portfolio check 2-one observation.docx

Observation Assignment Boyd Site Location: “Government Center Building”

Observation OneFriday, January 24, 2014Time: 1:30PM-2:00PM

Description of the Location: The Government Center Building is a public building where various city transactions take place. The observation area is the 9 th Floor. This area is comprised of offices along the walls and cubicles in the center. There is a break-room and bathroom at opposite ends of the halls. The CEO’s office is located on the 9th along with all our top executives. The conference room where I did the observation is affectionately called the fish bowl two large glass doors and a huge table with about 12 chairs around. From the conference room you have a direct line of sight to the elevators. All traffic coming and going on the ninth floor must come pass the conference room unless they opt to use one of the staircases located on each end of the hallway. The receptionist sits to the left of the conference room to greet visitors. This is typically a quiet floor and very professional as we get visitors from the outside and as stated the CEO works on this floor.

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Figured World: A figured world is a social community where there is a certain level of expectation regarding communication, dress and behavior.

The figured world under review will be fashion in the workplace. As the workplace is a

government agency the purpose would be to see if all the actors are sticking to a business casual

dress code. The definition of business casual is not set in stone so that needs to be defined.

Business casual is different for men and woman. For women it consists of slacks, dress, skirts,

blouses and cardigans, for men it is slacks, dress shirt, or dress polo. In addition, the building is a

public space meaning it has visitors, security personnel and a restaurant. The dress code does not

apply to those individuals but to those actors that are city employees.

In defining the expected behavior I’m looking for employees to be adorned in the

business casual style that was defined previously. However, there are several factors that will

alter this expectation. City employees have casual Friday when all employees are allowed to

wear jeans. There is a gym in the building which will also impact their dress at various times of

the day. Depending on your job function the dress would change (i.e. field employees.) While

clothes do not talk they speak volumes. Inappropriate dress such as; revealing clothes, super

short, or tight fitted can say a lot about the job you have and your judgment.

The various discourse communities I would expect are those that are very fashion

conscience, and concerned about their outward appearance. There will be a group that is

concerned but not overly if the outfit looks good and is clean they are good to go and finally

there will be those totally out of compliance and could care less about being out of compliance.

Actors: Individuals in the figured world that are under observation. They play a significant role because they establish if the defined behaviors are being adhered. In this observation actors will vary, depending on who passes the conference room. Anyone can fulfill the role of maintaining the standard of business casual in the workplace.

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Olaf Kinard: Director of Marketing and Communications of the Charlotte Area Transit Center. As a leader in this particular figured world, Olaf strives to make sure his conduct is beyond reproach and is very conscience of his dress, behavior and communication style. He has admitted to being color blind and on occasion will ask if things match because of that fact. Olaf is one actor that you would find it hard to catch him violating any workplace standards. Overall, Olaf’s role as an actor in this figured world is that of “business casual appropriate” or someone who is compliant with the rules or the figured world.

Wanda Braswell: Assistant to the CEO. Wanda is similar to Olaf in that she is your consummate professional. On casual Friday she is wearing a suit. While not a manager she manages the CEO and what is called the leadership team (comprised of all the top executives.) Wanda would never violate the standards of appropriate behavior, because she is viewed as a standard because of her position within the organization.

Unknown Employee: As stated this is a public building and CATS (Charlotte Area Transit System) shares the floor with other city departments. At any given time they are various employees on the floor. Some are in compliance with the dress code and others are not following the described behaviors of this figured world and as such play a vital part in this observation.

Artifacts: These are the tangible items, which will correlate to specific actors within the figured world and are culturally significant to the workplace as a whole.

Conference Room: It is assumed anyone in the conference room must be conducting business. In a meeting or waiting for a meeting to start. While it is glass and people can see in or out. You rarely will catch anyone looking directly in the room while a meeting is going on.

Leadership Team: This group carries the stigmatism of decision makers. The leaders of the organization and therefore, expectation of dress would be high on the scale.

Outfits/Dress: These will play a large part in the figured world because they set the standard for what is acceptable and unacceptable. This will be interesting since the definition of business casual is not clearly defined in City Policy.

Receptionist Desk: The area where visitors must in some sense be validated. Such things as: Do you belong on this floor? Why are you here? Did you make an appointment?

