Changing Perspectives

One would expect that as time passed my workplace environment, especially my co-workers would seem different. Essentially however, my perception of the company and its culture didn’t change all that much since I first began working. The employees had the same approach toward me and the same relationship among them. My boss was equally helpful and patient by the middle and the end as he was in the beginning while at the same time he had more expectations from me. Of course I did become more familiar with the office and my colleagues but that was to be expected.

With that being said however, my own demeanor did change as the internship progressed. Naturally I felt much more comfortable by the middle of the internship than I had in the beginning. Even though my co-workers made me comfortable form the start I wasn’t that confident in my own skills when it came down to the tasks in hand. As time progressed however and my writing and organization skills became stronger I felt more confident which in turn made me feel like an important part of the team as opposed to being a simply welcomed newcomer. I became more accustomed to my work and I felt a smaller need to seek the help of coworkers. Technical terms such as the types of ships or the terms of the loans became familiar and my need to for consultation on these decreased as the internship went by. I also took greater liberties in my writing for example with regards to style and the pattern of the text.

While the culture of the company didn’t change I did notice a pattern that was initially unapparent. Our boss would go around the office throughout the day to check on the activity of the employees. This wasn't a control method but rather a way for him to be up to speed with everything. During this process he also informed the employees what other employees are doing if it was something relevant to their work. Therefore he would let the editor now that the analyst is assembling some data that will be useful to the piece the editor is working on. This doesn’t mean that the editor and analyst don’t work directly with each other but it emphasizes the fact that the president is aware of what is going on and it makes him an active member of the company without restricting the employees’ work. This was important for me to see because I realized how coherent the company is. I also understood that in an operation with two functions- the print media one and the one responsible for conferences- this activity ensures that there is a balance between the two as attention was equally paid to both.