Josh's Journal Reflections

Downward Communication I work as a lifeguard at an indoor pool, operating all year, and I am a head guard, meaning I am in charge of the shift, and I have to make sure that my coworkers are all doing their jobs safely and efficiently. I also have to make sure that all of our chores are completed by the end of the shift. A large part of my duties as head guard is instructing my subordinates on how they should conduct themselves. I will also regularly have to ask them to go monitor chemicals and do other chores like emptying the trash or sweeping the bleachers.       "Having formal authority in an organization gives you freedom in the messages you use when                        interacting with subordinates, known as downward communication." (Reflect & Relate, p. 394)     I pride myself in being very efficient and respectful when communicating downward to my coworkers. I have had a lot of p...

 Avoidance Whereas in most situations in my daily life, I would first resort to accommodation, in a work environment I will usually practice avoidance. Avoidance is defined as opting-out from confrontation because it is relatively convenient, and is considered less emotionally draining. (Reflect & Relate, p.267) Though this doesn't solve any problems I experience, I believe it is better to preserve workplace relationships because it makes the job less stressful. Sometimes if a coworker is bothering me, I will sometimes display skirting.            "One common form of avoidance is skirting, in which a person avoids a conflict by changing the topic         or joking about it." (Reflect & Relate, p.267)         For example, I have steered clear of several political arguments with my coworkers by cracking a joke and then proceeding to ignore them if they discuss further. A lot of my coworkers have d...