Primary Industries
Home > Primary Industries > Primary Industries (240 hours) > Compulsory units > Participate in workplace communications > Participate in workplace communications
The meeting
You are responsible for the basic servicing of vehicles and machinery at your workplace.
Your workplace supervisor has called a meeting for three o’clock this afternoon. He wants to discuss new procedures that are being implemented to satisfy Occupational Health and Safety and WorkCover requirements. It is essential that all staff attend the meeting.
What will happen at the meeting? To find out answer the multiple choice questions below by clicking on Go to the next stage. Each answer will lead you on a different pathway. Follow the path to find out if it will be a productive meeting or not.
Question 1
You have spent the day servicing the station vehicles. Only the old ute is left to finish. Just when you are lying under the ute loosening the sump plug to drain the engine oil, a work mate calls in at the machinery shed. She reminds you that the meeting is about to start. What will you do?
- Leave the sump plug in place, slide out from under the vehicle,
clean the grease off your hands and go straight to the meeting. You will need
to come back and finish the vehicle after the meeting.
Go to the next stage
- Ask your work mate to give your apologies to the meeting. You
will be a couple of minutes late as you want to remove the sump plug and leave
the oil to drain while you are at the meeting. You will then come back to finish
the job.
Go to the next stage
- Tell your workmate that you are going to finish servicing the
ute and miss the meeting. After all, you know all about OHS.
Go to the next stage
Question 2
You arrive on time for the meeting. The supervisor asks you to take notes as the meeting progresses. You don’t feel confident to be able to do this task well enough. What will you do?
- Say you don’t feel confident to take the notes and ask for someone
else to do it.
Go to the next stage
- Agree to take the notes and do the best you can.
Go to the next stage
- Say you are happy to take the notes if someone will help you so you can
learn how to do it
Go to the next stage
Question 3
You arrive ten minutes late for the meeting. The supervisor is explaining why the new OHS procedures are being put in place. What will you do?
- Quietly walk away from the meeting because you are too shy to interrupt.
You go back to the machinery shed and finish servicing the ute.
Go to the next stage
- Interrupt the supervisor and walk into the room telling everyone how the
last person who changed the oil on the ute cross-threaded the sump plug and
it has taken ages to undo it.
Go to the next stage
- Wait for the supervisor to finish speaking, quietly enter, apologise for
being late and join the meeting.
Go to the next stage
Question 4
One of the older workers, who is always putting you down, makes a rude comment about you. Roughly translated, he says that you are too young and incompetent to do anything. What will you do?
- Stand up and move towards the older worker in a threatening manner.
Go to the next stage
- Do nothing and hope that the supervisor will sort things out.
Go to the next stage
- Stand up and swear back at the older worker with as much colourful
language as you can think of.
Go to the next stage
Question 5
You start to take notes but can’t keep up with everything that is being said. What will you do?
- Pretend to keep on writing, offer to type up the notes at home and then
say that the dog ate them.
Go to the next stage
- Ask for everyone to slow down so you don’t miss anything important.
Go to the next stage
- Stop writing and ask for someone else to take over.
Go to the next stage
Question 6
The supervisor asks you to sit down and be quiet. What will you do?
- Apologise and quietly sit down.
Go to the next stage
- Go on to tell everyone what a rotten day you’ve had.
Go to the next stage
- Leave the meeting, pack up and go home.
Go to the next stage
Question 7
The supervisor asks you how the machinery service is going and about the current condition of the vehicles. What will you do?
- Complain about the way some of the other workers drive and that it’s
not your fault if the vehicles are falling to pieces.
Go to the next stage
- Say that everything is fine in case the others think you can’t do
your job properly.
Go to the next stage
- Use this opportunity to suggest that some of the machinery needs a major
overhaul.
Go to the next stage
Question 8
The supervisor tells the older worker that he will not tolerate bullying. He offers to take notes as well and says he will help you to collate them later on. What will you do?
- Tell everyone that you’ve been picked on constantly and that you’re
thinking of leaving.
Go to the next stage
- Thank him for the offer and continue to take the best notes that you can.
Go to the next stage
- Say that you’d rather do the notes on your own to prove to the others
that you can do your job.
Go to the next stage
Question 9
The supervisor explains that as part of the new OHS requirements a risk assessment will need to be written for each piece of machinery. He asks for volunteers to help with the task. What will you do?
- Say nothing because the others might think you are crawling to the boss.
Go to the next stage
- Offer to help because you are familiar with all the pieces of machinery.
Go to the next stage
- Tell the supervisor that you’ve got far too much to do already and
you couldn’t take on anything else.
Go to the next stage
Conclusion 1
You miss the meeting and will have to explain to your supervisor why you ignored a direct instruction.
Conclusion 2
You will have to explain to your supervisor why there are no notes from the meeting.
Conclusion 3
You have not contributed anything positive to the meeting and don’t seem to be very happy in your job.
Conclusion 4
You will have to explain to your supervisor why you left the meeting and went home without finishing the vehicle service.
Conclusion 5
You seem to be more worried about what your work mates think of you than learning the skills and taking opportunities to improve and excel in your work.
Conclusion 6
Your supervisor compliments you on the good job you are doing with the machinery and vehicles. He is also impressed by the way you handled yourself in the meeting, despite the conflict you faced. He offers you a traineeship with the possibility of a five year contract at the end of your studies.
Back to Activities
|