Careful attention to the environmental stresses of a specific setting is necessary. Consider the student’s responses to the Environmental Assessment as well as the student’s behavior that you see in classroom and school environments. Your consideration of these factors can often enhance the success of a volunteer experience, a summer or part time job, or a job training placement. In many retail positions, the effects of intercom noises, crowded customer areas, office machines, the odors of specific stores, etc. can create an environment that impedes the student’s best performance. On the other hand, shipping and receiving stations, merchandise processing stations and quiet office spaces can be conducive to (or be adapted for) focused performance. Many office and ‘back room’ retail environments are conducive to focused work without frequent (and possibly difficult to manage) opportunities for confusing social engagement.
- Is the customer service area and customer transaction area too over-stimulating for this student?
- Will the student need a designated work station to support his focus and attention on the job? Is it possible to consider the creation of such a space with the employer?
- Will the shipping/receiving station or merchandise processing area be conducive to limited and predictable transitions and interactions during the work day?
- If customer interactions need to be reduced or possibly avoided, are there sufficient solitary work responsibilities that can be added to the position to assure the student’s success? *Sometimes limiting customer interactions is a way to improve student interaction without setting up frequent stress, difficulty or failure.
- Is the accounting or business office a well-organized and quiet space that lends itself to the needs of the particular student?
- Answering the phone in an office requires abrupt shift of attention, starting and stopping tasks in an instant, as well as complex social decisions about where to direct a call, handling caller frustration, and where to find information. Is this a skill set to avoid for the student?
- Is the business one where customer complaints are common? Will the student be able to handle that level of anxiety and frustration from other people?
- Are the traffic patterns in the business office not heavy around the student’s proposed work areas?
- Are there ways to reduce the physical movement required of the student in this office by consolidating work tasks in one or two specific areas?
It is important to pay attention to the number and complexity of duties that are available in the specific business office or retail position in the job description. Shipping and receiving positions and merchandise processing are literally the same procedures on a consistent basis. The merchandise may change but the procedures and the processing steps are quite predictable. Many of these duties involve frequently practiced routines around concrete and finite tasks that are easy to structure. In creating the job match, it is critical to consider the activity needs as well as the environmental needs of the student. Consider whether the student will get bored with one particular office or retail task that is primary in the job description.
Will the student flourish in an environment where he has several different daily tasks between which he can move (i.e., data entry on customer records, scanning shelves, processing merchandise and preparing for storefront display)? Retail positions can be an excellent option for many as a ‘first job,’ a seasonal job, part-time employment or volunteer work because of the factors noted above. On the other hand, avoid temporary worker positions since these workers have to adapt to multiple environments, a vast variety of jobs and varying job conditions.
Self-Assessment – Career Planning – Environmental Assessment