It happens once a year. You and your coworkers draw names for Secret
Santa. Here's a word of advice, be mindful of the person who'll be
purchasing that gift for you.
For example, last year Von had the
sheer luck of drawing one of our coworkers. Now this young lady didn't
ask for a nice fluffy Snuggie or a pair of comfortable slippers. She
wanted a copy of 50 Shades of Grey. If you want the book, that's fine,
that's your business, your personal business. My question is
why would you want to put someone you work with in the awkward position
of purchasing a book that's has the stigma of being 'Mommy Porn'? Now
you're leaving a coworker with the decision of whether to gift wrap it
or just throw it in a paper bag.
Being a Secret Santa is all
about the spreading the Christmas Spirit. There's nothing like the joy
of picking out the perfect gift for someone you work with and the look
of glee as they open their gift. I shouldn't have to be embarrassed
going to the store and purchasing an item on your list. Gift buying
shouldn't be a life altering decision. So if the thing on your list
requires batteries or has three speeds, unless it's a blender, take it
off. Yes, that even includes that paperback copy of Taken by the T-Rex ;
) Please refrain from putting personal items on you wish list. Happy
Holiday Season y'all!
Showing posts with label employees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label employees. Show all posts
Friday, November 1, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
I am a serial complainer
My name is Joi and I'm a serial complainer.
Last October to celebrate the release of our first book,The Body Hunters, Von and I decided to go out to dinner. We went to a popular chain restaurant with a couple friends and our editor, Reggie. Now Reggie is blind (blind people have it going on by the way) and she had her guide dog, Brooks, who now is happily retired and lives with Von. I had some errands to run that day, so I showed up a little while after everyone else arrived.
When I get there, Von is talking about cutting a broad and she didn't say broad, I'm just keeping it PG. She's got her purse open and she's pulling out her scalpel, piano wire, and other tools of mayhem. I ask her what's wrong and she says the ignorant heifer of a hostess threw a hissy fit when Reggie walked in with Brooks. The girl screamed at them about how they couldn't come into the restaurant with pets. Von explained that Brooks, who's clearly on a harness for guide dogs is not a pet. Then the girl starts talking about how she hates dogs like they just walked in with a pit bull. Long story short, the girl made this blind, breast cancer survivor feel like she wasn't welcome in the establishment. I told Von to calm down, just let me shoot the corporate headquarters an email and all would be fine.
I sent the company an eloquently worded email that evening explaining the situation. A couple days later I got an email back from corporate and from the restaurant manager who assured me the situation would be taken care of. They even sent $25 worth of gift cards just to make it right. But they weren't fooling me, Reggie had a potential lawsuit, but we weren't interested in going that route. The gift card was fine. A few months down the line Von and her husband Ray go to the restaurant with the gift card and the waitress asks how they got it. Von explains what happened and the waitress said that the offending hostess was fired for that incident. Problem solved.
I have a habit of stopping almost daily at a chain of gas stations, right around the corner from work. Tuesday I went in and over hear one of the cashiers asking her manager if she can leave early. He says no, there's too much to do at the store. Not thinking anything more of it, I say Hi to one of the workers there who knows me as a regular. My mother's a dialysis patient the same as her boyfriend, so we happened to see each other at the Kidney Walk. We catch up and I grab my stuff and go to pay for it. Now the manager is outside grabbing trash, leaving the girl who couldn't get home early to ring up customers. She's taking her sweet time putting money in the safe, while the number of customers waiting in line behind me is multiplying. I've had enough attitudes in my life to know one when I see one. She's pissed because she couldn't leave, she's gotta work the rest of her shift and doesn't care if customers have to wait. As if for verification of the state of her attitude, she starts ringing my stuff up without a word and says nothing to me until she gives me my total.
I go to work and marinate on that situation and get a little irritated. I've worked customer service for years and know that you don't take out your frustrations on your customers. Like I did in the previous situation, I got home and sent an email to corporate. The next day they sent an email back and today I got a call from that store manager. Now he was very apologetic and didn't want to lose me as a customer. I assured him I just wanted him to know about the behavior and like always I went there to gas up before work.
