Verified Document

Communication Problem Related To Small Essay

This is exacerbated by the problem that Carmen is close friends with the owner Kenneth. Kenneth has a similar conflict management style to Carmen. He can be extremely nice when dealing with people casually, but whenever a problem arises like Carmen he makes excuses, avoids the problem, tries to pass it on to someone else, or resorts to texting or faxing messages rather than confronting complaints. Their favorite 'nonverbal' communication strategy is simply not being there.

A failure to listen is one of the most common workplace communication problems. "When people or groups are in conflict, communication between them tends to get worse and worse. As a conflict escalates, people limit their direct contact with people on the other side, because such conflict is uncomfortable or threatening….Eventually all direct communication between parties may be cut off. Sometimes, communication is cut off in protest" (Lack of communication channels/avoided communication, 2005, OTPIC). The sense that there is no one to appeal to, given Kenneth's alliance with Carmen, has caused many employees to despair of ever improving things at the restaurant.

On several occasions, people have tried to force problems out into the open by talking to Kenneth privately, specifically framing the problem in a manner which they hope is persuasive to him (stressing that for the profitability of the restaurant and the greater good of everyone, he must ensure that there is more effective scheduling and a better way to deal with customer complaints). Kenneth's main response is to say "I'll take care of it," but 'it' never gets taken care of, of course. Kenneth needs to set up a formal schedule for all employees, with strict rules about giving the restaurant notice about calling out sick. He also needs to sit down regularly with his staff and listen to what people say about how to improve service.

There is little secret that tensions run high in restaurant kitchens. Even at the cafeteria at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs, according to the publication the Restaurant Door, there was recently a knife fight in the kitchen. "The...

In fact, the foodservice had consistently been the leading source of complaints from the athletes about their training experience" (Marvin 2012). If the staff is not getting along well, this dissatisfaction inevitably gets communicated, however unintentionally to the customers. Staff nonverbal behavior such as weariness and anger is difficult to shake off when dealing with the public.
Good restaurants listen to input from staff that are on the front lines of dealing with customers. The very best restaurants keep tabs on their customers, to ensure that they know what is in high demand and to be better able to order food and staff the kitchen according to what 'regulars' want. Restaurants are even using computer software to keep track of customers. "Increasingly, restaurants are recording whether you are a regular, a first-timer, someone who lives close by or a friend of the owner or manager. They archive where you like to sit, when you will celebrate a special occasion and whether you prefer your butter soft or hard, Pepsi over Coca-Cola or sparkling over still water" (Craig 2012). It will take a great deal of intensive communication to heal the problems at my current place of employment. Unless the owner and manager are willing to take responsibility for the problems they have caused and to listen to the staff, it will continue and the restaurant will lose business. The current scenario is a lose-lose situation for all of us.

References

Craig, Suzanne. (2012). What restaurants know (about you). The New York Times. Retrieved:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/dining/what-restaurants-know-about-you.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Lack of communication channels/avoided communication. (2005). Online Training Program

on Intractable Conflict (OTPIC). Retrieved:

http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/nocomml.htm

Marvin, Bill. (2012). it's always a people problem. The Restaurant Door. Retrieved:

http://www.restaurantmanagercentral.com/its-always-a-people-problem.html

Sources used in this document:
References

Craig, Suzanne. (2012). What restaurants know (about you). The New York Times. Retrieved:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/dining/what-restaurants-know-about-you.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Lack of communication channels/avoided communication. (2005). Online Training Program

on Intractable Conflict (OTPIC). Retrieved:
http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/nocomml.htm
http://www.restaurantmanagercentral.com/its-always-a-people-problem.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Communication Problem and Analysis in
Words: 1521 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Because they ignored those concerns and chose to save a very small amount of money, they ended up costing their organization much more money for placing an entirely new advertisement that reflected the additional wording that the two team members had originally tried to propose. On a much smaller scale, this is precisely the same thing that happened on the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform: namely, junior-level team members expressed

Cango Management and Communication Problem Resolution Planning
Words: 1248 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

CanGo Management and Communication Problem Resolution Planning a Technological Solution Nick has been handed a project where he has to implement Online Gaming, requiring significant technological integration. What factors does he need to consider and manage for the project to be a success? As Warren tried to explain to Nick, the successful implementation of the project will require the purchase of hardware, the testing and selection of the right software, the securing of

Pigmentation the Problems Relating to Skin Pigment
Words: 2285 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Pigmentation The problems relating to skin pigment are associated with symptoms of the skin appearing faded or deeper than the usual or often spotted and blemished. (Skin pigmentation disorders) The unusual skin development and unusual pigmentation of the skin is seen to present at the time of birth or develop at the later stages. (Benign Skin Growths and Pigmentation Disorders) The skin pigmentation disorders seem to arise over a large number

Communications As Its Most Basic Function of
Words: 1157 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Communications As its most basic function of receiving coded messages, listening is a necessary component of communication in the workplace. Without listening, communication is a one-way street; a message is orphaned without an audience. Listening is a critical enough component of communications to warrant its own professional journal, the International Journal of Listening. To listen means much more than to hear, or even to take notes during a lecture, or even

Communications Broadband in Space: Nanowire
Words: 2758 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Incoming photons were either reflected off of the initial detector surface or they passed directly through the device without being absorbed by the nanowire filament. Optical transmission losses such as these represented a major stumbling block for researchers intent on improving the efficiency of these systems, which had only been able to reach efficiencies of around 20% (Gawel 25; Rosfjord et al. 528). Efficiencies as low as this do

Small Business - Banking Start-Up
Words: 7548 Length: 30 Document Type: Term Paper

Video Tape and Disc Rental Rentals Catalog/Mail Order Retailing Health and Personal Care Stores Retailing Table 2: Comparisons of Most Risky Small Business (BizStats.com, cited by Telberg, 2003) An Engine of Economic Growth More and more, Craig, Jackson and Thomson (2007) argue, policymakers perceive the small business sector "as a potential engine of economic growth. Policies to promote small businesses include tax relief, direct subsidies, and indirect subsidies through government lending programs." These authors stress that encouraging lending

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now