The Ninth Floor: It represents leadership. People do not want to work on the 9 th floor because it signifies you being under the watchful eye of leadership.

Discourse Communities: These are groups that will have similar behavior and dress within the figured world of the government center.

People with Titles: Leadership Team (Wanda & Olaf). Each one of these people is perceived as high on the food chain. They set the expectation of being properly groomed at all times. They also know they are being looked at an example of appropriate office behavior.

Office Workers: The unknown employees who pass the conference room going about their daily activities. Within this group it is broken out into a further discourse community. Those who are dress business casual appropriate and those who are not.

Visitors: These are people who come to the 9th floor to conduct some business with the City of Charlotte and have no expectation of dress or grooming put on them. However, a

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certain level of communication and knowledge is considered appropriate. (i.e. cell phone use, who do you want to see)

Literacy Practices: Are the expected behavior of the actors in the figured world. This would include their dress and grooming and certain basic office etiquette. This would include the interaction with others based on the outlined expected behavior.

Dress/Grooming: What you wear in on display. If entering a meeting with other workers not dressed in a business casual manner would cause a response. Whether it is outright or whispers some response would be manifest. Comments are quite often made such as; I like your shoes, or that is a nice dress, what a cute sweater.

Communication: The 9th floor is very quiet with it being the CEO’s floor the communication remains extremely professional when said where others can hear. In an email or low volume phone call other communication styles will be prevalent.

The Observation:

1:30PM-Karmalita receptionist is at her desk taking care of various tasks. She is present throughout the entire observation. Karmalita is wearing all navy (blouse, slacks, and shoes.)

1:30PM-Olaf is getting on the elevator to go get his usual drink refill at the Showmars restaurant in the building. He is wearing blue jeans, burgundy shirt, black belt and sneakers. He says to Karmilita “I will be right back.”

1:30PM-Wanda is going to pick her lunch up from Showmars that she called in earlier. She stops to ask me something but decides otherwise. Next she gets on her cellphone and proceeds on the elevator downstairs. Wanda is wearing a grey suit, white blouse, black shoes and stockings.

1:30PM-Unknown Employee steps off the elevator with a gym bag slung over his right shoulder wearing a pair of black sweat pants and a red t-shirt apparently returning from the gym.

1:32PM-Gracie our HR Manager is rushing out of the office making her way over to our South Tryon facility which is known to have employee issues. She has three pocketbooks and a folder in hand. Gracie is wearing brown slacks and boots with an orange coat. As the elevator doors open she immediately greets all those on the elevator.

1:33PM- Olaf returns from downstairs and enters the conference room. He wants to know what I’m doing. I explain the project he immediately leaves.

1:35- A male visitor arrives with two packages in his hand and immediately lets Karmalita know he has a bid proposal for the procurement department. He is wearing a navy pinstripe suit, white shirt, light blue tie and brown shoes.

1:37 Vanessa Stevenson arrives assistant to the procurement department to log the package and explain the next steps in the process for the visitor. She is wearing jeans, brown sweater, cream shirt and Ugg boots.

1:38PM-Chris the mailroom guy steps off of the service elevator with his mail cart. He is wearing navy pants and a stripe sweatshirt and beanie. He rolls his cart around the 9 th floor

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delivering mail and small discussion with various workers. He waves hey to me in the conference room.

1:40PM-Wanda returns from picking up lunch still on her phone head down and walking toward her office.

1:42-Celia Gray (leadership team member) comes to the 9 th floor via the steps to get coffee from the coffee club station. She is wearing all cream, khakis, sweater and shoes. She gets her mail from Karmalita looks to see who is in their cubes or office and moves on.

1:50PM-Ethan finance officer comes in conference room and asks me if I was busy. He wanted to ask me about the advertising breakout of revenue for bus and revenue for light rail. We talk for five minutes work related. Ethan is wearing navy jacket, khaki slacks and blue/white pinstripe shirt. Have a good weekend he says and moves along.

1:57PM-A meeting breaks up in the conference across the hall and 15 participants (men/women) wait in the corridor for the elevator to go down. The elevator is full three males wait for the next elevator. This is unspoken behavior in the government center that males will allow woman to enter the elevator first and then proceed inside.

Overall, in observation number one everyone noticed me but no one asked me what I was doing accept for my manager Olaf.

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portfolio check 2-one observation.docx

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