Sam Kwiatkowski

Informal Manager Interview

Intro
Luckily, I have had the opportunity to intern with Amazon Customer Service in Huntington, WV
this summer. The opportunity has opened my network to several high-level managers. I decided
to interview my direct manager, Tom Kuphal, to get an idea of his thoughts on the perfect
workplace. I did some background questioning to find out work experience and what makes
him happy in the work place. I also talked with Tom about gender roles in the work place and
other issues that are discussed in the book.

Who are the best types of bosses youve worked for?

In my interview with Tom, we came to realization that we both have similar traits we look for in
a boss. First and foremost, Tom said he wants a family first boss that understands the
responsibilities that going have a family. Tom has four young kids so he needs a boss that
respects his family and is somewhat lenient when dealing with family issues. For example, being
able to work from home if a child is sick, etc. This goes back to the relationship quality that is
discussed in our text book. A manager you can build a relationship with, both professionally and
personally, will make for the best outcome. Tom, who currently works at Amazon, said he
bosses are great when it comes to relationship building and trust. At his previous job with
Target, he didnt feel trusted and thus his relationship with his boss crumbled.

What are the ideal qualities you look for in a work place?

Tom expressed several qualities he looks for in a workplace. Work is supposed to be taken
serious, but at the same time you have to have fun. Tom stressed that work should be a place
you go to work hard, have fun. This culture is taking over workplaces everywhere. The best
job is a place where you work hard for 40 hours a week, but still partake in relationship building
events outside of work. Our textbooks harps on these ideas and how they can make a work
environment even better. Its important to be friends with your co-workers and embrace a
fun-working office culture.

How would you say gender roles effect the workplace?

Tom stressed that he has had female and male bosses throughout his 17 year work career. He
said he has had great female and male bossed but also poor female and male bosses. Tom
doesnt look at the gender of his boss, but rather the type of person they are. However, he has
been in environments where he felt women were not getting the promotions they deserved. He
even went as far to say he has questioned HR about hiring processes. That being said, the
textbook describes how this unfair treatment still affects women in the workplace. Tom said he
has seen changed over the years, but there is still more to go. I think Toms response aligns
exactly with what our book teaches us.
Conclusion

As you can tell, a big trait Tom is looking for in the workplace is relationships. He feels it is very
important to build quality relationships with his work peers. This makes the office flow and
creates great team work. I think going forward in my career, I am going to search for jobs where
bosses and co-workers want to build genuine relationships.