This unit applies to team leaders/supervisors and those in similar roles who want to support social sustainability by making changes in their own area of responsibility and encouraging awareness in other parts of the organisation.
This unit applies to organisations in all sectors of the manufacturing industry and the associated value chains. It may also be applied to all sections of an organisation including, for example, the office, warehouse and factory.
This unit requires the use of metrics to monitor social sustainability; these may be developed by other people. The specific skills and knowledge to establish metrics for social sustainability are covered in:
MSS015019A Establish metrics for social sustainability.
Not applicable.
1 | Investigate social sustainability issues and practices | 1.1 | Review information about current industry practice in relation to social sustainability issues that may affect the work area |
1.2 | Identify legislative/regulatory requirements that relate to social sustainability issues and how they apply to the work area | ||
1.3 | Identify voluntary codes and standards that relate to social sustainability issues | ||
1.4 | Collect information on systems, procedures and work practices that have social sustainability implications | ||
1.5 | Identify how the organisation’s stated values, strategies and goals relate to social sustainability | ||
1.6 | Determine the relevance of the social sustainability issues and practices to the work area or work group |
2 | Engage stakeholders to identify social sustainability improvements | 2.1 | Identify stakeholders and their interest in social sustainability in the work area or work group |
2.2 | Facilitate activities to review current systems, procedures and work practices, and identify areas for improvement | ||
2.3 | Determine changes that are likely to achieve desired improvements | ||
2.4 | Evaluate the feasibility, benefits and costs of making the changes | ||
2.5 | Prioritise changes for action | ||
2.6 | Report suggestions for improvements that are beyond own area of responsibility to appropriate people |
3 | Implement changes | 3.1 | Source techniques/tools to assist in implementing the priority changes |
3.2 | Plan for budget, personnel, other resources and approvals that will be required | ||
3.3 | Seek approval to make changes, as needed | ||
3.4 | Allocate tasks and responsibilities to team or work group members | ||
3.5 | Implement the approved changes | ||
3.6 | Monitor progress and implement strategies to address barriers and/or resistance to changes |
4 | Analyse and interpret social sustainability data | 4.1 | Use social sustainability metrics to identify current performance and track changes |
4.2 | Analyse and interpret data to identify the implications for social sustainability activities | ||
4.3 | Document outcomes and communicate them to stakeholders |
5 | Promote engagement with social sustainability | 5.1 | Encourage equitable participation from all stakeholders |
5.2 | Use behaviours and work practices that support social sustainability in own work and communications | ||
5.3 | Encourage proper application of procedures that support engagement | ||
5.4 | Use change management strategies to promote change | ||
5.5 | Present accurate information targeted to stakeholder interests/needs | ||
5.6 | Identify achievements and promote them throughout the organisation |
Required skills |
Required skills include: researching and interpreting information about social sustainability and how it applies to the organisation and the work area planning and implementing activities to achieve outcomes modelling desired behaviours using and interpreting numerical data in relation to social sustainability presenting information targeted to diverse stakeholders applying strategies that support change applying techniques that encourage participation and inclusion |
Required knowledge |
Required knowledge includes: social sustainability issues that may affect the work area or work group, for example: human rights/exploitation in the supply chain purchasing/procurement decisions that may affect employment, supply and quality of food and water, heritage, and access to services of communities in the supply chain community concerns and perceptions diversity in the workplace procedures that support equity, participation and staff engagement procedures for managing performance, addressing bullying, discrimination and harassment, and providing skills and development work conditions programs that target local recruitment the impact of environmental issues on people’s health and lifestyle current industry practices to address social sustainability issues, such as: incorporating social sustainability criteria into procurement decisions and tenders amending/developing new procedures programs that target local community issues programs that engage with local community and organisations financial and other support for charities working with social enterprises legislative/regulatory requirements that have social sustainability implications, such as: Competition and Consumer Act 2010 Commonwealth and state/territory anti-discrimination legislation Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 State/territory and local government planning legislation industrial relations legislation and awards voluntary codes and standards that have social sustainability implications, such as: Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) ISO 26000:2010 Guidance on social responsibility industry codes, principles and covenants the organisation’s processes for implementing initiatives, amending procedures, making recommendations and reporting change management strategies factors that contribute to lack of engagement, discrimination and poor participation in the workplace techniques to encourage participation, communication and respect in the workplace approaches to measuring social sustainability |
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Overview of assessment | A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to engage stakeholders in identifying and making social sustainability improvements within the work area and promote awareness about social sustainability to others in the organisation. |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include: identifying the social sustainability implications of the organisation’s systems, procedures and work practices analysing and interpreting data on social sustainability prioritising, planning and implementing changes within own area of responsibility and within organisational approvals and procedures using techniques/strategies to encourage participation from stakeholders using techniques/strategies to promote change. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment. Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace. This unit of competency may be assessed with other relevant units addressing sustainability at the enterprise level or other units requiring the exercise of the skills and knowledge covered by this unit. The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team. |
Method of assessment | In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly. Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability. The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work-like environment. |
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
Techniques and tools | Techniques and tools may include: visual workplace concepts measurement, display and/or recording devices changed work practices/procedures competence development and awareness training group activities external advice/services |
Social sustainability metrics | Social sustainability metrics refers to quantifying the social aspects of sustainability which are typically ‘intangible’ and hard to measure. This is done by using indicators and estimations |
Equitable participation | Equitable participation can be encouraged using activities and strategies, such as: protocols for communication and providing feedback rewarding innovation and initiative encouraging suggestions and implementing them, as feasible recognition and reward programs activities that recognise different ways of communicating and/or thinking, e.g. verbal, written and visual encouraging respect for cultural diversity, diverse interests and differing opinions using interpreters or translated information addressing barriers to communication |
Procedures that support engagement | Procedures that support engagement typically cover issues such as: training and development progression and promotion hours of work and work-life balance work conditions and leave entitlements access to facilities and amenities performance reviews and performance management recognition and reward bullying, discrimination and harassment |
Change management strategies | Change management strategies should be relevant to the work area and level of responsibility of the learner and may include: case studies from similar businesses finding champions within the organisation promoting internal success stories/runs on the board identifying the benefits of social sustainability targeted to stakeholder interests/needs |
Stakeholders | Stakeholders include individuals and groups within the organisation and the value chain that have a direct interest in the enterprise's conduct, actions, products and services, such as: employees management shareholders customers suppliers regulatory bodies other organisations specialists who may have particular technical expertise |
Unit sector | Sustainability |
This unit contains employability skills.
No occupational licensing requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.