My personal Workplace Observation Paper Essay

A great deal can be learned about an organization by analyzing and exploring the various aspects of an organizational observation. Currently I am employed at This ‘nÂ’ That, a discount retail store, which focuses on providing customers with quality products at a below market price. Organizational diversity, dress and language, and communication flow are all factors that influence my organizations culture. There are several factors that shape diversity in my workplace. Diversity can be a beneficial attribute or can cause dilemmas in the workplace. At This ‘nÂ’ That all the various factors of diversity are present, embraced and accepted. All of our staff at This ‘nÂ’ That has value for one another and are seen as equals. This allows for unproblematic diversity in our workplace. The main factors that create diversity in my workplace are age, race, and religion. My organization has employees from the age of 19 years old to the oldest of 67 years. I have yet to see that gap in age cause any conflict, if anything the age difference allows for constructive criticism and encourages growth as an organization. Race and religion allow for different view points which help form our workplace in an optimistic way. Diversity is about learning from others who are different (Schmidle, 2009). Diversity is dignity and respect for all, and about establishing settings and practices that encourage learning from others and capture the advantage of diverse perspectives. Dress and language is very critical to the perception and professionalism of the workplace. I do not feel that my workplaceÂ’s dress and language give off the professionalism that our organization is looking for. Our employees are permitted to wear whatever they desire. Some employees choose to wear sweat pants and shirts with sayings on them that could be offensive to some customers. I have witnessed several of our staff using offensive language when speaking to customers and during conversations between themselves. Customers who witness this offensive language may feel insulted and could lead to loss of customers. Attracting and retaining customers in a workplace culture is one that values and prioritizes respectful dress and language. Good workplace communication is vital to the success of any organization.  Communication is key to a strong business relationship; this can be the relationship between customers and employees. Communication at This ‘nÂ’ That consist of telephone calls, word of mouth, and a bulletin board for postings on needed information. The way our workplace communicates internally could be modernized, but has shown, thus far, to be efficient for our organization. Although internal communication has been successful, it is external communication that some of our employees lack. The ability to get a message across effectively is the public face of a business. Listening has shown to be an underdeveloped skill for some of our managers and employees, as customers are not getting the information and liaison they desire. Some of our managers complain about various things our customers do, for example: unremitting complaints regarding not putting stuff back in its place. These complaints lead to pessimistic attitudes amongst themselves, towards customers and other employees, which can also affect how communication flows to customers. The performance of my workplace can be improved by a combination of useful communication skills, which can be provided through training. Improving my workplaces communication skills will permit us to establish better working relations. Poor workplace communication skills will have harmful effects on our business relations and may result in decreased productivity. Organizational culture is the personality of the organization. Culture contains the assumptions, ethics, and norms of organizations members and their behaviors. Members of an organization quickly come to sense the particular culture of an organization. An organization’s culture develops to help it cope with its environment. Today, organizational leaders are confronted with various complex issues throughout their attempt to achieve organizational success. An organizations success will depend, to a vast degree, upon understanding organizational culture. References Schmidle, D. (2009). Catherwood Library. Cornell University. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/research/subjectGuides/workplaceDiversity.htm