TH1806

Laboratory Exercise
Maintaining Effective Relationship with
Colleagues
Objectives:

At the end of the exercise, the students should be able to:

 Demonstrate how to maintain an effective relationship with colleagues in a foodservice facility and its
importance; and
 Show how to resolve conflict in the workplace.

Materials:

 03 Laboratory Exercise 1.pdf

 03 Laboratory Worksheet 1.pdf
 Pen

Basic Principle:
Meeting Needs and Expectations of Colleagues
Working in food and beverage service requires an individual to function as part of a team. This involves being
able to meet the needs and expectations of those whom a person works with. These needs and expectations
can be expected to:
• Change between individual people. Different people are likely to have different needs and expectations.
• Alter between workplaces. Specific needs and wants can change based on the type and nature of the
business, products and services offered, and the profile and volume of trade.
• Vary over time. The needs and wants of people in the morning can be significantly different from the
needs and wants of the same people at night.

Work colleagues will expect each other to:

• Attend for work when rostered. This means:
o Arriving 15 minutes early
o Never missing a shift
o Advising the workplace in advance if unable to work.
• Maintain professional personal presentation by wearing clean and pressed clothes and applying
appropriate personal grooming.
• Maintain appropriate personal hygiene by washing and bathing regularly and wearing appropriate
makeup and/or scent.
• Demonstrate a positive attitude in the workplace, which can be shown by:
o Smiling
o Cooperating with others
o Offering help instead of waiting to be asked
o Thanking others for their help
o Never making a big deal out of assisting others.

03 Laboratory Exercise 1 *Property of STI

Page 1 of 6
 TH1806

• Show respect for others in the workplace by:

o Using polite and courteous language
o Avoiding discriminatory behavior and language
o Accommodating social, religious, cultural, gender, and age-specific differences
o Never participating in workplace gossip
o Avoiding taking credit for work done by others.
• Communicate effectively by:
o Using correct and appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication techniques
o Listening actively
o Clarifying ambiguities
o Confirming messages
o Seeking and providing feedback.
• Respond promptly to:
o Requests for help and information from coworkers and guests
o Identified situations which require action, attention, and response
o Situations or emergencies.
• Perform allocated tasks as required for the job role being undertaken. This can mean:
o Completing daily and routine work in a designated sequence within the time required
o Giving priority treatment to priority requirements
o Advising colleagues when work has been completed
o Asking help from others when needed.
• Maintain work area in an appropriate condition. This means keeping the area and items:
o Clean. This includes regular cleaning of items and immediate cleaning of spills.
o Neat and tidy. This means putting items in their designated location.
o Safe and secure.
• Accommodate unscheduled tasks by:
o Integrating unexpected needs with standard work
o Helping others
o Anticipating problems and taking action to avoid or deal with them.
• Comply with legislated requirements and internal house policies and procedures.
• Effectively and promptly address customer complaints, workplace conflict, and emergencies.
• Participate in activities designed to:
o Investigate and resolve problems and issues
o Enable continuous improvement
o Improve service delivery and guest experience
o Introduce initiatives intended to enhance the provision of service.

Workplace Conflicts and Difficulties

What are conflicts and difficulties?
A conflict is a state of opposition between persons, ideas, or interests. It is more serious than difficulties and
creates situations where the required work may not take place. Difficulties are problems impacting the provision
of products and services to others. These reduce the level of service provision and make work harder to do.
These can grow into conflict if not properly addressed.

03 Laboratory Exercise 1 *Property of STI

Page 2 of 6
 TH1806

Conflicts and difficulties may arise with colleagues or guests. These can arise on a one to one basis or in a
group setting.

Reasons for Conflicts and Difficulties

There are various reasons why conflicts and difficulties may arise. The following are some of the reasons:
• Pressure of work such as high customer demand, insufficient staff rostered to cope with work, unusual
levels of demand from guests, or equipment breakdown
• Lack of, or bad, communication that may cause misunderstanding
• Biases about all sorts of things from the sports team the other person supports, what kind of car they
drive to gender issues, body shape, and age
• Ineffective working systems where the internal operations or functions of an establishment cause the
problem (e.g., poor reservation systems, lack of standard procedures, or bad ordering system)
• Differences in opinions and beliefs in religion, politics, music, and other topics
• Misunderstanding caused by barriers to communication, such as not listening properly and putting a
different interpretation on a word or phrase than what was intended
• Team member not contributing 100% to a team task or project
• A colleague feeling s/he is being treated unfairly. This may be due to his/her shift appearing to be less
attractive than someone else’s, not being selected to work on a certain function, or other similar reasons.
This feeling may cause a staff to refuse to help and cooperate in the workplace.

Warning Signs
When a staff is involved in a conflict or difficulty with a workplace colleague, s/he tends to:
• Avoid verbal and visual contact and/or proximity. This may mean:
o Taking breaks in physically different areas
o Avoiding mixing, looking, or sitting near each other
o Asking for a shift different from the other colleague to avoid the chance of contact.
• Indulge in negative facial expressions. The person may roll his/her eyes or purse his/her lips upon
seeing the person whom s/he is in conflict with.
• Make negative remarks about the other person.
• Making rude gestures or offensive remarks.

Resolution and Management of Issues

Conflicts and difficulties must never be ignored and should be addressed and resolved as soon as possible.
The keys to resolving issues where a person is in conflict with a colleague include the following:
• Plan what to say. This involves thinking over what to say, how to say it, and the sequence on how the
issue/s will be raised.
• Plan where to address the situation. Will it be before or after work? It is never a good idea to bring
matters on issues during work.
• Determine what is expected from the resolution process. What do you want the other person to do or
stop doing? This can be presented during the discussion as a way to fix the problem.
• Identify specific examples of the problem, issue, difficulty, or conflict that should be discussed. When
resolving the situation, it is important to be able to:
o Refer to specific times
o Mention specific dates and times
o Refer to specific words or terms used
o Describe the actual nature and context of the situation. This is to avoid using incorrect or
inaccurate references in relation to the topic to be addressed.
• Speak to the colleague and ask if s/he is available for the discussion of the issue.

