‘Doing a mind map of all my responsibilities and the people I work with really helped clarify my role—everyone should do one!’
‘Great to be able to identify my plans and priorities—especially for my personal life.’
‘It was an important reminder of the importance of relationships at work, and that these can be planned and governed by principles—rather than being based on emotional reactions.’
Throughout 2012, Alex Gifford, the Organisational Development Business Partner from Human Resources has been conducting professional development for managers and employees.
In particular, the professional development focuses on refining skills in:
- communication
- relationships
- time management
- self management.
Mr Gifford has based this professional development cycle around four workshops covering:
- building trust
- managing priorities
- improving personal efficiency
- managing conflict.
Staff can participate in the complete series or individual workshops. So far, over 60 employees have attended workshops and as a result have implemented new skills for working with peers and organising their day. Feedback has been very positive, and participants have reported a significant improvement in some areas of their work from using the skills taught.
Each session runs for 2 hours and includes a mixture of:
- theory
- group work
- personal reflection
- planning time.
Participants share and discuss current work issues to gain new perspectives and new approaches to their working practices.
The workshops emphasise techniques that can also be applied outside of the workplace, and the testimonials show that these workshops have already not only helped them with workplace concerns, but also enhanced their personal lives leading to a better work life balance.