Workplace Readiness

1
Workplace Readiness

• Fashion Merchandising
• Objective 7.01

2
Soft Skills

• A mix of necessary interpersonal skills and
  business skills that a successful person develops
  and nurtures.

3
Interpersonal Skills Are Soft Skills

• Ethics
• Integrity
• Goal setting
• Assertiveness
• Professional conduct/etiquette

• Positive Attitude
• Empathy
• Teamwork
• Problem solving skills

4
Communication Skills Are Soft Skills

• Two types of communication skills
• Verbal communication
• Nonverbal communication

5
Importance of Interpersonal Skills

• Developing and maintaining positive human
  relations requires the use of soft skills.
• Positive customer relations are the result of
  courtesy, interest, helpfulness, tolerance.
• An employee is the face of the business or
  company.
• The way a customer is treated determines whether
  that customer will return.
• Repeat customers help a business become more
  successful.

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Importance of Interpersonal Skills(cont.)

• Employer/Employee relations
• Happy employeesHappy customersMore profits
• Companies strive to keep employees satisfied,
  motivated, and loyal by offering competitive
  wages, attractive benefits packages, and other
  incentives.
• Benefits Added compensation other than money
  that an employer gives his/her employees.
• Other incentives tuition reimbursement, special
  bonuses, recognition, and awards.

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Importance of Ethics

• Ethics Guidelines for human behavior the
  study of moral choices and values.

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• Morals The part of human behavior that can be
  evaluated in terms of right or wrong.
• Standards Accepted levels of behavior to which
  individual behavior is compared.
• Virtues Positive traits, such as loyalty,
  respect, honesty, and compassion, found within a
  person.
• Utility principle The idea that the right
  action is best for everyone involved, not just
  for one individual.(such as after school
  activity)
• Consequences The results of an action.
  (getting fired for always being late)

9
Ethical Behavior

• Recognizing the difference between right and
  wrong, then choosing what is right.
• Ethical people can be trusted to make the right
  decision, even when the decision does not benefit
  them.
• Depends on an individuals own belief system.
• Sources of ethical beliefs

Higher authority, culture, intuition, reason
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Ethics in the Workplace

• The development of strong work ethic relies on
  self-discipline, self-control, initiative, and a
  productive work behavior.

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Ethical Terms in the Workplace

• Business ethics Applying principles of right
  and wrong to workplace situations.
• Taking personal pride in accomplishments on the
  job and for the work itself.
• This is an area of growing concern in todays
  workplace.
• Code of ethics A systematic set of rules and
  procedures used to guide the behavior of an
  individual, a business, or a culture.
• Employee duties The obligation of an employee
  to fulfill the job responsibilities and to give
  the employer a fair days work for the pay
  earned.

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• Employee rights The entitlement of an employee
  to equal opportunity, fair pay, and safe working
  conditions.
• Positive climate A work environment that
  fosters positive productivity, quality work,
  workplace values, commitment to excellence,
  constructive criticism, encouragement for growth,
  and continuing education.
• Positive work ethics can be encouraged by
  managers practicing good principles of
  supervision.

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Examples of Unethical Behavior

• Conflict of interest, such as an employer
  pressuring an employee to do outside business
  with another company owned by the employers
  family
• Employee conflicts that cause either or both
  employees to behave in an unethical manner
• Immoral and/or illegal activity

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Possible consequences of unethical behavior

• Unethical behaviors may or may not also be
  illegal.
• If news of unethical behavior reaches the media
  and/or the outside public, then poor public
  relations may result.
• Unethical behavior can result in decreased
  profits for the business.
• Possible lawsuits can occur as a result of
  unethical behavior.

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• If the law is broken the penalty may include jail
  time, as in the case involving Martha Stewart.
• An employee who reports a business associate or
  superior for illegal, immoral, or unethical
  behavior may be identified as a whistle blower.
  (ex child labor)

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The Value of Teamwork

• Teamwork The good working relationship among
  employees resulting from combined support,
  leadership, and cooperation.
• Agreement A specific commitment made by a
  person or a group of people.
• Consensus A collective agreement reached by the
  members of a group.
• Employees are asked to work together as a team to
  complete a task. The more effectively and
  efficiently the team members work together, the
  more likely they are to achieve the desired goal
  for the business.

17
Effective Communication in the Workplace

• Process of transmitting clearly understood
  messages between all involved parties.
• Ability to communicate effectively is extremely
  important to a persons success in the workplace.
• Communication of information is a primary
  resource for every business.

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Nonverbal Communication

• Body language such as hand gestures, facial
  expressions, eye contact, and other body
  movements to convey messages without using words.
• Personal appearance

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Verbal Communication
The ability to convey messages with the use of
words.

• Reading
• Listening
• Speaking
• Writing

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Verbal Communication--Reading

• Critical in the fashion industry for reading
  fashion periodicals, journals, and reports that
  focus on marketing, forecasting, and trends
• Letters, memos, emails, and requests must be read
  and responses communicated.

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Listening

• Active listening Providing the speaker with
  feedback (a nod, smile or response) that
  indicates the message is being received and is
  understood.
• Open-ended questioning Asking questions that
  require more than a yes or no response.
• Such as What is a Fashion Cycle? or How do
  you set up and effective display booth?

22
Verbal Communication--Speaking

• How well one speaks may prove to be a determining
  factor in the degree of his/her success in many
  fashion careers.
• Speaking skills are equally important in
  one-on-one conversations or in presentations to a
  group.

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• One-on-one conversations with a customer might
  take place face to face or over a telephone.
• Word choice and tone of voice should convey
  friendliness, sincerity, and interest in the
  customer.
• Full attention should be paid to the customer.
• When taking a telephone message, be certain to
  record the date and time of the call, who it is
  for, who is calling, the return telephone number,
  and the message.

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• Telephone orders must be recorded completely and
  accurately. It is recommended that the
  information be repeated to the caller to verify
  that the details are correct.
• Remember to express appreciation to the customer.
• While voice mail is a fast and effective way to
  communicate with someone who is not able to
  answer the telephone, the absence of face-to-face
  contact makes telephone manners and verbal skills
  very important.

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• Speaking to groups may occur in formal or
  informal situations.
• One might be speaking with more than one customer
  in the retail store, making a presentation of a
  new line to a buyer, or delivering a workshop or
  speech to a group such as fashion educators or
  students.
• Tailor the presentation for the specific
  audience.
• Organize the presentation in a logical format.
• Visual aids always enhance a presentation.
  Computer-aided presentations are used frequently
  in business and industry.
• Speak correctly, slowly, clearly, and distinctly.
• Practice the presentation.

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Writing

• Written documentation is important and is often
  required in the workplace.
• Use of electronic media for written communication
  is becoming commonplace.
• Attention to spelling, grammar, and sentence
  structure is critical.
• If a document is handwritten, legibility is also
  critical.
• Examples email, electronic calendaring, group
  news mailboxes, on-line services, Internet
  conferencing, business letters, memos, and
  reports

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Barriers to Communication

• Noise, distractions, or interruptions in service
  that interfere with sending or receiving the
  message or message has stopped
• Language barriers
• Information overload