Lesson video

Hello, My name's Ms. Willow, and I'm going to be your teacher for today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called Rights and Responsibilities in the Workplace, and it fits into the unit Communities: Why is Respect, Understanding and Compassion Important? During this lesson, we are going to be talking a little bit about discrimination, so we recommend that for this lesson you have an adult with you.

If at any point you do feel worried or uncomfortable, it's important that you stop the lesson and that you speak to a trusted adult.

Okay, let's make a start.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain your basic rights and responsibilities at work and know what to do if something goes wrong.

Before we get started with today's lesson, we need to go over some ground rules.

These help to make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable during today's lesson.

Laura tells us that we need to, "Listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should always listen properly before we make any assumptions or before we decide how to respond.

When we disagree with someone else, it's important to challenge the statement and not the person themselves." Next, we have Andeep.

Andeep says that, "We need to respect each other's privacy.

It's okay to discuss examples that we want to share, but we shouldn't use any names or descriptions that could identify anyone, including ourselves." If we want to share a story or an experience, we could refer to someone as, "My friend." This means that we're not going to give away any personal information.

Next, Izzy says that we can, "Choose our level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or to join in with discussion, and we should never put anyone on the spot, as this can make people feel uncomfortable." And finally, Jacob says that, "We need to not have any judgement.

We can explore any beliefs or misunderstandings that we have about a topic without fear of being judged by other people." We're now going to have a look at the keywords for today's lesson.

First of all, we have the word rights, these are the freedoms and protections that everyone is entitled to, like safety, equality and free speech.

And next, we have responsibilities, these are the actions that we're expected to take to respect others and to follow the law.

Today's lesson is split into three learning cycles.

Our first learning cycle is called what are my rights? Our second learning cycle is called what are my responsibilities? And our final learning cycle is called what if something goes wrong at work? Let's make a start on our first learning cycle, what are my rights? Rights protect workers from being treated unfairly or unsafely.

These laws are apply to young people in part-time or weekend jobs.

Having rights helps everyone to feel safe, respected, and it makes sure that they're being treated fairly too.

You must be paid at least the national minimum wage for your age.

You should also be paid for all the hours you work, including any trial shifts.

You also have the right to see a pay slip showing what you've earned.

If you are not sure what the national minimum wage is, this information is available online.

If you're under 18, you should have a 30-minute break if you're working over 4.

5 hours, you should have two days off per week, and you should have a maximum 8-hour day or 40-hour week.

Employers must let you take breaks, even in busy jobs.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you are doing with this learning cycle.

Is this statement true or false? If you are under the age of 18, you do not have rights at work.

Is this true or false? You might want to talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is false, but why? You might have said that under the age of 18, you should have a 30-minute break if you are working over 4.

5 hours, two days off each week and a maximum of 8-hour day or a 40-hour week.

Well done if your answer was something like this.

You have the right to work in an environment that is not dangerous.

Employers must give training and equipment if this is needed for your role and your workplace.

You can't be asked to do tasks that are unsafe or too physically demanding for your age.

You should receive a written summary of your job terms, even in part-time jobs or jobs that are more casual.

This will include your pay, your working hours, your holiday allowance, so this means the amount of holiday that you're entitled to take, and you should also know who you report to.

For example, a manager.

You also have a right to be protected from discrimination at work.

It's unlawful for an employer to treat you unfairly because of a protected characteristic.

These are outlined in the Equality Act.

Everyone has the right to feel respected and included at work.

Let's do another check for understanding.

Which of these is a legal right for under-18s in the workplace? Is it A, a free lunch, B, a 30-minute rest break, C, a limited annual leave, so this means holiday, or D, getting paid in tips only? Which of these is a legal right for under-18s in the workplace? Pause the video, talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

You might have said that a 30-minute rest break is a legal right for under-18s in the workplace.

Well done if you said the same thing.

We're now moving on to your first practise task.

Well done for your hard work already.

What rights are not being respected here in Jack's scenario? Jack says, "I'm 16 and work six hours on a Saturday at my uncle's building yard.

