At the end of this 'first day' recently I asked everyone to recall what they had covered over the previous 6 weeks, and this is what they shared:
- The importance of honesty, confidentiality, responsibility, and independence
- The need to separate the personal from the professional
- To reflect on and use experiences
- The importance and use of a Job Description, and Person Specification
- The use of an application form
- The management of interviews, references, and the contract of employment, and
- Considerations early on such as income tax, induction, and the 'first day'.
Almost immediately one of the PAs said "honesty", then another said "independence….because when I work for someone I want to know what they can do, and the things they can't".
Whilst we've always focused on the relevance of independence (and not just the apprenticeships as 'ends in themselves'), I was astonished at this comment, given I had expected other more practical issues to be raised as requiring consideration on a 'first day'.
In reflecting on all of this I recall a friend, and mentor who spent many years as a Prison Governor, say to me "you only become truly independent, when you know and name your dependencies". In other words there is no shame in all of us being honest about the things we need help with, because it's only through doing this that we become clearer about those things we can do for ourselves.
And for a young 17 year old apprentice PA, this is what she would want to explore with you on her 'first day' of work for you.
As is often the case a bike ride can throw up a new perspective on stuff I've been working on - and the blog I posted yesterday is no different.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I should not have been surprised that two of the apprentice PAs referred to 'honesty', and 'independence', because over the first 6 months of this pilot programme we've identified that a 'contract of trust' is as important as the 'contract of employment'. The contract of trust focuses on the softer, often forgotten about aspects of the relationship between an employer, and their PA focussing on communication, honesty, how emotions are expressed and managed, and so on.
The other thought I had on my bike ride this morning relates to what a person we had in the hot seat on Friday shared with us. The hot seat involves a visitor being invited to share their experience in response to questions from the apprentice employers, and PAs. On this occasion the visitor shared a number of experiences about her overcoming a number of barriers in order to make something of her life, for example a lack of encouragement by her parents, having to literally fight for survival in the school she attended in Tower Hamlets, as well as leaving school with no qualifications. Despite these barriers the visitor had achieved a degree in Psychology, and was employed full time now. At the end of the session the visitor was asked 'of all the experiences you've had, which one has had the most impact on you becoming more independent?' To my surprise the visitor said 'being told by an expert that my dyslexia was the reason why I could not read... As soon as this was named and understood, I could move on and do something about it'.
I feel this understanding for this visitor relates to her naming and facing her dependency, working on it, and so moving on - and becoming more independent.
I think He want respect because Personal Assistant is dedicated resource.He is doing work online for earning so we should give him respect also.
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