I once used to be a customer service representative and we were given a list of almost all the possible customer complaints and a list of how we should respond to each one. It was great in a way because it meant that we really didn't have to think much, we just had to look up the response. It was also so stupid sometimes because the customer would be really angry and we would be responding in a robot-like way with something that didn't quite match their emotions. I can tell you that this was not a very effective way to deal with customers; the rehearsed responses only make them angrier. The position I'm in now requires me to always be super nice which ends up sounding fake, and I often feel like people can see right through me anyways. I understand that in organizations we need to be professional, but do we need to behave in these extreme ways and always react the same way? Why is it "unprofessional" to get frustrated or angry; these are normal emotions and sometimes situations arise in the workplace where we feel this way. I'm not suggesting that we snap at people because we are frustrated, but at the same time why do we need to smile and pretend like nothing is wrong?
5 comments:
I do not think getting frustrated or angry at work is "unprofessional". Lot of people in work places feel that if they talk about or let their frustrations know, they might not be liked by others or their manager will not respond to them and understand. This builds up more frustration and a lot of people leave their jobs or make themselves miserable because the frustration builds up.
The best way to deal with such things is to think about why we are getting angry or frustrated, think about whether it is important to us or not and then go talk to the responsible people in a constructive way discussing the issue and not hiding any thing thinking that they might feel bad.
I tend to be an emotional person on both ends of the spectrum. I cry at commercials that have puppies and babies but also get very heated in necessary situations. This was always a problem for me in the workplace because if a supervisor was trying to give me constructive criticisms I would cry. Then I worked for a boss that was absolutely horrible to me. She would scream and yell and throw things. At first I would get very upset and cry. But then I realized that that reaction just added to her belligerence. I found that the calmer I was in the situation not only did I have the upper hand but she would relax sooner. I learned to “turn off” my emotions in the workplace, it is really not a place for them. It has served me well. I no longer work for that woman. I am now at place that is very high stress because of workload not because of irrational bosses and I have found that by leaving my emotions out of it I am able to make much more clear and level-headed decisions in tough situations. I don’t believe that people need to be cold, heartless robots but I do believe that if you let your emotions get too involved that it makes it difficult to see things in an objective way.
Please do not take my comment personally if you find it offensive. But the way I think of service, it that the service employees are being paid to act a certain way because it is a part of their job description. I become incredibly angry when a customer service representative is rude to me because if it weren’t for the customers, the customer representatives would not have a job. I’m not saying that it is ok for the customers to fly off the handle and start screaming and cursing either. But if that ever happens, it is not your job to stand there and get yelled at. Try and ask in a calm manner “What would you like me to do?” Most people would gladly tell you what they want and become less emotional. If what they want is something you can do, then why not do it? If it is something you cannot do or not authorized to do, just say “I am not authorized to do something like that, but why don’t I go and bring over the manager and maybe he/she can get your problem sorted out?”
The difference between work and home is the way we show our emotions. Our work place requires us to act like professionals and keep a positive demeanor. The key to act like a true professional is to keep a cool head and restrain our negative emotions. In a job where you are dealing directly with customers it is essential to put up a positive and helpful attitude. Although sometimes it gets really hard not to get angry and be rude but then again we are paid to be nice. Giving a free rein to our emotions never helped in our lives and is a strict no when it comes to the work place. The work place demands a restraint on emotions and a positive attitude so that every one can work in an healthy environment.
Reading all the comments is very enriching. I would add one thing. It seems to me that either one can lose. I was in a situation once where I was very angry and I was expressing my anger to one of my superior. Yes, I should have remained calm but showing my anger was, I found, the right thing to do. My superior was very pleased to see that I invested myself so much emotionally and to her it was a signed that I cared for the issue and cared to do the right thing. So, in a way it help build my reputation in a good way. Of course, that also made me question myself and why I cared so much. At the end of the day, it was just job and certainly not worth getting angry over.
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