Workplace Performance

Time spent at the workplace has indicated personal industry strengths, weaknesses, and areas for personal improvement. Over the course of working there, I have recognised my strength in being able to complete tasks in a timely manner and executing those tasks to a relatively high standard where the host is satisfied. However, there have been inconsistencies with the amount of work done weekly and the lack of confidence in communicating reasoning concerning this which is an area for personal improvement in future industry work.

There has been communication on updates on all tasks that have been completed and discussion for completing tasks that are of approval from the host. This has been one of the strengths that has been identified which has led to the completion of work in a certain amount of time that was time sensitive. Independent work was done after following tutorials and directions from the host and later checked and reviewed for feedback for future tasks. This was most applicable to the formatting of patterns onto the platform Ribblr as there were multiple patterns that were required to be updated to the site and thus, progressional review and feedback helped to ensure that the future formatting of patterns needed little to no changes before it was made public. Because of this frequent check-in there was improved efficiency when working on the patterns.

Unfortunately, there were some inconsistencies concerning the amount of work done during weeks 5 and 6 of the placement. This was due to personal study reasons which shows the weakness in time management skills in regards to work and studies and not being able to separate the two to allocate a reasonable amount of time to each one to be able to efficiently complete the tasks at hand. Due to the lack of confidence to express self-concerns and reasoning around the work during that time, led to an unprofessional approach to communication at work. In regards to confidence, there were hesitancies during times of the placement to ask for work that was not specified in the agreement in doubt that there would be chances to be able to fulfil those tasks. From this, key takeaways of weakness include time management skills and low confidence levels which are areas that should be improved on for future workplaces.

Steps to improve time management skills can include creating a timeline for a more organised workflow where specific times are allocated dedicated to work or studies. In addition to this, having more frequent in-person meetings to discuss the topics of the types of tasks set out for that particular week or timeline frame. Confidence in conveying concerns and communication, in general, is a good area for improvement as transparency in communication in the workplace, especially in a small industry such as handmade knits, is crucial to maintaining healthy connections with other people. There should be more self-faith in my capabilities to be able to freely express myself in an appropriate manner in the industry.