Today, I was shopping for clothes appropriate for a job interview when I overheard an interesting conversation. Please understand that I have over twenty years of customer service experience so I can honestly say that I was mostly amused, but it got me to thinking. I remember having some rather blunt conversations behind the desk within the hearing of the public when I was still working with customers. Looking back, there were times when I really should have been more circumspect and carried my conversation to other places. I even remember a time when a total stranger I had helped called back to ask me out on an unwanted date which flustered me so badly that I didn’t have the common sense to put him on hold and take the phone call at my own desk for more privacy.
I think there is a tendency to do everything in a public manner now because we don’t realize how many people are listening. Ever overhear someone arguing on the phone walking through a store? Can you recall a time when you have overheard a conversation at a restaurant that was way too personal? Have you walked into a business and listened to staff members complain about everything that’s going wrong that day? Ever overheard someone’s phone call in their car because it’s connected through their Bluetooth, and they have the windows rolled down? It happens all the time so we almost ignore it until we hear something shocking, painful, funny, or just downright wrong.
The conversation I overheard today wasn’t anything scandalous. It was simply a frustrated employee sharing her thoughts with a fellow employee who happened to possess a sympathetic ear. However, I worried for her a bit in case a manager walked by and overheard the same conversation. Why? Frankly, I can remember times when we knew a conversation was not appropriate for the front desk. For instance, if a particularly difficult customer had arrived, we might move to the back to decide who had to deal with them that day. (Yes, customer service reps do that. We all know that one person who is a total crank that no one wants to deal with, but we realize that someone has to. We will even resort to the fifth-grade debate of, ‘I waited on her last week. Now it’s your turn.’ (Think about that in case you notice all the employees scatter when you enter the building. You just might be THAT customer.)
Some people have this tendency to think they should be able to say whatever they want without consequences, but an intelligent person knows there are always consequences when you cross the line. I totally understand when you need to vent because you have dealt with five nice people and twenty jerks during a day because I have been there. However, if someone overhears you say something about them, there’s a distinct possibility they are going to make your life difficult later. It isn’t worth the brief moment of ‘truthful’ triumph if that person is going to use your remark to torture you from then on out. If management overhears you, they may decide you need fewer hours since you complain so much in front of customers.
I completely acknowledge the need to vent when someone has gotten on your last nerve and everyone thereafter has stepped on it, too. However, standing in the middle of the women’s clothing section while venting loudly to another coworker might not be the ideal way to express yourself. This would also be an object lesson for managers to find a time and place for their workers to vent their frustrations so they won’t do it where customers can hear. Why does that matter? Customers are like children. They hear everything, and they will repeat it to someone else when given the opportunity. Who knows what kind of damage that may do in the long run?
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Inspirational verses for the day:
“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.” Ephesians 6:7-8 (NLT)
All Things Subject to Change 