7CO01 Work and Working Lives in a Changing Business Environment

Introduction

Your knowledge and understanding of the material covered in this core unit will be assessed through your answers to four of the questions listed below. Your assessor will let you know which questions you are to answer. You are expected to complete all the learning for the unit, irrespective of which questions you are asked to answer.

The four questions will be drawn from different learning outcomes, featuring one assessment criterion in each learning outcome. These questions encompass a wide range of generalist HR, OD & L&D subject areas.

You will write four answers of approximately 1000 words to the questions posed and submit them together in a single document. This constitutes your assessment for this unit. The total word count for the assessment will therefore be 4000 words, plus or minus 10%. The bibliography or list of references is not included in the total word count.

You must demonstrate within the submitted evidence (through headings and sub-headings) which learning outcomes and assessment criteria you have addressed. We are unable to moderate your work if this is not included.

As this is an Advanced Level Diploma, it is important that you are able to demonstrate not only good knowledge and understanding of the material associated with each learning outcome, but also the ability to develop an original argument and justify it persuasively with reference to wider reading. Examples of approaches taken in a range of organisations are also an effective means by which to justify your arguments.

The six main criteria that CIPD requires centres to use when marking your assessment are outlined below, but it may be that not all these criteria are present in every question.

(1) focus

(2) depth and breadth of understanding

(3) strategic application and professional advice

(4) research and wider reading

(5) persuasiveness and originality

(6) presentation and language

Watch the supporting video for this unit: https://youtu.be/0z63NQppx-U.

Case study

PrimeReach Care is a government funded, acute health care service to around 500,000 people in its local region. Located across multiple, geographically dispersed sites, it employs over 15,000 people in a wide variety of professional and ancillary roles and maintains a variety of important partnerships with dozens of other organisations.

PrimeReach Care has faced very substantial challenges in recent years. Some, like the covid pandemic were exceptional, but thankfully quite short-lived. Others, such as a fast-aging population and the emergence of some chronic skills shortages in key areas, are longer term in nature, but equally concerning in terms of their potential impact on PrimeReach Care’s capacity to provide the highest standards of healthcare. Skills shortages in some specialist areas are becoming increasingly severe. PrimeReach Care has plugged gaps by recruiting overseas but is finding it hard to retain these recruits for longer periods of time. 

During 2024, employee voice activities highlighted that groups of staff were dissatisfied about pay and conditions within the organisation. This has now abated due to significant government-funded pay rises, but discontent among staff in respect of terms and conditions continues to simmer. Staff retention is a particular current challenge, as is absence. A higher percentage of PrimeReach Care’s employees are currently taking extended periods of sick leave than has ever been the case before, and in over 50% of these cases poor mental health comprises at least one of the causes.

Senior managers at PrimeReach Care have recently attended a briefing given by ministers and officials, at which some very clear messages were communicated regarding the next five years. The most important concerned funding. Put simply, health care services like PrimeReach Care should plan for very tight, ongoing financial settlements in the next five years. They should not expect above-inflation increases in their regular operating budgets, which include pay for staff. Any additional funds that become available will be focused specifically on priorities such as bringing waiting lists and waiting times down. Capital budgets will also be very constrained, reducing the availability of funds for new buildings and equipment. Repair bills will have to be met out of current expenditure. Substantial efficiency improvements and increased productivity are both needed and expected. 

Senior Managers have asked the People Department to provide recommendations about appropriate future actions at PrimeReach Care in some key areas. You work in a generalist, mid-level People management role on PrimeReach Care’s main site but are considered to be someone who is appropriate for promotion into a more senior role on completion of your studies. The People Director has asked you to provide answers to the following questions that will provide insight into some of the major challenges facing PrimeReach Care and help to inform the recommendations.

Questions

Question 4 (AC1.4)

Appraise the potential long-term consequences on work, employment and management practices at PrimeReach Care, arising from published forecasts about the economy over the coming three years. (AC 1.4)

Question 6 (AC2.2)

Assess the likely impact of the government’s current economic policies, on the people practice agenda within the healthcare sector.  (AC 2.2)

Question 10 (AC3.2)

Examine how best to tackle resistance to cultural change at PrimeReach Care, including making specific recommendations about this. The driver for this is the productivity improvement agenda that PrimeReach Care expects to become an increasingly prominent feature of its people management activity over the coming three years.  (AC 3.2) 

Question 13 (AC 4.1)

Examine the ethics of proposed initiatives for the use of HR surveillance technologies at PrimeReach Care, including those which keep a record of computer usage both on site and at home, and ‘wearables’ which track someone’s location during their working day. (AC 4.1)

Declaration of Authentication

Declaration by learner

Marking Grid

Learners will receive a Pass, Merit, Distinction or Refer/Fail result at unit level.

You should mark in line with the generic grade descriptors provided on the last page of this brief.

You must provide a mark from 1 to 4 for each Learning Outcome in the unit. You must provide constructive, developmental feedback for each Learning Outcome where you award a mark of one, so refer/fail. If it is your Study Centre’s policy, you can also provide constructive, developmental feedback for learning outcomes where you award a mark of two or above. In both cases, you must provide rich summary feedback at the end of the feedback form, following the instructions provided there.

To pass the unit assessment learners must achieve a 2 (Pass) or above for each of the learningoutcomes.

The overall mark achieved will dictate the grade the learner receives for the Unit, provided NONE of the learning outcomes have been failed or referred.

Learners’ result should be recorded in a marking grid similar to the example below.

Marking grid:

EXAMPLE Marking grid and feedback for learner – 7CO01

This is an example feedback form. You will need to amend it so that it specifies the correct questions for the moderation window in which you’re submitting learners’ results.

where you have awarded a mark of 1. This feedback should be developmental.

*This must be a true signature, so a handwritten signature, or a photo or scan of a handwritten signature, or an e-signature. A typed signature is not acceptable.