When I'm at work: Working on a committee - Trainer's guide
Chapters
- Aim of the 'When I'm at work' series
- Introduction
- Using the resource
- Key resources
- Topic 1 - What is a committee?
- Topic 2 - Why do we have workplace committees?
- Topic 3 - How are workplace committees chosen?
- Topic 4 - What roles are there on workplace committees?
- Topic 5 - What does it mean to represent other people?
- Topic 6 - What happens during committee meetings?
- Topic 7 - Who can you talk to about getting the skills to be a committee member?
- Appendix
Topic 3 - How are workplace committees chosen?
What you will need
You will need:
- this trainer's guide
- to invite a number of workplace committee members to discuss their experiences having been chosen to be on a workplace committee
- computer/data projector to play the CD-ROM
- whiteboard or butcher's paper to record responses
- whiteboard markers or felt-tipped markers.
It is vital that everyone's viewpoints are valued and comments are allowed to be made in an open discussion. You will need to focus on issues relating to the learning objectives of the topic.
Note: Text in boxes replicates the information in the learner's workbook.
What learners will need
Learners will need:
- their learner's workbook
- something to write with
- to be willing to take part in an election process.
Learning objectives
After taking part in this topic, learners:
- should be able to describe what it means to volunteer, be nominated, be co-opted, or be elected to work on a committee
- should be able to describe the election process
- will have experienced taking part in an election process.
Delivering the topic
Show slide 17
How are workplace committees chosen?
Discuss the following with the learners
There are lots of ways that you can be chosen to be on a workplace committee. It may be part of your job to be on a workplace committee.
Discuss the following with learners.
You may volunteer to be on the workplace committee. This means that you offer to work on the committee without being asked to, or having to.
Discuss the following with learners.
You may be nominated by your supervisor or a co-worker to represent the work team on a committee. This means that you are asked if you are willing to be on the committee. If you are willing, you could be one of a few people who have been nominated to be on the committee. Each work team usually has only one representative on a workplace committee.
Discuss the following with learners.
You may be asked to be on a workplace committee by people who are already on the committee. This is called being co-opted.
Discuss the following with learners.
There may be only one position available on a committee but two or more people may want to be in that position on the committee. When this happens, you need to choose or elect the person you want on the committee.
The people who want to be on the committee are called candidates.
On a piece of paper (called a ballot paper) which has the names of all the candidates on it, you put a tick next to the name of the person you want to be on the committee. This is called voting for that person.
You don't have to tell anyone else who you voted for. This is called voting by secret ballot.
The person with the most votes is elected to the committee.
Talk about other ways that voting can be done, for example, by drawing a picture of the preferred candidate.
Explain to learners that they will be able to practise voting in the activity for this topic.
Show slide 18
Summarise the previous discussion by asking learners the following focus questions and discussing their responses.
Focus questions
- What does it mean if you:
- volunteer
- are nominated
- are co-opted
- are elected to work on a committee?
- What does it mean to vote?
- Can you nominate yourself to work on a committee?
Show slide 19
Listen to Brenda's story.
Brenda's story
DB Services has a quality committee and there has to be one person from each of the work areas on the committee.
Brenda used to work on the gardening crew and she was their representative on the quality committee. She has just moved over to the packing team. Carl from the packing team is already on the quality committee, so Brenda can't be on the quality committee anymore.
The gardening crew has elected Jenny to replace Brenda on the quality committee. Brenda is going to come to the next quality committee meeting to help Jenny learn what happens at the meetings.
Show slide 20
Questions for discussion
Discuss these questions about Brenda's story with learners. Encourage them to record their responses to the questions in their workbooks in the spaces provided.
- Why can't Brenda be on the quality committee anymore?
- Why is it good to have someone from each work area on the quality committee?
Show slide 21
Listen to Bruce and Joyce's story.
Bruce and Joyce's story
Bruce and Joyce are supported employees in Hillside Business Services and have been nominated to join the safety committee.
As only one position is vacant, an election is going to be held. Bruce and Joyce understand that only one of them can be elected to be on the committee. They are both keen to be on the committee and have been talking with the other workers about why they should vote for them.
Bruce has talked about his previous experience on the committee and how he is a good listener. Joyce has not been on a committee before but she has good ideas and is a responsible person.
Show slide 22
Questions for discussion
Discuss these questions about Bruce and Joyce's story with learners. Encourage them to record their responses to the questions in their workbooks in the spaces provided.
- Why will it be necessary for an election to be held for this committee?
- What will Bruce and Joyce need to do before the election?
- What does being nominated to join a committee mean?
- What does being elected to a committee mean?
Show slide 23
Listen to Sarah's story.
Sarah's story
Parkview Business Services is planning to hold its annual Christmas party in the local park.
A committee is to be formed to help organise the party.
Sarah, a new employee, volunteers to be on the committee.
Show slide 24
Questions for discussion
Discuss these questions about Sarah's story with learners. Encourage them to record their responses to the questions in their workbooks in the spaces provided.
- What are the things this committee will need to do?
- Why do you think Sarah has volunteered to be on this committee?
Show slide 25
Debrief the topic by leading learners through the following activities. Then highlight the issues that this topic has raised in relation to working on a committee and reinforce the focus questions.
After you have discussed the workbook activities with learners, ask learners to write their responses in their workbooks in the spaces provided. Responses can be made in any format, for example, in writing or in pictorial form. Learners are free to express themselves in whatever ways they want to.
Explain to learners that the workbooks are their own records of the information that they need in relation to working on a committee. There is no compulsion for learners to provide their own responses if it is not appropriate to do so.
Workbook activities
Ask learners to discuss their experiences and listen to each other's experiences about joining a workplace committee.
Discuss with learners how they and their work areas are represented by committees in the workplace.
Organise learners to role-play an election process for a safety committee, and to choose two candidates for the two vacant positions on the committee.
- Ask learners to think about someone they would like to nominate from their workplace to be on the safety committee.
- Ask learners to think about what would make that person a good member of the safety committee.
- Record learners' comments on butcher's paper (for example, the person thinks about safety and is responsible). Encourage learners to choose people for the right reasons, not because 'she is my best friend'.
- Review what it means to vote by secret ballot. Then, by secret ballot, ask learners to vote for their preferred candidates. Learners can cast their votes by ticking against or writing the names of their preferred candidates on a piece of paper (or drawing a picture of their preferred candidates) and placing the ballot paper in a box.
- Alternatively you could have a board prepared with a series of photos of all nominated people. Then, one by one, and away from the others, learners can tell you which person they want on the committee by pointing to or describing that person. This allows people at all levels of disability to be included.
- With the group, and using butcher's paper to keep the tally, count the votes for each candidate.
- Explain that the two people with the most votes will be elected to the safety committee.
- Announce the people duly elected.
Review the learning by emphasising that people can be on a workplace committee because:
- they were elected
- they volunteered
- they were nominated
- they were co-opted
- it is part of their job.
Review the learning by talking about the steps of the election process.
Talk with learners about the skills they have been using.
Repeat this activity with learners as often as they need to build their skills around nominating people for the right reasons, and then voting them onto a committee.