2.3 Explain the importance of working in ways that are agreed with your employer

This guide will help you answer 2.3 Explain the importance of working in ways that are agreed with your employer.

Working in ways agreed with your employer is a key part of your role as a care and support worker. It ensures you carry out tasks correctly, legally, and safely. Employers have clear policies and procedures that guide how care staff should work. These are based on regulations, laws, and the needs of the people receiving care.

By sticking to agreed ways of working, you help maintain high standards, ensure safety, and promote good outcomes for individuals. Let’s take a look at why it is so important.

Meeting Legal Requirements

Care organisations are guided by UK laws and regulations. These include:

• The Health and Social Care Act 2012 – sets out the standards of care and support services must meet.
• The Care Act 2014 – ensures individuals receive person-centred care that meets their needs.
• GDPR/Data Protection Act 2018 – protects the privacy of personal data.
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – promotes safety in the workplace.
• Equality Act 2010 – ensures everyone is treated fairly and without discrimination.

Agreed ways of working reflect these laws. For example, if your employer has a policy on lifting and handling, following this ensures you comply with health and safety laws. Not following these can lead to serious legal consequences for you and your employer.

Providing Safe and Effective Care

When you follow your employer’s agreed ways of working, you provide safe care. Agreed ways cover areas such as infection control, medication management, safeguarding, and moving and handling. These are essential to protect individuals from harm.

Take moving and handling as an example. You may need to use equipment such as hoists to help someone move. The agreed methods ensure you use the equipment correctly to avoid injuring the person or yourself. Following training and guidelines in this area is non-negotiable as it involves safety.

Safe care isn’t just about physical safety. It also includes emotional safety. Agreed ways often provide frameworks for communication, promoting dignity, and supporting respect. People using care services deserve to feel valued, listened to, and treated well.

Protecting Individuals’ Rights

Your employer’s policies and procedures are designed to protect the rights of the people you care for. For example:

• Promoting choice so individuals control decisions about their care.
• Preserving dignity and privacy.
• Acting in ways that respect cultural, religious, or personal preferences.

These are not optional. Agreed ways of working ensure consistency in respecting these rights. For example, your organisation’s care plans should detail the individual’s preferences, and it’s your responsibility to follow them. Ignoring agreed ways could mean disrespecting someone’s rights, which would not be acceptable.

Consistency of Care

Care and support workers often work in teams. There may be times when you are covering for another worker or supporting a new individual. Agreed ways of working help ensure consistency.

For example:

• Everyone following the same process to safely administer medication.
• Staff using the same approach to support someone’s mobility.
• Agreed methods for recording and reporting incidents so nothing is missed.

When everyone works in the same way, the quality and safety of care remain steady. Consistency also helps individuals feel safe and secure. People receiving care often rely on their routines and clear communication. Sticking to agreed methods helps to avoid confusion, distress, or mistakes.

Building Trust

Individuals, families, and other professionals need to trust your organisation and its staff. They need to know you will act professionally, follow agreed protocols, and respect confidentiality. Trust is built through consistently doing what you say you will.

For instance, families entrust care workers with their loved ones’ wellbeing. If you stick to agreed ways such as showing up on time, using protective clothing if required, or recording concerns promptly, it shows reliability. Breaking trust—for example, by not following health and safety procedures or ignoring care plans—can damage relationships and lead to complaints.

Supporting Compliance With Training and Standards

As a care worker, you receive training on key topics such as safeguarding, fire safety, infection control, and medication handling. These training sessions reflect national standards and your employer’s agreed ways of working. If you don’t follow what you’ve been trained to do, there could be serious consequences.

For example, infection control training may include proper handwashing techniques and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). If these practices are ignored, it increases the risk of spreading infections among individuals and staff. Employers expect staff to integrate their training into daily work.

Meeting inspection and regulatory standards also relies on agreed working methods. In the UK, services are inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). They look at how staff follow policies and procedures. Poor compliance affects service ratings and credibility.

Preventing Miscommunication

Agreed ways often include how staff should communicate. This applies both to team communication and interactions with individuals or their families.

For example:

• Using agreed formats for reporting incidents or concerns.
• Following the escalation procedure if someone needs additional care or there is a safeguarding issue.
• Asking questions or raising issues during team meetings or supervision sessions.

Clear communication prevents errors. For example, if staff know to use specific forms or digital systems to record medication administration, it reduces the risk of incorrect dosages being given.

Protecting Yourself as a Worker

Following your employer’s ways of working isn’t just about protecting others—it also protects you. If things go wrong and you’ve worked outside agreed processes, you could face disciplinary action or even legal consequences.

For example:

• Administering medication without following the care plan is unsafe. If a mistake happens, you won’t have followed the procedure that protects against human error.
• Ignoring manual handling techniques could lead to injury. Not following agreed methods could leave you liable for carelessness or negligence.

If you always follow your employer’s processes, you can show you did your job correctly if issues arise. These processes exist to keep you, the people you care for, and your colleagues safe.

How to Check Your Employer’s Agreed Ways of Working

To work in agreed ways, you need to know what they are. Here are ways you can stay informed:

• Policies and Procedures Manual: Your employer should have written guidelines. These may be provided digitally or in folders in your workplace.
• Training Sessions: Attend all mandatory training. Ask for additional training if certain areas feel unclear.
• Care Plans: These detail instructions for looking after individuals. Following care plans is a fundamental part of agreed ways of working.
• Team Meetings and Briefings: Attend meetings where updates or changes may be given.
• Supervision: Use one-to-one meetings with your manager to clarify any uncertainties.

If you’re unsure about policies or what’s expected, always ask for guidance. Following agreed methods depends on understanding them.

What Happens When You Don’t Follow Agreed Ways?

Not following agreed ways can have serious consequences:

• For Individuals: They may be put at risk of harm or not receive proper care. Their needs may be overlooked. For example, failing to carry out a risk assessment could cause someone to trip and fall.
• For You: You might face disciplinary action, lose trust within your team, or even face legal action.
• For Your Employer: Complaints or a poor inspection rating could damage their reputation and place services under threat.

Agreed ways are non-negotiable for a reason: they promote safety and reliability.

Bringing It All Together

Working in ways that are agreed with your employer is at the heart of delivering high-quality care. It is about protecting individuals, promoting their rights, ensuring safety, and meeting legislative requirements.

As a care and support worker, understanding and following your employer’s policies and procedures helps you:

• Provide safe, consistent, and respectful care.
• Protect people’s legal rights and privacy.
• Comply with your training and organisational standards.
• Keep yourself and others safe.

Always take the time to understand the agreed ways of working in your organisation. Ask about anything you’re unsure of. Doing so strengthens trust, leads to better care outcomes, and ensures that you, your colleagues, and those you support remain safe within a well-organised, professional environment.