Unit 4, 1.1 "Describe and compare the cultures of different Creative Media workplaces."
Working in a similar practice as someone else doesn’t at all eliminate room for contrast between working environments.
Working in a similar practice as someone else doesn’t at all eliminate room for contrast between working environments.
My fellow apprentices and I work in the creative media industry, some roles similar and some not so similar. Some of the companies you may of heard of both big and small companies but still very busy, recognized and respected.
I have discussed with my fellow apprentices in a group and individually our places of work and their role, from these discussions I am able to make comparisons between my workplace and theirs.
Apprentice: Ellie
Work placement: Webra, a multimedia company who concentrate mostly on web design, and 2D/3D animation.
Role: Production assistant to the managing director. This also involves general administration and various other creative tasks.
Dress code: Dress code can vary in the office. The general dress code is smart-casual but if I have to attend important meetings with the producer, then smart clothes are appropriate. I think everyone generally comes to the office looking presentable which is appropriate if clients want to pop into the office unexpectedly.
Time off: I would usually email the producer to ask for it off, with plenty of notice. I can work another day to work the time back if we do not want to actually take our holiday pay at that time which I think is a great. Also, our offices close for 2 weeks over Christmas, which is part of our holiday pay. I believe I get 16 days holiday over the year.
Language: Swearing is something that generally isn't done in the office. No one seems to swear very much.
Office atmosphere: Everyone is very respectful and polite to each other. It's a very calm and creative atmosphere as 3 out of the 5 people in the workplace are under 21. This creates a great buzz in the office and the only time there is conflict is when we are bouncing off each other for creative ideas!
I haven’t heard of Webra before but it is the closest to my line of work out of all of my fellow apprentices work placements (Web design). However Ellie and me are in completely different roles from each other but cross over into each other’s line of work ever so slightly. Ellie handles general administrative tasks and touches on some creative tasks, where as my main focus is on creative design tasks such as design for web and print and rarely have to deal with anything administrative. When it comes to dress code our dress codes aren’t to far apart, Ellie mentioned that at her place of work colleagues tend do dress smart-casual and if attending an important meeting then smart clothes are appropriate. My workplace doesn’t require me to dress a particular way, most people dress casual but they are a good number of colleagues who dress smartly as they have regular meetings with clients.
Work placement: Webra, a multimedia company who concentrate mostly on web design, and 2D/3D animation.
Role: Production assistant to the managing director. This also involves general administration and various other creative tasks.
Dress code: Dress code can vary in the office. The general dress code is smart-casual but if I have to attend important meetings with the producer, then smart clothes are appropriate. I think everyone generally comes to the office looking presentable which is appropriate if clients want to pop into the office unexpectedly.
Time off: I would usually email the producer to ask for it off, with plenty of notice. I can work another day to work the time back if we do not want to actually take our holiday pay at that time which I think is a great. Also, our offices close for 2 weeks over Christmas, which is part of our holiday pay. I believe I get 16 days holiday over the year.
Language: Swearing is something that generally isn't done in the office. No one seems to swear very much.
Office atmosphere: Everyone is very respectful and polite to each other. It's a very calm and creative atmosphere as 3 out of the 5 people in the workplace are under 21. This creates a great buzz in the office and the only time there is conflict is when we are bouncing off each other for creative ideas!
I haven’t heard of Webra before but it is the closest to my line of work out of all of my fellow apprentices work placements (Web design). However Ellie and me are in completely different roles from each other but cross over into each other’s line of work ever so slightly. Ellie handles general administrative tasks and touches on some creative tasks, where as my main focus is on creative design tasks such as design for web and print and rarely have to deal with anything administrative. When it comes to dress code our dress codes aren’t to far apart, Ellie mentioned that at her place of work colleagues tend do dress smart-casual and if attending an important meeting then smart clothes are appropriate. My workplace doesn’t require me to dress a particular way, most people dress casual but they are a good number of colleagues who dress smartly as they have regular meetings with clients.
When I would like take time off I have to log into a web application to request time off which needs to be approved by my manager, I can see why this system is used as there are a lot employees to keep track of so it helps keep track of who’s off and what dates, whereas my fellow apprentice Ellie has to email the producer to request time off.
Swearing is a language I hardly hear in my office, so that is something Ellie and me’s work environment share. I personally don't swear that much so that’s something I would ever do in my place of work.
1.2 Describe examples of challenging behaviours and issues in the workplace and 1.4 Explain the impact of different behaviours and conduct in the workplace
WHAT IS DIFFICULT OR CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR
Behaviour that upsets another person can be defined as difficult. The behaviour is a problem once it is harmful or stressful to the other person’s involved.
The term ‘challenging behaviour’ is used as a way to label a person’s actions as challenging, rather than label the person as the problem.
In the work place difficult or challenging behaviour can include:
- Aggression, with or without threats.
- Noisiness.
- Manipulation.
- Wandering.
- Intoxication.
- Intrusive behaviour.
- Refusing assistance.
- Suspiciousness, accusations.
- Verbal offensiveness.
Gareth knows the business very well; he’s always on time and is generally well-mannered, though not really engaging with customers. When customers request for help, he knows what to do and does it proficiently. On the other hand he does, talk a lot with his colleagues a bit much with less concern when customers are around.
In this example I believe it is likely for a customer to make a complaint to the manager which is the correct action to take rather than complaining to Gareth directly as he could continue this behaviour without change but by informing the manager the complaint can be recorded and action can be taken to prevent Gareth from continuing this behaviour.
Some Customers may find Gareth rude, some may not mind as longs he is polite and some would prefer he paid them more attention. In extreme cases a negative or poor experience for a customer could turn them away from shopping at a certain store completely. Colleagues of Gareth may be distracted by his talkative approach to work but could find it difficult to tell him to stop as they might fear coming across rude.
Example2
Kate has been with the company for a couple of years. She is always
pleasant with co-workers and customers and seems to perform her
job well. Kate is often late in the morning, sometimes looking quite
hurried as she rushes to her desk or an early morning meeting. You
have heard a couple of co-workers grumble about her tardiness. Kate
once told you at lunch that getting to work on time is a struggle since
she is not a morning person.
1.3 Explain the role of key people to inform in relation to these examples
In relation to Challenging behavior, it is important to handle any challenging situation correctly by following procedures outlined by your employer by informing the correct personnel, such as your manager or advised and approved figure of authority.
It is your managers job to make all the work is being completed to satisfaction etc but it also to make sure employees are safe....
It is your managers job to make all the work is being completed to satisfaction etc but it also to make sure employees are safe....
