I don't know about all of you, but I am sick of going into businesses and having to deal with cranky employees. And I am talking about people who have jobs working in public service of some kind. I am so fed up that I have come close to letting these people know that they could get a different job where they don't have to work with the public on a regular basis. Something like a paper route. You would be up at 4 in the morning, when most people are still sleeping, and you wouldn't have to deal with the public face to face. Perfect.
My latest examples are these.....I went to the department of motor vehicles to change my address. I literally have done this task online whenever available, but with this particular address change, you have to go directly into the office. Well, after I informed the employee of what I needed to do, she proceeded to take a huge breath in, and then loudly let it out, in a way as if to say..." Gosh, what else do you want, a million dollars?". Come on lady, this is your job. This is part of your job description, to help the public with requests on a daily basis. I realize this lady may have been having a bad day but come-on....what is wrong with just doing YOUR JOB in a pleasant manner?
Another great example is restaurant workers. Waitresses in particular. I am pretty sure that their job description is to take hungry patron's orders. So why do they act irritated if you want your salad dressing on the side?? Is that too big of a deal? I didn't think so.
Now, I work with the public. I realize this can really be a challenge sometimes. I have dealt with the angry patron a time or two. I have even left my job in tears because of difficult patrons. I understand the frustration. But if you can't deal with it, get a different job. Oh, I know, you could assemble toys on an assembly line for a job.....then you wouldn't have to communicate with people who ask you a question. Unless of course, it's your boss. But there ARE other options out there. Look for them!!!!
The lady at my pharmacy is another example of an employee that needs to search for another job. I mean, it literally irritates her when someone goes up to the front desk and asks for their prescription. I mean, I have felt like apologizing to her that I even need a refill. "Sorry lady, but I need this filled so I can stay alive." Gosh. Get a different job.
Maybe they all need a refresher course in communication 101. Because even if they don't "say" they are irritated with you, if you are older than 2 you can tell by their body language that they wish you would drop off the face of the earth so they didn't' have to answer your simple question. What is the deal??
I really could go on and on with this, but I will spare you the other examples. But if any of you work with the public, do me a favor and just smile once in awhile. It's really not that bad.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Get a different job!!!
Posted by Kelli at 10:06 AM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 Yorum var:
This changed my way of thinking a whole bunch!
Self looks out for self. Love looks out for others.
Last week, while on vacation, I was sitting in my car in line waiting to order at a fried chicken restaurant drive through with my wife Tammie. Our two beautiful little girls Faith and Grace were in the back seat. The speaker on the drive through was broken, so I pulled up to the window to order.
At first glance I suspected the clerk was not the customer service award winner. She was looking more like, "What are you doing here?!" than, "May I help you?"
Well, I just pretended everything was great and placed our order.
The lady was so mean throughout the entire order process that when she stepped away from the window Faith sat up in the back seat and said "Daddy, is that lady mean?"
I just said, "I'm not sure, baby, but she is at least acting that way."
When the lady came back to the window, she said to me, "Why didn't you just order the 12-piece? It would have been much easier and saved you money!"
About this time I am thinking I am just about to take a stand. She was being rude to me for no reason and in front of my family. I had tried to be nice, but her attitude had gotten progressively worse. I bit my tongue and just told her, "Hey, if you can get me everything I ordered and save me money with the 12-piece, that would be great!"
I think at this point she finally started feeling guilty for being so rude, especially since I had never barked back at her. While she was away putting our order together, I asked Tammie to grab me a Shield of Strength and a neck chain.
When the lady returned to the window, I just told her the Shield had one of my favorite scriptures on it and I wanted to give it to her.
In that moment she really did not know what to say. She turned around and showed it to another employee and then asked if she could have four, so that all of her co-workers could have one. I gave her three more and her eyes began to tear up. She then said to me, "You have no idea how much I needed this! I have so much going on in my life right now and I don't know what to do."
All the time she was taking my order, she had been staying way back from the window, making it an effort for me to be heard as I gave my order. But, by now, she had her whole head hanging outside the drive-through window telling us how much she appreciated that tag.
After she handed us the food, I told Tammie to get ready, because I was about to pray for this lady. I have never prayed for anyone in a drive though before, but I just knew this lady was begging for prayer, so I asked if she would like me to pray for her.
She leaned all the way out of the drive-through window (shoulders and all) and reached both hands into our car so I could pray with her.
We prayed a very simple but powerful prayer as we agreed that God would bring her wisdom, direction, peace, and strength as His will would be done in her life. As we drove away, I looked back in the side view mirror to see the lady still hanging out of the window watching us drive away with big tears rolling out of both of her eyes.
I shared this story and I will share a few more in the weeks ahead to say this: Nothing on this earth is more powerful than the word of God. That lady did not need a Shield of Strength. I could have torn a piece off of my chicken bag and wrote the same scripture on that piece of torn sack, and the same thing would have happened. She needed to be reminded of Gods word and that His word is true, regardless of our circumstances.
If you want the power of God in your life, then live out of love. Live out of love and the law of love will govern your life. It would have been really easy to think of myself and how I was being treated badly, but I may have well ruined my day and added to the sorrows of the lady working the drive through that day. Instead, we shared a blessing I will never forget, and maybe she won't either. One thing for sure, we were both encouraged in the Lord and felt His presence and love as we prayed together and after I drove away.
