Seems there is a genr’l lack of this these days, there is a massive sense of entitlement going around. I see it in young and old people but hey I was young once, unconscious once, and had attitude aplenty.
But if you've ever had to work for a living boy do you change that tune.
Not everybody is gonna know what I'm talking about here, there are a few who have never worked in their lives and never will. To those, I say you cannot possibly understand (which is the same thing that parents tell people that don't have kids, interestingly enough). Because, in a way, when you have to work, it's kind of like dealing with kids all the time. The problem child might be your boss, or it might be your coworkers- a lot of working people can relate to that one- but most likely it's the customers you interact with.
Things need to get done, employees do it, and customers are the recipients of those efforts. Simple, right?
Should be. But when you throw attitude into the mix, the customer entitlement quality that workers find so annoying, well, that just doesn't make for a good exchange. Yes, we know you paid good money for this, your time is valuable, you're in a hurry, your elderly parent is waiting in the hallway, or the 1,001 other reasons you have but- say it nice.
That's all you gotta do. 'Cuz I can guarantee you if you don't, that is going to slow things down. Hit the worker bee with not nice and his or her heels are going to dig in. Whatever process, transaction, or function that bee has to fulfill is now going to be done less than joyfully because they have to deal with you.
Now while it’s true that there are some bad apple worker bees out there, it’s more likely than not that the one you’re dealing with is not naturally surly, woke up in a bad mood that morning, or is in the 1,001 other ways customers imagine, to be ‘shirking their duties', no.
Dig- If you have to face hundreds of people a day, say you're a checker in a supermarket, a gate agent at the airport, or a pool attendant at a resort, the people with attitude and not gratitude wear on you until you get to the point where you're numb, uncommunicative, and just going through the motions. You’re not really there mentally though physically you have to be- which is the very definition of a zombie.
This traumatized person is on the road to burnout and probably desperately looking for another job due to all the attitude that has come his or her way. Managers won't step in to curb most disrespectful customer behavior because they’re usually not around and even if they are the caveat 'the customer is always right' (they bring in money) applies, so weathering attitude is the (aptly named) 'front line' employee's burden to bear. This is soooo unnecessary, because all it takes is a little understanding on the customer's part on how to communicate their need(s) in the right way. Say it nice. Have a little consideration. Pour a little sugar on it.
People that work with the public understand how to do this, watch the pros and learn from them next time you're out in the field. They might be getting barraged by some unconscious lout's attitude but they'll never lash out in response. They know how to deal with the children of the world because over time they have learned that the problem isn't that they are being unreasonable. Truly, these ones have developed the patience of saints. Oh, they could tell you stories.....
‘Hey! Uniform! Where’s the bathroom?”
“#$!%#!”
Anna Dziubinska- Unsplash.com
We live in a very fast paced, internet-fueled, Do (a lot of) It Yourself world. It closely resembles a sort of instant gratification convenience store. People don't want to wait for anything. They want to grab and go, and pack in a crazy amount of experiences, but in order for them to do that there has to be other people manning the stores, restaurants, resorts, airports, and doing necessary maintenance and upkeep. The ones on the go should get up in the morning and thank God that these people are smoothing the way for them. While not exactly so grateful that they're stopping to wash these people's feet (the fantasy every worker bee has) the Grab and Go crowd should be awestruck by how blessed they are to be given the ability to move seamlessly through the world, all the necessary support functions being taken care of for them so that they can have their precious experiences.
So, Me Firsters, the next time you interact with a person that's making it happen for you, try and muster up the ability to be genuinely grateful because that person isn't a robot, or your butler, or ol' Go an’ Gettit. That person is only playing a role for you and someday, if there is any justice at all in this world, it'll be their time to Grab and Go.
And when that time comes, believe me, those who have truly Been There will shower gratitude upon every worker bee that crosses their path.