If you never speak up, how do people know they're doing wrong? I'm not saying do it every time, your power to complain should be used sparingly, otherwise you're a nuisance. You don't have to be nasty and go on an expletive loaded tirade. If you have a complaint, it goes a lot smoother with courteous words. Your comments don't even have to be all negative. If you get outstanding service, the road goes both way. Let the person know you like how they did XYZ.
If I spend money somewhere and I don't get the service or the quality I pay for, then I have the right to complain. If I don't tell a manager right then and there, then I'm going to send an email to their HQ to get it rectified. Now being a complainer doesn't mean I just go around woe is me I hate my life, I hate my job. See that's getting into the realm of being a crybaby and nobody likes a crybaby.
Last October to celebrate the release of our first book,The Body Hunters, Von and I decided to go out to dinner. We went to a popular chain restaurant with a couple friends and our editor, Reggie. Now Reggie is blind (blind people have it going on by the way) and she had her guide dog, Brooks, who now is happily retired and lives with Von. I had some errands to run that day, so I showed up a little while after everyone else arrived.
When I get there, Von is talking about cutting a broad and she didn't say broad, I'm just keeping it PG. She's got her purse open and she's pulling out her scalpel, piano wire, and other tools of mayhem. I ask her what's wrong and she says the ignorant heifer of a hostess threw a hissy fit when Reggie walked in with Brooks. The girl screamed at them about how they couldn't come into the restaurant with pets. Von explained that Brooks, who's clearly on a harness for guide dogs is not a pet. Then the girl starts talking about how she hates dogs like they just walked in with a pit bull. Long story short, the girl made this blind, breast cancer survivor feel like she wasn't welcome in the establishment. I told Von to calm down, just let me shoot the corporate headquarters an email and all would be fine.
I sent the company an eloquently worded email that evening explaining the situation. A couple days later I got an email back from corporate and from the restaurant manager who assured me the situation would be taken care of. They even sent $25 worth of gift cards just to make it right. But they weren't fooling me, Reggie had a potential lawsuit, but we weren't interested in going that route. The gift card was fine. A few months down the line Von and her husband Ray go to the restaurant with the gift card and the waitress asks how they got it. Von explains what happened and the waitress said that the offending hostess was fired for that incident. Problem solved.
I have a habit of stopping almost daily at a chain of gas stations, right around the corner from work. Tuesday I went in and over hear one of the cashiers asking her manager if she can leave early. He says no, there's too much to do at the store. Not thinking anything more of it, I say Hi to one of the workers there who knows me as a regular. My mother's a dialysis patient the same as her boyfriend, so we happened to see each other at the Kidney Walk. We catch up and I grab my stuff and go to pay for it. Now the manager is outside grabbing trash, leaving the girl who couldn't get home early to ring up customers. She's taking her sweet time putting money in the safe, while the number of customers waiting in line behind me is multiplying. I've had enough attitudes in my life to know one when I see one. She's pissed because she couldn't leave, she's gotta work the rest of her shift and doesn't care if customers have to wait. As if for verification of the state of her attitude, she starts ringing my stuff up without a word and says nothing to me until she gives me my total.
I go to work and marinate on that situation and get a little irritated. I've worked customer service for years and know that you don't take out your frustrations on your customers. Like I did in the previous situation, I got home and sent an email to corporate. The next day they sent an email back and today I got a call from that store manager. Now he was very apologetic and didn't want to lose me as a customer. I assured him I just wanted him to know about the behavior and like always I went there to gas up before work.
If you never speak up, how do people know they're doing wrong? I'm not saying do it every time, your power to complain should be used sparingly, otherwise you're a nuisance. You don't have to be nasty and go on an expletive loaded tirade. If you have a complaint, it goes a lot smoother with courteous words. Your comments don't even have to be all negative. If you get outstanding service, the road goes both way. Let the person know you like how they did XYZ.
If I spend money somewhere and I don't get the service or the quality I pay for, then I have the right to complain. If I don't tell a manager right then and there, then I'm going to send an email to their HQ to get it rectified. Now being a complainer doesn't mean I just go around woe is me I hate my life, I hate my job. See that's getting into the realm of being a crybaby and nobody likes a crybaby.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)