Report On Workday

Submitted By mal22
Words: 1741
Pages: 7

Behind the counter of the coffee shop where I work, space is very tight. Some workers make coffee while others ring through orders or make drink and still others try to get cleaning tasks done. In other words, we have very little separation from each other; everyone is weaving around, reaching over or behind and even occasionally bumping into each other. What kind of relationship develops from this kind of close-quarters environment? If you’re at all familiar with the general atmosphere of coffee shops, you won’t be surprised to hear that it’s a blend of friendship and professionalism. When you know you’re going to be spending extended amounts of time around certain people with very little personal space, the last thing you want to do is antagonize them. Therefore, the trending tone of conversation is positive, supportive and friendly.

When I start my workday, the first thing I do is greet my coworkers with a pleasant “Good Morning!” or “Hi guys!” and they reply, greeting me by name. The next interaction between us is related to our work place: either I will ask how the morning has been, or they will immediately inform me. In this way, we assure that we are all on the same page, with equal knowledge and awareness. The morning report consists of many things; common topics include: How busy has it been? If it’s been slow, what cleaning tasks have been done? If it’s been busy, what are we out of? What needs to be restocked? Are there any special orders to prepare for later in the day? Are there new products or equipment I haven’t seen yet? Have there been any especially interesting, awkward, embarrassing, adorable or otherwise unique customers in this morning? This first exchange of the morning is fundamentally informative, a habit that’s designed to get the newcomer up to speed so that they can be well prepared for the day ahead. Also, this morning report is a great bonding ritual for coworkers. If anything exciting has happened in our lives since we last worked together, now is the ideal time to share the news. It’s an opportunity to break from the routine of tasks and customer service to tell stories and communicate on a more personal level. It’s the time to get the coworker up to speed on your life and state of being so that they can get to know you better and understand what frame of mind you’re taking to the work you do today. For example, this morning when I got to work, the first thing I found out about my coworker was that she had called in sick the day before and still wasn’t feeling so great. In return, I expressed to her the state I was in: I had a pile of papers to write, presentations to plan and exams to study for, for school. Another coworker who came in to work later that day was excited to share with me right off the bat that she has a date this weekend. Our goal in these interactions was to be informative (to make sure that the other knew what state we were in coming to work) but we were also just interacting as friends, sharing the events of our lives. Coworkers at my coffee shop want to get to know each other in order to better enjoy each other’s company; ultimately the goal of our interactions is to make work an enjoyable place to be and to make the work day pass by quickly. It’s interesting to compare the interactions I have with coworkers to the interactions I have with customers across the counter. While both situations are professional – occurring at the work place – customer interactions have a very different tone. Talking to my coworkers, it’s clear that both parties are looking out for each other; there’s a sense of “we’re in this together.” For example, if I’m busy making drinks and notice that my fridge is almost out of milk for me to make lattes with, I can easily ask a coworker to refill my fridge without worrying that the request will be perceived as rude or out of place. In the same way, if I am free and notice that my coworker is running out of brewed coffee, I will help them by