Johanna Mae L. Autida 12/08/12

Management Communication arts Ms. Bambi De Leon-Cabrera

Write about the communication patterns in your workplace.

In the daily operations of the company, the primary means of communication is through using hand-held radios. Supervisors of the production, sales/marketing, pre-press, binding/packaging department and stockroom personnel are provided with these hand-held radios to contact each other regarding printing instructions, status follow-ups of jobs in process, packaging and delivery instructions, and other special instructions. It is more convenient and efficient for the people to communicate using these radios considering the remote location of each department from each other. Telephone lines are also networked across offices for easy access. Also, supervisors are provided by the company with post-paid mobile phones for their day-to-day contact with clients. In my department, I communicate the monthly financial condition of the company by preparing financial reports and sales reports, which are used by management in decision-making.

Since our company deals with printing and publishing, layouts or blueprints of new purchase orders from clients are made, edited, and sent electronically. Most of the time, clients transact with us through emails attaching the product specifications to be printed. Then, the layouting and proofing are done by our artists and then email back the files to our clients for approval. So we accept customer orders online especially from our valued clients. We also accept walk-in orders, in which customers sit with our artists to personally give product specifications.

When management wants to relay a message to all employees, department supervisors are called on for a meeting by the General Manager. After the meeting, memorandums or notices are circulated among all departments to inform all employees of the implementing rules and regulations. Questions and clarifications of employees are entertained by the supervisors of each department. Sometimes, postings in English or Visayan dialect and visual instructions of rules and regulations in the form of diagrams or signs are posted inside company premises so that everybody can understand clearly and are always reminded of these rules.

On the other hand, when an employee has concerns about his/her work, he/she notifies his/her immediate supervisor so that the problem at hand would be compromised or fixed. If it's already out of the supervisor's control, then the problem needs to be elevated to the personnel manager or the next higher level manager to evaluate and address the problem accordingly. Erring employees especially those who violate certain company rules and regulations (e.g. wearing improper uniform, deliberate tardiness and absenteeism, misconduct) are handled by the personnel manager. The company follows a process in giving corresponding punishments to erring employees. Depending on the gravity of the offense, initially, a written warning is handed to the employee, then a one-week suspension, one-month suspension, and finally termination from work.

However, the communication process is not expected to be perfect. There are also communication challenges within the workplace. Miscommunication happens when an employee skip the proper way of communicating. Instead of talking with the right person, some tend to confide with another maybe because of personal indifferences or trust issues, so as a consequence, the problem gets exaggerated by someone who is of no concern with the matter. Hence, misunderstandings arise which would further lead to decreased productivity and employee dissatisfaction. That's why there is a need to revitalize and reemphasize on communication skills in every workplace for a smooth and better working relationships. In this connection, the company conducts retreats/recollections and yearly planning activities participated in by the employees, wherein employees have the opportunity to open up their opinions, concerns, and feedbacks to each other and to the management as well. And as a matter of fact, this really helped build stronger relationships among workers and makes a bridge between workers and top management.