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Basically Id start to answer she'd start to talk over the top of me to the point she was shouting - I warned her not to shout or ill hang up.
She kept shouting I hung up.
Now 3 weeks later I get a written complaint at work, I explain my side of what happened - firm not interested, only worried that ive upset a customer. They wont reprimand the customer and warn her that she may not behaviour in this manner again. I get it in the neck.
Now in my line of work if you dont define the acceptable parameters of behaviour youll get walked over or worse threatened or even attacked. This does happen, at this firm we are issued with a GPS tracking card featuring an internal recording device with an emergency push button to summon immediate help.
The good thing is although im working for them, im a contractor and can walk off site, this would place them in an awkward position even after serving a notice period, which I would give.
Now my point is - I do not consider given the circumstances of the work that my behaviour was wrong, indeed it was needed and that by me basically being told off, will only encourage the lady to increase her poor behaviour. Im fuming about it and will in the morning quit having already lined up more work from a previous employer.
So my question is to you all, given the dangerous nature of the job do you all think my behaviour was acceptable? Or do you think that I behaved rashly?
Chatty people...maybe
but what it really is are people venting their problems onto you. You see, the question and answers don't matter. People are directing their frustrations towards you which can be entirely unrelated to what they actually say (sometimes you can pick up clues if you have been trained as an analyst). Do you have time to listen to every random strangers life frustrations. I don't.
It's not something we keep track of or anything, but the idea is that there is always going to be a combination of being in a bad mood and getting the call from hell that will tip you over the edge. As long as it's extremely rare then it's acceptable.
Taking calls like that is stressful - I'm normally so laid back I fall over, but I've had calls that have left me with shaking hands and still stressed days later. I think if people are working in that sort of situation they need to be cut a little slack - although obviously there are limits.
You can sense the difference this makes in the office by the atmosphere and the way we are spoken to by the 'toe rags' - as a result Ill often go way above the level of expected service, as I know they, aka toe rags, have gone out of theirs to be nice to me.
So everybody gains, kind of weird but true.
Did you speak to the rep or H&SE about the previous place?
If it was as unfriendly as you felt, then the managers should not be allowed to get away with it, and the employees should not have to suffer it.
To my mind it can be institutionalised bullying/intimidation/violence and should be stopped.
Rgds
Damon
Pity the fools that stay.
I understand that they arent ooking to replace me either just splitting my work load amongst the remaining few!
Some very difficult people can be turned around by being firm yet fair! Others... customer-zilla comes to mind... people who are not worth dealing with no matter HOW much they spend... which is almost always too little anyway with the difficult ones even if they were nice. I love that customerssuck site... great way to wind down after a particularly hard day.
what it really is are people venting their problems onto you. You see, the question and answers don't matter.
THE CUSTOMER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT!
