For the first few days of this week I was completing my original welding rout project, I was getting pretty fast at it now but I was glad to get to the end of my lengthy parts list! At 12noon every Monday we have our department meeting, at this early stage of my employment a lot of it passes way over my head, there is a lot of jargon and acronyms! However it is still a great learning experience to see how different employees voice their issues and resolve problems. Due to the size of the plants a lot of communication is done via e-mail but it is evident that having face to face contact is still a necessity for quickly and effectively resolving issues. Having said that getting my e-mail account was really useful (not to mention cool, seeing my name @rolls-royce.com!). I don’t know how they managed before e-mail; I have transferred hundreds of documents electronically already and would not like to have had to deliver them personally! The e-mail also has a built in calendar that allows you to easily arrange meetings with anyone in the company quickly and easily. This function lets you see the other attendees schedule and highlights times when everyone is available, when you select a time invites are automatically sent out and as people accept their diaries are automatically updated. This means that getting a hold of busy people is an easy and effective process (in theory!)
On Thursday I got a bit of a taste of what life was like before the electronic databases were created. There are two systems on which most of the inspections routings, blueprints, assembly and manufacturing information etc can be found almost instantly (with a little practice), however there are some older less frequently used files that are still kept as hard copies in the archives. At about noon on Thursday it became apparent that we desperately needed some of these files for a meeting with a client, so I was sent out to retrieve them! After at least a 15 minute walk, I finally reached the archives, to be greeted by Don, the records keeper, a nice older man who bears more than a passing resemblance to Rip Van Winkle! I think it must get pretty lonely out there, as Don talked to me solidly from when I got there until I left. Leaving me educated in classic American rock music and car racing (something that would come in handy later). After a long time searching I finally found what I was looking for and hurried back to the office. All I can say is thank goodness for technology!
Having finished my first project and with my next one not starting until Monday I was given the chance to shadow my immediate supervisor Jeff. This was a great learning experience and I really got a feel for what it’s like to be a manager in a large department. Jeff is on the move almost constantly and has his mind on a number of different issues at any one time. Most of all I learned that it is better to be flexible and adaptable than heavily regimented and organised, this means that you are in a position to effectively deal with issues as they arise. I believe Jeff’s main attribute as a manager is his communication skills. He is able to keep all the people and departments who are vying for his time happy by communicating effectively and concisely.
Arriving home from work on Friday brought back memories from when I was in primary school. Not since then have I rushed inside, changed out of my shirt and trousers into shorts and t-shirt and jumped on my bike to go out for a cycle! Of course, back then I had a man’s bike and didn’t look quite so effeminate!
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