Field Log – Observation

5:00 am: Wake up and say a short prayer with my family

5:30 am: Go for a morning run and take a shower

6:00 am: Prepare and take breakfast

6:30 am: Take my daughter to pick a bus to school and get ready for work

7:00 am: Arriving at the workplace and interact with the fellow employees

7:30 am: Take a cup of tea with the employees as a team to discuss plans of the day

8:00 am: Supervise employee activities

9:00 am: Check paper works in the office

10:00 am: Tea break with the fellow employee

11:00 am: Ensuring employees get back to the work station, discuss with my assistant on how to repair some damaged equipment at the work station

11:30 am: Request one of our drivers to go and purchase the needed equipment, pass by the kitchen to check their progress in terms of lunch preparation

1:00 pm: Take lunch together with the employees

2:00 pm: Allow employees to get back to their work stations, allow them to rotate for some to have a rest

3:00 pm: Perform another supervision in the construction site and ensure that all employees are working according to the plan

4:00 pm: Get ready to leave for home but first visit the boss in the office to report on the day’s progress

5:00 pm: Pass by the school to pick my daughter

6:00 pm: Arrive home, attend to my cowshed, flower garden and the take a shower

7:00 pm: Watching the 7 O’clock news with my family

8:00 pm: Spend time with my daughter watching her favorite program

9:00 pm: Take supper, and lets the child get to sleep

10:00 pm: Watch a favorite show with my wife

11:00 pm: Check out my daughter, pray, and go to bed.

Application

From the field log, it is evident that our social norms often control our lives. In the society I live in, it is always a norm to wake up in the morning and say a word of prayer before you begin your daily activities. This is a way of asking God to guide your day and make it a success. It is also through social norms that we are obliged to ensure that our children get an education. In ordinary cases, failing to obey social norms often have consequences, for instance, if you fail to educate your children, you will be punished by law. The law considers education as the right of the child and parents must ensure that they are not deprived. Social norms are regarded as informal beliefs governing society (Brown, 2016). When you arrive at the workplace, it is always important to shake hands with the fellows and enquire how they woke up. Those who fail to shake hands with their fellows are bound to creating enmity with their colleagues. Some of the conditions resulting from obeying the social norms constrain our lives in some way. Employees are required to always be in good terms with one another and work as a team seven if they are being overworked or exploited, proving your loyalty to the organization or employer. Through social norms, supervisors are expected to talk nicely with the employees to ensure that the workplace environment is conducive for maximum productivity. When the supervisor is harsh, he/she risks creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, affecting the morale of the employees. At the same time, social norms can subject the supervisor to legal suits for mistreating the employees. It is also important to note that through social norms, employers are expected to compensate their employees for the services they offer fully.

It can also be noted that social norms largely shape our patterns of living. It defines why we do some things and avoid others in society. It describes how we interact with others, how we talk, what we can do and what we cannot do. These norms are however different from one society to another even though some are shared among various societies (MvIntyre, 2015). For instance, in the society I live, roles are often divided based on gender. There are activities usually defined for women and activities that men are expected to do. For instance, cooking and cleaning the house are activities that are often left for women in society. Men are given the responsibility of maintaining the compound and building the house. Social norms clearly define the sociological concept of roles. Everyone has a role to play in his life or on the lives of others. As a supervisor, I have a role to play, and as a father, I have my roles and responsibilities that the society expects of me. The society expects me to act as the head of my family, take care of my wife and daughter. Having to supervise more than a hundred employees and making sure that they work according to the plan falls under the sociological concept of roles. To work well, it is essential to be in good relationship with your boss and the employees. The level of interaction you portray with your juniors and seniors at the workplace proves interaction sociological concept. My supervisory role falls under the management impression. In this position, I am required to follow a timeline to be able to beat deadlines. It is also important to note that at the workplace, through social norms, rules that govern how we conduct ourselves are set. Failure to adhere to such regulations may make you be sacked or face legal suit (Hickman, 2014). This falls under the impression management because as a supervisor, I must ensure that the employees are adhering to the set rules and regulations and punish those who violate the set code of conduct. Under impression management, I am also required to act as a role model for my family and the colleagues at the workplace.

Being a supervisor is not just a position to enjoy. There are emotional attachments that are associated with it. Under emotional labor, I am capable of handling emotional feelings about my position by closely interacting with all my fellows and ensure that they are in good form and condition to work effectively for better results. I have a responsibility to motivate the employees to perform better and manage their feelings.

Sociologists often understand the concept of interaction by conducting a research study on social groups. They examine the aspect of interactions within the social groups to generate theories, systems, and rules to help govern how the people live. An interaction creates an excellent opportunity to study how people relate with one another and the influence they have on each other’s life. The influence of people on others can be used to study the concept of impression management in an organization. Sociologists try to gauge how certain groups or individuals influence others. To influence employees to work on a given task as required, supervisors use impression management.

Reflection

My role as a supervisor does not just have an impact on my workplace but society as a whole. Every decision I make can affect the institution and society as a whole. I can decide to hire more workers to the construction site. This means that I am creating more job opportunities for people. At the same time, I can make a decision that can annoy the employees and demotivate them. In many ways, I have affected people in different ways. People have also affected in various ways. For instance, my boss, who is always my mentor, has guided me to be a better leader. He always advised me to take a risk, quoting that it is worth taking a risk because not all of them send up failing. He has always helped me become a leader who can positively affect the lives of those surrounding me. I am a great father to my daughters, and I serve as a role model for my daughter.

References

Brown, K. (2016). DP3R34 Sociology A: Introducing Sociological Concepts and Theories.

Hickman, P. (2014). Community health and development: applying sociological concepts to practice. Sociological Practice, 8(1), 13.

McIntyre, L. (2015). The practical skeptic: Core concepts in sociology. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.