Angry Customers Poison Teams

If you let them!

Have you ever had a customer who clicked their fingers every time they wanted something and when you offered help, no matter how hard you tried they were never satisfied and even rude?

I remember a man just like this when I was in a customer-facing job working as part of a team.   This guy was so unkind that one of our team members even broke down in tears.  Our boss became more agitated and started to pick on each one of us out of frustration and temper. 

What do you think happened next?

Two things.

Why aren't businesses more fun?

Or why humour can drive profits

So there I was checking the catering before the passengers came on board, when I heard shouting and a few choice words from the first class cabin.

I ran to the front to find the Captain covered in tea, looking ghostly white with just the noise of the empty cup rattling in the saucer.  As I turned to look where his eyes were staring I could see our Purser curled up in the hat rack looking rather pleased with himself.

Marching Orders

Redundancy and Perspective

Whilst running a seminar a few days ago a worried looking woman came up to me in the break and told me about her husband John.

John went into work a few weeks ago as usual.  He sat at his desk and logged on to find an email from his boss who wanted to see him at 10.00 that morning.  John grabbed a coffee at 09.50 and went into his boss’s office at 10.00.  By 10.20 security escorted him back to his desk.  He put his personal belongings in a box, handed over his office keys and ID to the security chap who was standing vigilant and found himself out on the pavement by 10.35.

"You're rubbish at that." "Yeh, but it's not my fault."

Accountability at Work

The other day I was visiting a client’s office and sat in a waiting area near the kitchen.  As I waited I could hear people talking and one conversation went something like this:

“There’s no point him having a go at me, it wasn’t my fault we missed a deadline.”

“I know, he had a go at me too.  I didn’t know there was a problem with the client, it’s not my job to know everything.”

“Exactly, I’ve a good mind to speak to his boss, but he won’t do anything anyway.”

Both these people spent their break pointing the finger and blaming others.  Do you hear this in your office?

DEMENTIA 

Enter their world 

Some years ago I was on an aeroplane heading for Australia.  We were flying through the night, the cabin was dark and most people were asleep.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a tiny elderly lady go towards one of the rear doors and try to open it.

THIS 90 YEAR OLD LOLLIPOP LADY ROCKS!

75yr old pledges to work for 15 years and she does! 

Our oldest lollipop lady retires at 90 years of age.  Beryl took the job on at the age of 75 and pledged to keep going for 15 years, which she did come rain or shine.  When journalists asked her what she plans to do now, she said she wanted to concentrate on the Women’s Institute and work in the local charity shop.

Beryl is an incredible lady, but I think I may be the only person who witnessed something Beryl did that totally blew me away.

As like many other drivers in the area, we all used to stop dutifully and wait as Beryl helped school children cross the road.  No one ever became irritated, we just sat there smiling and waving as we drove off. 

One particular morning I drove up to Beryl’s zebra crossing as she was just finishing her shift, it was quiet, the school traffic had dispersed.  She began to walk up the hill to go home when a child caught her eye. 

GRANNY LEAVE

Could ‘Granny Leave’ Feed Discrimination?

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, has recognised the plight of working women over the age of 50 years who are looking after elderly parents.  This is admirable and not a moment too soon.  The job of looking after children and elderly parents invariably falls on the shoulders of women, even in today’s enlightened society.  This is a tough call and many women are at the end of their tether trying to juggle family responsibilities and work.

One proposal suggested is Granny Leave, whereby women in particular can take up to 6 months off work to look after an elderly parent and have the statutory right to return to work after that period.

Great idea, but can employers afford such a luxury?  It is hard enough for them to finance maternity and in some cases paternity leave. 

Could this not feed age and gender discrimination?