our feed!