Personal work experience at placement
Personal work experience at placement adds to the academic studies by providing students crucial skills, knowledge, and personal attributes required in the job market. Work experience offers a different perspective and a background for academic learning, or an opportunity for undergraduate students to put theoretical perspectives into practice. In my work experience placement in a local restaurant, I was assigned to the production department, particularly the baking unit that focused on the production of cakes and cookies. My responsibilities included mixing, preparing, and baking cakes and cookies, arranging the display case in a presentable appealing way, and serving the customers. Additionally, I would order supplies and serve customers, particularly during the rush hours, when the waiter on duty was overwhelmed. Lastly, I was required to craft and create new and exciting yet familiar baked stuff—training on how each of these activities was conducted and monitored by the supervisor. Recipe for various baked goods was availed to me, after which I was required to make baked products from scratch. My teammates played a significant role during the training by offering crucial techniques applied in a bakery. I was trained on how to use various bakery equipment such as bakery machine and bakery ovens that required technical skills to operate. Comparatively, I was trained on tasting mechanics applied in a bakery for consistent flavor, taste, and quality in general.
While the experiences had been impactful, enjoyable, and equally challenging, physical appearance in the workplace was disallowed to allow social distancing in the place of work. As per the requirements and guidelines provided by the school for work placement experience, I was supposed to take 480 hours to complete training. I followed the schedule rolled out by the manager. The program schedule included 8 hours daily from 8 am to 4 pm weekly, with all weekends excluded. Following the disruption, workplace placement experience was turned into online work-integrated learning, thus not completing the 480 hours as required. Disruption on the placement was because of the corona pandemic that has resulted in governments imposing strict measures on all public areas and institutions, organizations, and other areas with likely of people spreading the virus due to close contacts. The placement area was conveniently located and within my place of residence. While I was familiar with the environment, having visited the restaurant several times as a customer, I was anxious and uncomfortable in my initial days of placement. I could attribute my anxiety and uneasiness to the new environment, position, and responsibility that was assigned by the supervisor.
Nonetheless, I had become accustomed to the organization’s code of conduct, objectives, the relationship between employees and management, and expectations set by the executive board. My first impressions were those of enthusiasm and a healthy attitude for teamwork from staff and employees in the baking unit. Equally, colleagues demonstrated that determination and the right attitude toward situations were paramount in attaining personal, department’s and organization’s goals.
Unit 02- Professional and Ethical Behavior in the Workplace
Professionalism and ethics in the place of work refer to the guiding principles established in an organization. Ethical behavior entails the legal and moral guidelines that drive interactions with the employer, leadership, employees, and customers. In a workplace, Professional and ethical practices are complementary, meaning that employees cannot claim to act professionally if they do not adhere to the minimum set ethical standards such as the confidentiality rule. Virtually, workplace ethics ensures a professional organization’s culture as well as building better relationships in an organization.
During the work placement experience, my supervisor introduced a list of ethical standards that persons are expected to observe. Similarly, through experiences and interactions with teammates, other employees, the director, and the supervisor, I witnessed ethical behaviors in practice. Additionally, my supervisor highlighted the element of professionalism, how it’s created, maintained, and improved over time to ensure consistency with change. Some of the widely practiced ethical behaviors in LOCAL included integrity, comradery, trustworthiness, devotion and hard work, accountability of responsibility, fairness, and competence, all of which are crucial in performance. As an example, my teammates in the baking unit were hard-working, dedicated, and worked without intense supervision. On the same note, the supervisor was keen to monitor my progress, and we would frequently engage. Through this, it became clear that accountability of responsibility is a crucial ethical principle that allows organizations to thrive. Professionalism entailed how one acted and reacted to persons and situations. Although the code of dressing established in the restaurant painted professionalism, my supervisor was quick to point out that it is a complex component that takes time to acquire. As a potential future employee in LOCAL, it would be expected that I agree to, demonstrate, and promote the set professional and ethical behaviors.