Organized Chaos: Workplace Culture in Sydney

After five weeks in my internship in Sydney with 3M, here are some of my favorite places inside and outside work: 

Location 1: Production Floor Room 1 and 2

The first two pictures display the production area of the warehouse. I spend most of my day in these two rooms as a warehouse expeditor. There are numerous machines in each room that all work to produce different varieties of 3M tape. I enjoy spending time in these rooms because I love the operations. While the production process can get very chaotic at times, I enjoy helping the production workers with their problems and speeding up the process. This place has personal value for me because it is essentially a teaching ground where I encounter real-life supply chain issues and need to efficiently yet effectively solve them. Obviously, one cannot visit this place unless they work for 3M, but I would not recommend this place or anything similar unless they are interested in learning about supply chain and operations management. 

Place 2: Cantina and Outside Area

My second place within my work is the outside cantina. Every day, both office and warehouse employees meet out at the cantina during lunchtime to socialize and enjoy everyone’s company. The cantina best depicts the most influential aspect of my internship culture: diversity. My worksite has workers from all over the globe. Also, since the location has a warehouse and an office, we have both blue-collar and white-collared workers. The mix of ethnic backgrounds, along with the combination of socioeconomic backgrounds, makes for an exciting work dynamic. The cantina has personal significance to me because I have learned so much about different cultures in this area. Before the internship, I rarely had the chance to get to know lower-wage workers. However, I now know many blue-collar workers on a personal level, and they are my best friends at the internship. The life lessons and alternate perspectives on life I gained through my co-workers have helped me become a more empathetic person. Like my first location, one cannot visit the site if they do not work for 3M, but I would recommend visiting a similar diversity rich area if one wanted to see how different people from various backgrounds and incomes live. 

Place 3: Paddy’s Market

Paddy’s market is a giant warehouse with an extensive selection ranging from fresh produce to samurai swords. I enjoy paddy’s market because it represents the food culture of Sydney. I have gone to Paddy’s numerous times to try new foods such as kangaroo, emu, barramundi, dragon fruit, custard apple, papaya, and passionfruit. These foods are just a small portion of the diverse selection of Paddy’s market, and I intend to return to Paddy’s to try more exotic foods. In addition to food culture, Paddy’s market captures the patriotism of modern and aboriginal Australian culture. Countless stores within the market sell traditional indigenous Australian items such as didgeridoos and boomerangs. Also, Paddy’s market offers more modern Australian icons such as pictures of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, Postcards, and loads of Australian themed merchandise. While in the store, I did feel a sense of Australian patriotism and bought a couple of Australian themed souvenirs for my friends back at home. Lastly,  I would recommend visiting Paddy’s market while in Australia because it has so much to offer across multiple aspects of Australian culture.