I make Shields of Strength for this very reason. For years, I always ran into situations just like this one, but had no way to break the ice and bring God in. I found that when I was wearing my Shield as my personal reminder, I always had one with me and I always ended up giving it away. Today I wear them just to give them away. I keep thirty or so in my truck so I can keep one around my neck at all times. The next time you find yourself in a situation where you have that "Man, I wish I knew what to say or how to put God into this moment and encounter -- His word, His love and covering -- I encourage you to tear off a piece of paper, write down your favorite scripture or one that comes to your heart, and hand it to that person. If you are too uncomfortable, then give it to them as you walk away. Nothing you can ever say will compare to what God has already said. Share it! Share His love, and love will begin to rule your life.
He who has God has love and he who has not God has not love. For God is love.
I have heard that story before. I really think it is a great eye opener. But unfortunately not all patrons will look at "cranky" employees in that light. I am sure there are underlying issues with alot of employees that are not "giving it their all". I have been there. But I also know that they need to try to act respectful and do their job in a professional way or unfortunately some manager will let them go, and their problems may get WAY worse. It's a tough topic.
I needed this post to "vent" as I am the type that will never end up saying anything to the employee, or their supervisor, and I have a hard time NOT letting a situation like that ruin my day. :-)
Screw mean people. That's what I say! Don't ever, ever act pissy toward me when I'm coming into your place of business and easily could've gone elsewhere, or you'll pay...dearly. :)
that sounded mean!!
HI; AS A PERSON WHO HAS WORKED WITH THE PUBLIC MOST OF MY LIFE I COULD TELL YOU SOME STORYS THAT ARE UNBREAL. I HAVE MET SOME OF THE RUDEST SELF CENTERED ASSHOLES, THEY TREAT YOU LIKE CRAP. SO KELLY RUDENESS WORKS BOTH WAYS. NEXT TIME YOU FEEL YOU ARE BEING TREATED RUDELY, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT PERSON AND WONDER WHAT HAVE THEY HAD TO DEAL WITH TODAY. TRY BEING PLEASANT AND OVERLOOKING JUST FOR A SECOND , SOMETIMES A KIND WORD AND SMILE CAN MEAN SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU WOULD IMAGINE. SHERRY
Oh, if you all wondered why I posted this post, it is because I am the type of person that will NEVER say anything to a cranky employee. That is why I have a BLOG. I get to let out my steam and not hurt any feelings. (I thought....what a perk!!) Again guys, this is coming from someone who has worked with the public every single week for over 15 years. ME!! I have seen the rudest people come in and be total jerks to me, even almost to the extent of sexual harrassment at some times, (today was no exception to the rule...it was a long day at work...) and I HAVE to deal with them with a smile, or I won't get to keep my position where I AM serving the public. I actually don't find it hard to smile at work, because I do tend to be a happy person, and I like to try to make the cranky patron's happy. It is a great challenge for me, and sometimes it even WORKS. And I am so lucky to have an awesome husband who has consoled me time and time again after a bad day at work has brought me to tears because of some jerk. But I continue to take the good patrons with the bad. That is the way it is. If I were rude to them AT ALL, I wouldn't have my job anymore. Someone else would. I would HAVE to look for work elsewhere.
So, I understand where you all are coming from, and I just have to say one thing.....
Hopefully if you are ever in a position where you ARE the cranky employee....you won't run into my husband as your patron. He has absolutely NO patience with that. At all....It just might get ugly...
Oh, and I can't forget to say....THANK YOU to all who have commented!!! Yeah!! I love that I have posted a post that you all are actually interested in!!! .......Hmmmm, what can I post next that you will read and want to give your opinion on?..... I will have to think a bit....
Hey, I've worked for the public too and I've had my fair share of a-holes be completely rude to me also. BUT, when I am a patron or customer and I am being kind and considerate, I expect the same treatment in return. I'm sorry if that is too much to ask, especially when I am spending hard earned money in your business that easily could've been spent someplace else. Seriously, is that too much to ask! I am always, always very polite and respectful in restaurants, stores, what have you, and when someone gives me a look like "what the heck are YOU doing here?" when ordering a sandwich, it tends to tick me off!
I will not apologize for being a total a-hole in return when this happens. I refuse to send back the treatment that I've received. Mean or not- that's just how I roll.
And Kel, you can blog about whatever you want- its YOURS! That's the beauty of it all. If they don't like it, they shouldn't read it. Just my polite opinion.
One more thing- every teenager should have to work in high school, because it teaches us lessons like these. Remember working at Lincolns? Those customers were some of the worse I'd ever had to put with, yet I had to smile, say thank you, and "have a nice day!" Good lessons were learned there, right Kel!
I agree with you 100 percent. Ask them if they have a problem and ask to speak with the manager. If they cant treat people like they appreciate the business then they need to find a new line of work. There are plenty of jobs out there that dont involve customer service, they need to find one. There is nothing worse then having to deal with someone that acts like you are asking them to go out of their way to perform the job they are paid to do. If you are having a bad day, take it off. Dont take it out on a paying customer. On the other hand, being a paying customer does not give the right to treat someone that is trying to earn a living like s---.
Oh my goodness.....I even got my husband to comment.
Thanks, honey! Well said.
Sen de yaz