Descriptive Examples
- Descriptive example:
“I was walking into the lunchroom and saw ‘X’ hitting the coffee machine.
As I came close, I heard him swear at the machine as he continued to hit it.
I asked him if there was a problem and he said the machine took his money and did not give him his coffee.
I suggested he contact admin and he answered that they never do anything so why bother?”Descriptive example: Continued
I asked him how things were on the job and he replied in a very terse way, ‘why do you ask?’ I told him that I was just making conversation, and then he said that I was always trying to find something wrong with his work and I should leave him alone. I asked him why he thought this was the case and he accused me that I was always looking over [his] shoulder at work and was quick to criticize him. I stated that we should talk about this further and asked him to make an immediate appointment with me. I then left the lunchroom.”While analysis of behavior is permissible in a documented report, it should not occur until you have fully described what happened.
In the next pages you will be presented with examples of statements describing employee behavior. For each, decide for yourself whether it is descriptive or non-descriptive.“He put his face within an inch of mine and continued talking loudly.”
Answer: Descriptive
“A bill collector has been calling the office everyday for the past week.”
- Answer: Descriptive
- “For the past three days he has arrived at work unshaven, clothes wrinkled and dirty, and he has a strong body odor.”
Answer: Descriptive
“Her eyes were glaring as she yelled at me.”
- Answer: Descriptive“The report had four misspellings in the first paragraph.”
Answer: Descriptive