I wasn't given a break and I was paid in cash with no pay slip." Can you decide what rights are not being respected here? Pause the video and we'll go through what you might have said in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

You might have said that Jack's right to a 30-minute break after 4.

5 hours and his right to a pay slip, which shows how much he's been paid and the hours he's worked, showing proper payment are not being respected.

Well done if you said the same thing.

We've now finished with our first learning cycle, and we're now going to answer the question in our next learning cycle, what are my responsibilities? Rights to protect workers; responsibilities help things to run safely and fairly.

No matter where you work or your workplace, everyone has a role in creating a respectful environment for everyone.

It's important to arrive on time to your job.

Being on time shows that you are reliable and are considerate of other people's time too.

Other people may depend on you starting your job on time and for example, there are other people whose shift might have finished and they can't leave until you show up.

Paramedic Courtney says, "If I'm late, someone doesn't get help when they need it." In this case, if Courtney was late to her shift, she might not be able to give someone medical help that they need.

It is also important to follow instructions and training, and this is another one of our responsibilities in the workplace.

Every job has rules and training for a reason, and this is often for health and safety reasons.

Ignoring any instructions or not listening could put others and yourself at risk.

Everybody needs to follow the health and safety rules at work.

Nurse Daniel says, "I follow every step of our health and safety policy.

One mistake could put a patient or my team at risk." Let's do a check for understanding.

Some of the Oak National Academy pupils are undertaking their work experience in a professional kitchen.

Can you spot the different ways in the picture that they're being responsible? Pause the video, talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

You might have said that they're wearing the correct clothing.

We can see that the Oak National Academy pupils are wearing hair nets and it looks like they're wearing aprons too.

They're also following the rules and they're listening carefully.

Well done if you spotted these things.

It's also important that we treat people with respect.

Respect means that we use polite language when talking to people, that we listen to others and we avoid being rude.

Every workplace relies on teamwork and professional behaviour, and treating people with respect is one of these professional behaviours that we're expected to do.

Police Officer Kofi says that, "Even when someone's angry, I stay calm and respectful.

That's part of my job." We also have a responsibility to look after equipment and the workplace.

Shared spaces and equipment needs care, whether it's a laptop, a kitchen, or specialist equipment.

For example, in a manual labour job.

Being careless can be dangerous or it can be expensive too.

Journalist Emily says, "I always pack and handle my recording equipment properly.

If it breaks, I can't do my job and it's expensive to replace." This shows how seriously Emily takes a responsibility that she needs to look after the equipment that's been provided to her by her job.

We also have a responsibility to speak up if something's wrong.

It's everyone's responsibility to report any problems, like broken equipment, unsafe behaviour, or something like bullying.

Speaking up helps you to protect yourself and others.

Social Worker Natalie says, "If I see something unsafe or unfair, I report it straight away.

That's part of keeping people safe." Let's do another check for understanding.

Is this statement true or false? Only people in medical jobs need to follow health and safety policies.

What do you think? Talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is false, but why? You might have said that all jobs have safety rules, including offices, shops and restaurants.

They're not just restricted to medical settings.

Well done if you said the same thing.

It's time to move on to your second practise task.

Bethan is starting a new job working on a building site.

Can you first of all answer the question, what should she do to show responsibility? And answer the second question, why does this matter on a building site? Pause the video and we'll go through some answers in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

For question one, what should Beth and do to show responsibility, you might have said that she should arrive on time, follow the health and safety rules, she should wear the appropriate clothing and personal protective equipment, she should listen carefully to instructions, and she should be respectful to other workers.

This helps to keep her and everyone around her safe.

For question number two, why does this matter on a building site, you might have said that because building sites are high-risk environments, which means that someone could easily get hurt, being responsible helps to prevent any accidents and it helps to keep everyone safe.

Well done if you said this or if you said something similar.

We're now moving on to our third and final learning cycle, what if something goes wrong at work? Sometimes things do go wrong at work.

I'd like you to have a think about the question, what kinds of problems could someone face at work? You might want to talk to the people around you about this or just have a think to yourself.

Let's have a look and see what you might have said.

