Observation Work

Introduction

In this task, I had the chance of observing three adults as they went about their meals in a food store. The environment in which those observed were working was a food store in the local area where many people visit for lunch meals and evening coffee drinks. The food store was small and only had three workers as servants or waiters together with the cashier who collected money from the clients visiting it. However, it is vital to note that the four individuals are the one I could meet at the front office of the food store. Admittedly, there must have been other workers at the back office like cooks, chefs, and the managers but they were not readily visible. In this paper, I choose to focus on three clients of the food store whom I had the chance of observing when I went to the venue to have my lunch meal.

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The three individuals observed included two ladies and one male person. From their countenance and overall physical appearances, all the three individuals were aged between 28 and 36 years old. At the time of observation, the male client was seated at one table sipping a glass of fresh juice together with snacks. I could not clearly recognize the type of snacks he was using then. He was dressed in a nice sleek blue suit which showed he must have been a white-collar job worker with an office. Moreover, this male person also appeared highly composed, slow and not worried with time as he took his refreshment in the food store. Being a lunchtime break, it implied that the male person must have been in a position of power and influence at his workplace. He was not somebody under strict instructions and supervisions hence could manage to spend time freely.

In a workplace, junior workers are always under strict supervisions and tend to be in a hurry to return to work while in the lunch break. The reason for their hurries and worries when off work for lunch is always the fact that any delay to return on to duty attracts harsh penalties given to them by their seniors (Kostic & Chadee, 2014). However, the situation is quite different for those who are in positions of influence like managers since they have power. They are not followed around and have the chance of working independently (Whaley & Samter, 2013). I could see the male person checking his smart-phone intermittently apparently to browse and chat with friends on social media platforms. It took him a period of over one hour to finish the refreshment. He did not leave immediately, but ordered for the daily newspaper and started to read it while at ease and relaxed.

The other two females were in the company of each other. I noticed they were together because they could be seen talking to each other and laughing as they hurriedly had their meals. This close chat between them showed they were related, probably as workmates (Epstein & Dodd, 2012). They were also taking drinks with snacks. The situation was quite different for them since they appeared to be in hurry to return to their work. They also had their long-sleeved tops rolled-up indicating that they worked manually. The kind of worry that filled their visages showed that they must have been in junior work positions. Specifically, they looked like manual workers who had to finish their meals before it was late to resume duties. In fact, they used only fifteen to finish their meals and walked over to the cashier. They could not afford to squander even a moment in the hotel. These are the non-verbal communications I got from my observation of the three individuals in the hotel.

References

Epstein, I., & Dodd, S. J. (2012). Practice-based research in social work: A guide for reluctant researchers. London: Routledge.

Kostic, A., & Chadee, D. (Eds.). (2014). The social psychology of nonverbal communication. New York City: Springer.

Whaley, B. B., & Samter, W. (2013). Explaining communication: Contemporary theories and exemplars. London: Routledge.