Helping Others to Thrive
How Will This Session Help Me Get Ready For Work?
Success at work is not just about doing your own job well; it is also about helping your teammates succeed. Helping others is not about doing their work for them or showing off; it is about sharing your knowledge kindly and making sure everyone feels included! By learning how to support colleagues and involve every team member, you will build the workplace wisdom needed to be a brilliant teammate and leader.
Questions to get started
"Think about a time when you started something new—like a job, a course, or a hobby—and someone helped you out. What did they say or do that made a real difference?"
"When you see a workmate or classmate struggling with a task, what is a polite way to offer your help without making them feel stupid?"
"If a new person joins your team who seems quiet or shy, how can you help them feel included and part of the group?"
Focused Virtues
The Focused Virtue for this session is Wisdom.
Wisdom gives us the insight to understand what others need, share our knowledge thoughtfully, and build a fair, welcoming environment for everyone.
Ask Yourself: "Can I grow in wisdom to support my workmates, share my skills kindly, and help my whole team thrive?"
Share your knowledge, help others grow.
Skills Development:
Helping colleagues thrive at work takes true wisdom. Wisdom helps us look beyond our own daily tasks so we can support others and build a strong, united team.
First, practise mentoring others. Mentoring means sharing your skills and workplace experience to help someone else learn and grow. Wisdom means seeing how to help—explaining how tasks work, answering their questions, and encouraging them as they build their confidence—rather than just taking over and doing it for them.
Second, offer practical support. When a workmate is under pressure or facing a difficult task, offering a helping hand makes a huge difference. Wisdom helps you notice when someone is struggling, listen to what they need, and offer help or encouragement to help them get through.
Finally, be inclusive. A wise worker makes sure no one gets left out. Being inclusive means valuing different backgrounds, listening to everyone’s ideas, and making sure every member of the team feels welcome and respected.
By mentoring others, offering timely support, and including everyone, you build workplace wisdom and help your whole team thrive together.
Interview Practise: Case Studies and Questions
"Can you give an example of a time when you helped a friend, or classmate learn a new skill or overcome a problem?"
"How do you make sure that everyone on your team feels included and listened to during group tasks?"
Case Study
Sam is an experienced worker at a busy supermarket. A new colleague, David, has just joined the team. English is David’s second language, and he seems quiet and unsure about how to use the scanning equipment. During the morning, Sam notices David falling behind and looking stressed, while other team members carry on with their own work without stopping. How can Sam help David feel confident and succeed?
Guidance and Resources for Facilitators
Many starters focus primarily on their individual responsibilities when starting a job, often unaware of how peer support and inclusion contribute to overall workplace success. Also, those with valuable experience may feel unsure how to guide others without sounding bossy. As a facilitator, your role is to guide them using wisdom—helping them mentor patiently, offer practical help, and foster an inclusive, welcoming team environment.
Core Concepts & Background Information
Use these key ideas to support your group:
1. Mentoring
- Guiding vs. Dictating: Mentoring is about supporting someone else’s development by sharing knowledge, listening, and offering constructive feedback. It requires patience and wisdom to let the learner practice and make small mistakes safely.
- Building Long-Term Confidence: Effective mentoring builds independence in others rather than making them reliant on you.
2. Supporting Others
- Recognising Need: Supporting colleagues starts with awareness—noticing physical signs of overload, stress, or confusion in workmates.
- Practical & Emotional Help: Wisdom involves offering appropriate support, whether that means sharing a physical task, clarifying instructions, or offering a reassuring word during a busy shift.
3. Being Inclusive
- Valuing Diversity: Inclusion means actively involving every team member regardless of their background, language ability, or personality.
- Removing Barriers: Wise team members adapt their communication (e.g., using clear language, giving people time to speak) so everyone can contribute equally.
Overcoming Common Barriers
1. The "It Is Not My Job to Help" Barrier
- Reframing: Entry-level workers sometimes think they should only focus on their own assigned checklist. Reframe helping others as a sign of workplace wisdom and leadership that managers notice and value.
- Simple Prompts:
- "How does helping a teammate complete their job actually make your own work day easier?"
- "Why is a team that supports each other more successful than individuals working alone?"
2. Communication & Shyness Gaps in Teamwork
- Reframing: EAL or quiet learners may hesitate to offer help or join in discussions because they worry about making language errors. Frame inclusion as a shared responsibility—wise teams make space for everyone to communicate in ways they feel comfortable with.
- Simple Prompts:
- "What can you do to make sure a quiet colleague gets a chance to share their idea?"
- "What are simple ways to offer help without using complicated words?"
3. Classroom Activity: The Mentoring & Support Role-Play
- Pair up learners. Give them a scenario (e.g., "A new colleague is struggling to fill in a daily log sheet or use a piece of equipment"). Have one partner act as the wise mentor using three clear steps:
- 1. Check in kindly: "How are you getting on with this task?"
- 2. Show and explain: Demonstrate the step simply and clearly.
- 3. Encourage: Let the partner try it themselves while offering positive feedback.
Delivery Tips for the Session
- Keep Tone Warm & Collaborative: Emphasise that helping others creates a positive working culture where everyone feels supported.
- Model Inclusive Language: Use clear, straightforward English and encourage learners to avoid jargon or slang when explaining tasks to others.
- Celebrate Peer Support: Highlight real-life examples during group activities where learners support, listen to, or encourage one another.