Wednesday, August 21, 2013
COM 325 / Week #9 Discussion: Power imbalance in nonverbal communication
Let's face it, there is always a power imbalance in our nonverbal interaction with others. Historically, people have made judgments based on nonverbal features such as skin color. Also, people express their discrimination by using nonverbal behavior. Have you ever realized your supervisor or big boss's office has the furniture arranged in a way that disempowers you? If you are a subordinate, you are required to be more punctual than your supervisor? Tell us your experience with power imbalance in nonverbal communication.
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In my workplace there is a huge power imbalance between the manager and the worker bees. My supervisor/manager’s office is set up so that she is at the head desk and others need to sit looking up at her. She also has a couch in her office that I tend to sit on because it makes me feel more at ease than in the hot seat of having to look up at her while she is on her throne/desk. She almost never moves from that area. If I was in her place, I would sit on the couch or in the other chairs to make all of us on the same level. Also when it comes to time and tardiness, she seems untouchable. She comes and goes as she pleases always coming in between 9-9:30 am when work starts at 8am. She makes hair, nail and child/vet appointments any time during the day and never makes up the time. When the worker bees are 5 minutes late we are noted for it and it is discussed on a regular basis. My schedule is 7:30 – 4:30 and I make a point to be out right at 4:30 due to the fact that I have lots of things going on after work in my life. She always makes comments that I run out at 4:30 pm and always leaves early. I don’t leave early and most of the time I work more than my 8 hours due to the fact that sometimes I don’t get a lunch and almost never any breaks. Her power trip has put her in a bad situation with her workers. The majority do not like her due to these issues.
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