Blog #1 Conflict Memory

Angel Calderon
HCOM 214: Blake Rodger
3/4/15

Blog #1: A Conflict Memory

In my 20 years, I have had three jobs. My first job was at Well-Pict Berries, my second job at Domino's, and my current job is at Los Laureles Lodge. At Well-Pict Berries, my main job was to collaborate with two older men and make boxes for strawberry pickers. We would all begin working at 6:00am, picking up trash and stacking cardboard for recycling. At around 9:00am we would make boxes until our boss told us to stop, usually at 3:30pm. I'd literally spent all morning and part of my afternoons with the two older gentlemen from Monday through Saturday, for three and a half months. On my first day, one of the old guys was teaching me how to properly tie the boxes and I learned really fast because it was an easy thing to do. The old guy saw that I caught on pretty quick so at times he would leave the job to me, by myself. I never told him anything because as a kid I was taught to not disrespect older people and to stay humble. Deep down I was really frustrated and wanted to tell him to do his part and to stop being a lazy old man. My coworkers started noticing that he would leave his station frequently either to go to the bathroom (in which he took his sweet time) or just wander around. The action that really irritated all of us was that he would leave his work station five minutes early before our lunch break and two other breaks, to microwave his food. My first week was basically a "vacation" for the old man that mentored me because he left all the work to me. My coworkers told me to accompany them to our boss's office on my second week, and so I followed them. Our discussion with our boss was about the other worker that was slacking off and our boss took action. He talked with the old guy and eventually he was cooperating and doing his part of the job. I learned that day that communicating our problems in a discussion is much more effective than just arguing or throwing out indirect insults.

Last summer, I got a job at Domino's as a pizza delivery "expert." All in all it was a very fun job, however my boss and a couple of customers took away some of that fun. My first days went by smoothly without any problems. By my second or third week, I started noticing that my boss wanted all employees on their toes and working at a fast pace. I got yelled at a couple of times by him because apparently I was being slow, on a slow day. I never talked back and always followed orders, but just like my other coworker at Well-Pict, deep down I really wanted to explode on my boss and tell him he wasn't anyone to be yelling at me. By my fourth week, I got into the habit of being faster so I was sent to help out at the other Domino's in Salinas, CA. I really liked the other Domino's and eventually worked most days of the week there, so I would rarely see my boss. Working at the other store helped me avoid problems with my boss and I was very relieved. It was until my 7th week working there that I started encountering problems with customers.

The most vivid memory of a conflict with a customer was when they had asked for plates and cups and I did not know they had asked because my sticker receipt did not include those extra items. My coworker did not write down the extra items so I had no idea they wanted plates and cups. When I arrived at their hotel room, they greeted me and were very nice customers until they found out I wasn't carrying plates and cups. They almost yelled at me, but they hesitated because it was a hotel and they didn't want to cause bigger drama. I stood my ground and without aggression nor panic, I explained the situation to them and showed them my sticker receipt as well to support my argument. They eased off on me and eventually cooled down. They said it was okay and that it wasn't my fault so we ended in good terms and I left. 

I had a couple of other minor problems with customers and I learned that some customers want to be treated like kings or queens. I constantly reminded myself that I was working for a big company so I learned to have more self-control and if there was ever a problem then try to solve it quickly and efficiently. 

I haven't had any problems with my current job and I guess that's good, my coworkers have good communication and good understanding of one another so it makes everyone's jobs easier.

From my three jobs, so far, I have learned that life after high school introduces you to many conflicts and the manner in which an individual manages those conflicts can either break that individual into pieces or make that individual a stronger person.