1.4. Give examples of ways that do not work well when working with others

This guide will help you answer 1.4. Give examples of ways that do not work well when working with others.

Working with others is an essential part of being a support worker in health, social care, and children’s and young people’s settings. Good teamwork ensures that care is effective and meets the needs of those being supported. Unfortunately, there are behaviours and practices that can damage working relationships and reduce the quality of care. In this guide, we cover some examples of ways that do not work well when engaging with colleagues.

Poor Communication

Communication is vital in any team environment. When communication is unclear, incomplete, or absent, mistakes can happen, which can harm individuals being supported and frustrate colleagues. Examples of poor communication include:

• Failing to share important information about a person in your care
• Interrupting colleagues or not listening when they communicate their ideas
• Using a negative or judgemental tone that causes misunderstandings or conflict

Effective communication requires clear, concise, and timely sharing of information. When this does not happen, team members cannot work together efficiently.

Being Unreliable

When workers fail to fulfill their responsibilities, it places unnecessary strain on other team members. Examples of unreliable behaviour include:

• Arriving late to work, which impacts shift handovers and other staff
• Not completing tasks, such as updating records or assisting with care needs
• Withholding or delaying responses when others ask for help

When a team member is unreliable, it forces others to cover their duties. This can lead to resentment and feelings of frustration, harming the working environment.

Failing to Respect Different Roles

Every member of the care team has clear responsibilities, and each role is essential to providing high-quality service. Failing to respect someone’s position or undermining their authority creates problems within the team. For example:

• Questioning a colleague’s decision without proper reason
• Ignoring guidance or instructions provided by a senior staff member
• Taking over tasks that belong to someone else without discussing it or asking first

Not respecting others makes people feel undervalued, which is unproductive and unfair. It can also make staff less motivated.

Blaming Others

Pointing fingers when something goes wrong rarely helps solve the problem. Blame creates tension and divides teams. Examples of blame culture include:

• Criticising a colleague for missing a task without understanding the reasons behind it
• Publicly pointing out errors in a disrespectful way
• Using others as scapegoats for mistakes made

A caring working environment should promote problem-solving, not finger-pointing. Blame causes mistrust and reduces morale.

Being Resistant to Feedback

Feedback helps teams improve and ensures everyone is working towards common goals. When someone refuses to accept feedback or reacts negatively, it can hinder the team’s progress. Examples include:

• Becoming defensive when colleagues kindly suggest improvements
• Ignoring feedback that identifies areas for growth
• Taking constructive feedback as a personal attack

Feedback, when handled appropriately, supports professional development and encourages collaboration. Being overly resistant creates barriers to learning and improvement.

Displaying a Negative Attitude

A negative attitude affects everyone. When someone is overly pessimistic, it spreads doubt among colleagues and impacts the work environment. Examples include:

• Constantly complaining without offering solutions
• Speaking negatively about team members or management behind their backs
• Refusing to cooperate with new processes or changes

Such actions can make others feel demotivated or even stressed. Teams work better when positivity and encouragement are shared.

Working in Isolation

Care work is rarely an individual task. Choosing to work in isolation creates unnecessary complications for others. Examples of isolating behaviour include:

• Failing to consult team members when dealing with complex care situations
• Refusing to attend team meetings
• Avoiding social interactions with colleagues

This lack of collaboration affects care delivery and creates barriers to teamwork. Working together is always more effective.

Bullying or Harassment

Treating colleagues unfairly or disrespectfully impacts their morale and the whole team’s harmony. Examples of bullying or harassment include:

• Making sarcastic or rude comments about a colleague
• Excluding someone from team discussions intentionally
• Pressuring someone to take on tasks beyond their role

These behaviours show a lack of professionalism and create an unsafe work environment. Everyone deserves respect at work, no matter their role.

Refusing to Share Knowledge

In health and social care settings, knowledge sharing promotes the best practices and ensures continuity of care. Refusing to share information, help, or advice harms teamwork. This could include:

• Not explaining procedures to new colleagues
• Avoiding sharing important updates about a person being supported
• Guarding personal knowledge for self-gain instead of benefiting the team

Everyone is stronger when they support each other and share what they know.

Breaking Confidentiality

Confidentiality protects the rights and privacy of individuals, including colleagues. Breaking confidentiality can quickly ruin trust and damage professional relationships. Some examples of this include:

• Discussing personal matters about a colleague with others without permission
• Sharing sensitive work-related information in inappropriate settings
• Leaving records or notes unsecured

Respecting confidentiality builds trust among colleagues and promotes healthy working relationships.

Ignoring Diversity

Teams in care settings are often diverse, with members from different cultures, backgrounds, or age groups. Ignoring this diversity can lead to exclusion and conflict. Examples include:

• Making assumptions about someone’s abilities based on stereotypes
• Failing to consider cultural differences when working on tasks together
• Using language or behaviour that could be seen as discriminatory

Diversity strengthens a team, and being mindful of differences ensures everyone feels included and valued.

Not Offering Support

Support workers rely on one another to provide effective care. Refusing to help colleagues creates frustration and makes teamwork harder. Examples include:

• Avoiding requests for assistance when other team members are struggling
• Refusing to take on small additional tasks to reduce someone else’s workload
• Dismissing a colleague’s concerns or questions

Ignoring opportunities to support others weakens the team and disrupts the environment.

Failing to Manage Stress

Working in health and social care can be challenging. When someone lets their stress spill over into the workplace, it affects everyone. Examples of this include:

• Losing their temper with colleagues in stressful situations
• Venting frustrations inappropriately during team meetings
• Letting personal stress interfere with work tasks

Everyone experiences stress, but managing it effectively ensures it does not disrupt collaborative working efforts.

Conclusion

As a support worker, your actions not only impact those in your care but your colleagues too. By identifying behaviours that do not work well – such as poor communication, resistance to feedback, and undermining others – you can actively aim to avoid them. Understanding these examples helps to create a more positive team environment. Teams that treat one another with respect, professionalism, and support are far more effective in delivering the highest standard of care.