Unit 3: Employability

Lesson 9: Adapt to Change

OBJECTIVE

1. The person is able to adapt to changes in the training site or at work.

INSTRUCTIONAL FORMAT
Adapting to change and being flexible is a skill that is best taught by being "forced" to change. A person who is rigid and concrete in his or her thinking tends to have the most difficulty in adapting to change. Because of this, it is going to be difficult to teach this lesson on a cognitive level. For example, telling someone that they may have to change jobs every once in a while is not going to guarantee that the worker will make the change easily. Part of the battle is preparing the person for change; so, some of the responsibility falls on the trainer or work supervisor in the beginning. However, in order to focus the training on the student and not on a supervisor, use the following lesson in the classroom to try to help students overcome change in their routine.

1. Provide the students with some examples of how they may have to change at work. One example is a bagger at a grocery store who is asked to mop. Another example is when a person who usually cooks at a restaurant is asked to help clean up the parking lot. Ask the students if they have any examples based on their work experience.
   
   

2. Ask the students how they felt or how they think they would feel if they had a change in their routine. Remind students that everyone has to go through changes in their job routine. Sometimes it is for the better and they feel good about it, and sometimes it is for the worse and they feel bad about it. Remind them that when they are asked to make a change in their job, it is not because their boss is out to get them. There are always reasons for the change that management feel is best for the company, customers, and workers.
   
   

3. Discuss what to do if a worker is asked to make a change at her job. First, the worker should make the change without causing any trouble. Next, the worker should set up a time to speak to her supervisor to discuss the change. It is OK to ask about the reason for the change. The worker may or may not understand the reason, but at least she got a chance to discuss the issues about the change. Communication is important during any changes at work, but it is most important that the worker is able to adapt to the change.
   
   

4. The following are suggested techniques for workshop programs to help their workers adapt to change and prepare for changes they will face when they obtain competitive employment.
   

   • When a supervisor knows a change is going to occur in a worker's schedule or job, he should sit down and talk to the worker about the change. He should explain the change, why it is happening, when it is going to happen, and how the person might benefit.
     
     

   • When the person makes the change, a person should be available for support in case there are any problems.
     
     

   • When the person makes the change successfully, the supervisor or trainer should praise the individual and talk to her about how well things went. Reinforce the fact that they made the change and nothing terrible happened to them.
     
     

   • As the student experiences the positive aspects of this process, hopefully the amount of trainer involvement can be faded.
     

SIGNS OF GENERALIZATION
The student successfully makes changes at work or the training site.

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