Ever wondered what was happening...

...on this day in history?  Specifically, in New Zealand history?  This is a nifty site where you can not only see what was happening on any given day, but you'll also learn a lot about the history of our country!

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/troops-used-on-ports-as-waterside-dispute-worsens

Behavioural Safety - Human Behaviour

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.

Protecting ourselves and others from harm is second nature to most people.  Let’s face it, we don’t intentionally plan to have an accident, the question is how do we plan and behave so we don’t have them?  Individuals and organisations have a lot of responsibility from legislative compliance to company, individual and team performance requirements. The bottom line is how people choose to behave, what they choose to do or not do is what makes the difference.

Every organisation in today’s business environment wants and expects safe working practices.  This course will explore some of 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?

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

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

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

Becoming a Workplace Assessor

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...

Busy as a bee - the buzz of improved performance…

Once upon 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, each beekeeper was told to produce more honey at the same quality.

Approach 1: Measure activities

The first beekeeper established a bee performance management approach that measured how many flowers each bee visited. The beekeeper provided feedback to each bee at midseason on his individual performance, but the bees were never told about the hive's goal to produce more honey so that the company could increase honey sales. The beekeeper created special awards for the bees who visited the most flowers.

Approach 2: Measure accomplishments

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

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

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

Approach 1: Results DECREASED

The first beekeeper found that his hive had increased the number of flowers visited, but the amount of honey produced by the hive had dropped. The Queen Bee reported that because the bees were so busy trying to visit as many flowers as possible, they limited the amount of nectar they would carry so they could fly faster. Also, because the bees felt they were competing against each other for awards (only the top performers were recognised) they would not share valuable information with each other that could have helped improve the performance of all the bees, like the location of the flower-filled fields they'd spotted on the way back to the hive. After all was said and done, one of the high-performing bees told the beekeeper that if he'd been told that the real goal was to make more honey, he would have done his work completely differently. As the beekeeper handed out the awards to individual bees, unhappy buzzing was heard in the background.

Approach 2: Results INCREASED

The second beekeeper had very different results. Because each bee was focused on the hive's goal of producing more honey, the bees had concentrated their efforts on gathering more nectar in order to produce more honey than ever before. The bees worked together to determine the highest nectar-yielding flowers and to create quicker processes for depositing the nectar they'd gathered. They also worked together to help increase the amount of nectar gathered by the poor performers. The Queen Bee of this hive reported that the poor performers either improved their performance or transferred to another hive. Because the hive had reached its goal, the beekeeper awarded each bee his portion of the hive incentive payment. The beekeeper was also surprised to hear a loud, happy buzz and a jubilant flapping of wings as he rewarded the individual high-performing bees with special recognition.

The moral of this story is…

Measuring and recognising accomplishments rather than activities - and giving feedback to the worker bees - often improves the results of the hive. Although it somewhat simplifies performance management, the beekeepers' story illustrates the importance of measuring and recognising accomplishments (the amount of honey produced per hive) rather than activities (visiting flowers).

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

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