If you’re a residential or domiciliary care organisation taking someone in on work experience, there’s a big benefit to yourself and the sector as a whole. Hopefully, you’re getting someone who’s enthusiastic who may even end up working for you someday and making a real difference. However, it’s easy to forget the basics when it comes to work experience, so here’s your checklist to make sure you and the person get the most out of their work experience.
1. Get the right person
Normally, if someone is applying for work experience in your care setting then it’s because they want to be there, but not always. Find some way of vetting the person beforehand to make sure you’re getting someone who will put the effort in. There’s nothing worse in any work environment than someone who doesn’t want to be there.
2. Basic housekeeping
Make sure you give the work experience person everything they need to know on the first day. That means all the things you take for granted, such as expected working hours, where the toilets are, who to ask for help, how long the lunch break is, and where the first aid kit is located.
3. Don’t mistake anxiety for laziness
Most of the people you get on work experience will be young, and teenagers are complex creatures! Sometimes they may be giving off an attitude that can easily come across as sulkiness or laziness. Make sure, however, you prod a little deeper, because it could just be anxiety. Remember, it is likely to be there first experience of working life and outside of the comfort zone of the controlled classroom environment.
4. Ease them in
As stated above, this may be their first experience of working life, so don’t throw them in at the deep end. Make sure they get a full induction and tour, and maybe try them out on a few easier tasks before moving them on to more intense activities.
5. Give them a rounded experience
We all know that a care organisation is not just the front-line. There’s also the business management, finance and coordination sides, as well as others. Give the work experience person a full picture of your organisation and all of its aspects. If the person isn’t quite enjoying one aspect of the organisation, you can move them to another where they might thrive.
6. Give them a supervisor who will make time for them
The front-line of care can be hectic. It’s hard enough for your supervisors and managers to give time to full-time staff, let alone work experience people. Of course, we know that it is important that they do. Choosing the right supervisor for the work experience person can be crucial, so have a think about someone with the right personality traits and who has the time to dedicate to helping someone through the whole experience. You may even want to consider lightening their other duties for a period to ensure they have enough time for the person.
Do you have any other tips? Leave your comments below!