Some problems at work can include unsafe conditions or practises, which means that it could be dangerous for someone to work in this condition or in this way.

Someone could unfortunately experience discrimination.

Someone could not have any training which puts them and others at risk.

There could also be problems with pay, for example, being paid unfairly.

And unfortunately bullying can also happen in the workplace.

Ms. Welsh says that, "It's not always easy to speak up, but ignoring a problem can make it worse.

Being responsible at work also means protecting your wellbeing and supporting others with their wellbeing too.

Everyone, no matter what their role, so, for example, if they are in a junior role or in a more senior role, everyone has the right to work in a safe and respectful environment." If something does go wrong, the first step is to talk to your line manager or supervisor, and it is your right to know who this person is or who you should report to in case of a problem.

You can explain what's happened, who was involved, and how this made you feel.

You don't have to have this conversation on your own, you could bring someone along with you if you feel nervous or if you're not sure what to say.

Care Assistant Nerys wants to share her story.

She says, "I told my manager I wasn't trained to use the care homes new hoist and that this made me feel uncomfortable as I was worried for resident safety.

She reassured me and arranged proper training before I used it again so I could feel more confident." Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing with this learning cycle.

Is this statement true or false, you should always try to handle problems alone and not involve others? What do you think, is this true or false? Pause the video, talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is false, but why? You might have said that it's not always easy to speak up, but by ignoring a problem or trying to solve something yourself, this can make it worse.

Getting support from a manager or a supervisor or whoever you report to may help to solve the problem safely and fairly, especially if it's something that affects your wellbeing or your working rights.

Well done if you got this right.

If the problem doesn't get sorted or if the problem continues, most workplaces have something called a formal complaints process.

This may involve human resources, often called HR, and this person or department helps with things like hiring, complaints, training and overall staff wellbeing.

You might need to put the issue in writing to formalise it, and again, you can ask someone to come with you or to help you do this for support.

In serious or emergency situations, you must report it straight away.

This could include someone being in danger, something like harassment, assault, or other safeguarding concerns when someone's safety or wellbeing is at risk.

In those cases, your safety comes first.

Let's do another check for understanding.

What should you do first if something goes wrong at work? Should you, A, complain to strangers, B, ignore it and carry on, C, calmly speak to your supervisor or manager, or D, post about it online? Pause the video, talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

You might have said that you should calmly speak to your supervisor.

By calmly speaking to your supervisor, you are helping to fairly and quickly resolve the problem.

By calmly speaking to your supervisor, you are taking the correct first step to making sure that a problem gets solved quickly and fairly.

Well done if you said the same thing.

It's time to move on to our final practise task, and well done for your hard work already.

I'd like you to read the scenario and I'd like you to answer the questions.

Chris is 17 and he works part-time in an office.

His supervisor often gives him too much work and tells him to stay late, even though he has school the next morning.

When Chris tries to speak up about the problem, the supervisor laughs and tells him to, "Toughen up." Question number one is what is the problem in this scenario? And question number two is what should Chris do next? Pause the video and we'll go through some potential answers in a few minutes.

Okay, let's have a look and see what you might have said.

For the first question, what is the problem in this scenario, you might have said that Chris is being treated unfairly and pressured to work hours that affect his education.

This goes against his rights.

And for question number two, what should Chris do next, you might have said that he should speak to his manager if they're a different person to his supervisor or to speak to someone from HR, which means human resources, and explain the situation calmly.

Well done if your answers were anything like this.

We're now going to summarise the key learning from today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we've learned that everyone has rights at work, including young people in weekend or holiday jobs, which can be more casual.

These legal rights include fair pay, regular rest breaks, and a safe working environment free from discrimination or unsafe conditions.

All workers also have responsibilities, such as being on time, following rules, and showing respect to customers and to colleagues.

If something does go wrong at work, it's important to speak up and to get support.

For example, from a manager, supervisor or Hr.

Knowing your rights and fulfilling your responsibilities helps to create a workplace that is safe, fair and professional for everyone.

Well done for your hard work today.

I hope to see you in another lesson soon.