03 Laboratory Exercise 1 *Property of STI

Page 3 of 6
 TH1806

• Meet with the person and apply standard resolution techniques. This can include:
o Thanking the person for the meeting
o Explaining the reason for the meeting.
• Define and describe the situation concerning plans previously made.
• Explain the impact the situation has on one’s work and the workplace as a whole.
• Listen to what the other person has to say. This can provide a basis for a resolution. Explain the
situation, and give a perspective on things which can mean an end to the issue/s.
• Tell the other person what you want to resolve the situation while understanding his/her situation.
• Be prepared to compromise and cooperate with the person to find a mutually acceptable outcome.
• Be constructive about what can be done to address the situation and achieve a win-win outcome.
• Exercise patience and tolerance. This includes the following:
o Being prepared for the other person to be upset about what is to be said.
o Be willing to allow the other person to have his/her say.
o Be ready to hear about yourself and your performance that you may not appreciate.
• Decide and agree on action/s to be taken to resolve the situation and move things forward.
• Thank the person for his/her time and for participating in the process.
• Express a positive sentiment about working with the person in the future.

Importance of Managing and Resolving Conflicts and Difficulties

Managing and resolving workplace conflict is important in order to:
• Stop small issues from growing into big ones. Taking prompt action and promoting reconciliation as
opposed to ignoring things can avoid problems from getting worse and involving more people.
• Maintain the usual positive orientation of the workplace. This is important because the nature of the
foodservice industry has a distinct impact on how staff relates to guests and customers. If the workplace
has a positive environment, the staff tends to be positive towards guests.
• Reduce absenteeism and staff turnover. Workplaces where conflicts and difficulties are left
unaddressed have higher levels of absenteeism.
• Comply with ethical and legal requirements to provide a safe workplace. Failing to address workplace
conflicts and difficulties can be regarded as occupational safety and health matters from a psychological
perspective.

Reference:
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). (2013). Toolbox Development for Front Office, Food and
Beverage Services and Food Production Divisions: Provide a link between kitchen and service area.
Melbourne, Australia: William Angliss Institute of TAFE.

03 Laboratory Exercise 1 *Property of STI

Page 4 of 6
 TH1806

Procedures:
I. Individual Activity
1. Wait for your instructor to hand you a copy of 03 Laboratory Worksheet 1.
2. Follow the instructions provided in the worksheet. You are given 20 minutes to finish this activity.

II. Group Activity

1. Your will be assigned in groups of five (5) by your instructor.

2. Your task is to conceptualize and present a simple role play reflecting how to:

o Maintain an effective relationship with colleagues in a foodservice facility and its importance;
and
o Resolve conflict in the workplace. For this part, consolidate your responses in Item 2 of 03
Laboratory Worksheet 1 and choose one which you are going to portray.

Note: Be creative. You can decide how the roleplaying will be presented as long as the requirements are achieved.

3. You are given 30 minutes to conceptualize and practice for the activity.

4. After the allotted time, present your output in class. You are given five (5) minutes for the presentation.

5. You will be graded based on the following rubric:

CRITERIA PERFORMANCE INDICATORS POINTS

Achievement of The requirements of the role play were clearly and correctly 20
Purpose demonstrated.
Presentation of The characters displayed a convincing communication of their feelings
15
Character and motives.
Imagination and Thoughtfulness and creativity were demonstrated in the presentation. 15
Creativity
TOTAL 50

03 Laboratory Exercise 1 *Property of STI

Page 5 of 6
 TH1806

GROUP ACTIVITY EVALUATION SHEET

Group Members: ________________________________ ___________________________________

________________________________ ___________________________________
________________________________
CRITERIA PERFORMANCE INDICATORS POINTS SCORE
Achievement of The requirements of the role play were clearly and correctly
20
Purpose demonstrated.
Presentation of The characters displayed a convincing communication of their
15
Character feelings and motives.
Imagination and Thoughtfulness and creativity were demonstrated in the
15
Creativity presentation.
TOTAL 50

Group Members: ________________________________ ___________________________________

________________________________ ___________________________________
________________________________
CRITERIA PERFORMANCE INDICATORS POINTS SCORE
Achievement of The requirements of the role play were clearly and correctly
20
Purpose demonstrated.
Presentation of The characters displayed a convincing communication of their
15
Character feelings and motives.
Imagination and Thoughtfulness and creativity were demonstrated in the
15
Creativity presentation.
TOTAL 50

Group Members: ________________________________ ___________________________________

________________________________ ___________________________________
________________________________
CRITERIA PERFORMANCE INDICATORS POINTS SCORE
Achievement of The requirements of the role play were clearly and correctly
20
Purpose demonstrated.
Presentation of The characters displayed a convincing communication of their
15
Character feelings and motives.
Imagination and Thoughtfulness and creativity were demonstrated in the
15
Creativity presentation.
TOTAL 50

Group Members: ________________________________ ___________________________________

________________________________ ___________________________________
________________________________
CRITERIA PERFORMANCE INDICATORS POINTS SCORE
Achievement of The requirements of the role play were clearly and correctly
20
Purpose demonstrated.
Presentation of The characters displayed a convincing communication of their
15
Character feelings and motives.
Imagination and Thoughtfulness and creativity were demonstrated in the
15
Creativity presentation.
TOTAL 50

03 Laboratory Exercise 1 *Property of STI

Page 6 of 6