Upon arriving to the office on my first day, I had many expectation, however most of these were dispelled within the first few hours of entering the automatic doors on floor 11 of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. Having expected stress and overwork to be the MO of the Mayor’s office, I came prepared to check in, receive an ID badge, and get to work. To my surprise my first day, which was also the first day for around 8 other interns, was mainly focused on getting everybody comfortable to the atmosphere and acclimated to the geographic region in which the office lies.
After my arrival, I was instructed to fill out various forms outlining my weekly availabilities, preferred hours, etc. After everybody had completed these forms, the city’s customer service liaison gave us an abridged presentation about workplace culture and the expectation bestowed onto all that work for the city. What I quickly came to understand is that the office not only values the work that is done, but it too values the relationships that are made and fortified within its walls. Soon after this presentation, all of the new interns were led on a tour throughout the office to meet everybody who was present at the time. Everybody seemed more than willing to take time out of their busy days to speak with each and every one of us. It is from this first interaction that I have formed my posture while working at the office. While the work that is done there is very serious, the people never take themselves too seriously. This allows for candidness and honesty and cultivates an environment in which people don’t mind coming to work (in fact, most actually enjoy it!).
While I would like to say I expected this, I truly did not. The workplace culture brings about creativity in problem solving and the development of genuine relationships, which seems to consequently bring about more effective governance. The employees are open and honest and work gets done more efficiently because of this. I truly hope that I will get the chance to work somewhere with such a perfect blend of professionalism and candidness.
That’s really great that the culture of your office adds so much to your job. I also feel lucky to have gotten to know my coworkers better over the last few weeks. It took me a little while to get acquainted with them, but I’m sure glad I did. But it sounds like you started getting comfortable right away! It might not have been what you expected, by I’m sure you were happily surprised by such a perfect blend at your office.