Question
What kinds of tasking do you do in a normal working day?


How much sitting, standing or physical activity do you do?


Do workers have a voice in decision making?  In what ways?


What do you enjoy and or dislike about your job?


Are there things in your work environment that complicate your job?

Answer
Dear Stacy, thankyou for your questions.
Each day in floristry is different from the next. Time is an important factor throughout the day as much of the work is required by a certain time, especially weddings and funerals, so this element makes the job quite stressful at times.  Much of the day is taken up making up the orders and answering the telephone for incoming orders, keeping the shop looking presentable and well stocked up.  
I always stand, I cannot work sitting down, so this does mean 8-9 hours on your feet but you do get used to it.  Lifting buckets of flowers and heavy boxes of flowers about too makes you very strong.
Each worker/florist is allowed 'free expression' we are afterall artists and since when does an artist have bounds to keep within.?  It is important also that each member of staff should be able to follow an instinct and be allowed to develop fully. We are always looking for new ideas in the way we display our stock, window displays and new products for valentines and Mother's day, you have to have a constant source of ideas to keep ahead, and who better to ask than your fellow workers.
I love flowers with a passion and I love being creative. I have a need to express myself in this way and without this outlet I would be very frustrated indeed, although I also paint (botanical paintings) and practice ceramics so I will always be doing something creative.  I sometimes dislike dealing with the general public as they can be very demanding and very rude and they class us as shop girls rather than people with skills. They are on the whole ignorant about what our job really entails.  I also dislike the cold environment but this we have to tolerate and I also dislike new members of staff who want to start at the top and side step all the yukky jobs which we have all had to do at some time.
Having to be creative in between serving customers, answering the phone, sometimes you can be working on an item off and on all morning but are unable to progress with it due to the many interruptions. That is very annoying.

Above everything else you have to be compassionate. We deal with so many emotional occasions, some are so dreadfully sad and it makes it very hard to detach yourself from it and you can end up becoming quite depressed.  I once had a very sad episode. I was travelling to work and only just missed a really nasty accident by minutes. I realised quite soon that there had been a fatality.  The next day a family came in the shop, they were all extremely upset. A young woman, their daughter had been killed in the accident I witnessed. Over the next few days I met alot of her friends and family and shared in their grief. I had to help deliver the flowers as there were so many. When we got to the churchyard they were still digging her grave. This really got to me in a big way. So sometimes it is very hard.

I hope this has answered all your questions.

Kind regards.
Sue

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