Another work issue arrgghhh

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Well… To give some back ground, I was being bullied at work and eventually let go. It was hard to loose the pay check but I couldn’t take the unfairness I was going through

I thank God I quickly found another job. It is a MUCH lower pay check but in this economy, I thank my lucky stars for it. I am trying hard to be grateful. The job has a strong custmer focus aspect to it. It is not a traditional call center but very similar. We have clients calling in for help as well as other duties. The atmosphere is generally good, the people were very welcoming and helpful.

However, it can be quite aggravating at times. I will be on the phone with a client and people will come up to me and say ‘Don’t tell the client that you are misinforming them’. The problem is, I have a client on the phone and people are pushing me to say ‘XYZ’ to the client. I can’t very well say that because I need to be polite and let the client finish their sentence. But people will just keep repeating ‘tell the client blah blah blah’ and will not leave me alone until I do so. Once a lady was nagging me so bad I had to interupt the client mid sentence and say ‘Please hold’ and push the hold button. I don’t think that is good customer service.

Another annoyance is they will say ‘Tell the client such and such’. But what they don’t realize is ‘such and such’ does NOT answer the clients question and telling them that will only confuse them. Or the worst is when I tell the client I will call them back, I go to accounting, get my story straight, and then as I am calling them back, back people will run to my desk and say ‘NO !!! don’t say that’. When I explain I am simply repeating what accounting is saying they will have this attitude ‘Fine’ as in ‘you are wrong but I won’t argue’ instead of an apology.

My co-workers are only hearing my end of the conversation, and I have to really fight to tell them what the client is actually asking.

I have been trying to be receptive to their feedback because they do spend a lot of time answering my questions. I am trying to show gratitude for their help and am trying to create a reputation of being open to their feedback when I make a mistake. The problem is, their feedback is not given in a respectful manner and I don’t think they care to hear the new girl say ‘I don’t mind being correct but please, when I am on the phone please wait for me to finish my call’

And then there is ‘Lynn’. Not a person of good character in my opinion. After every call, she hangs up the phone and uses the F word. She sits in a cubicle on the opposite side of the wall from me and is forever talking to me over the wall when I am on the phone. Because she can not see me put my hand up as if to say ‘give me a minute’, she doesn’t stop until I run over. Once it was very obvious she was going to take at least 10 minutes to explain something to me I said ‘Let me go tell the client I will call them back’, she said in a very angry voice ‘No the client can hold’. I nearly fell down! How can someone in customer service not know how rude that is !!!

She often acts like I am an annoyance (even when she is the one who calls me over after butting into my conversation) Once, I had a phone message for her and when I brought it over she used the F word, 6 times saying she hated those requests. (as if I had anything to do with it)

Well, Friday was the last straw. I was on the phone with a client and said ‘Let me call accounting’. After I put the client on hold, Lynn said ‘do not call accounting give me the clients ID’ to which I said politely ‘Would you like to come to my desk’ and she said in a bossy tone of voice ‘No you come here’. She started to tell me how to handle the ‘situation’. Every time I tried to tell her I had done that already it wouldn’t work, she would roll her eyes in a fed up manner. And I kept saying to her ‘This will not help the client can I please explain what the client wants.’ She would say OK, and after 3 seconds interrupt me and tell what I should do when I knew full well, I hadn’t finished explaining. When I told her, the client had called a few days ago and was following up with her request but forgot who she had spoken to, Lynn gave me a lecture on how stupid the client was and how the client was wrong. I did not appreciate how Lynn was blaming me especially since part of a customer service is to help clients who make mistakes !!!
Finally I said ‘Why can’t I just go to accounting’ she snapped ‘Fine go to accounting’ and as I walked away, used the F word.

I stayed an hour overtime (for which I will be paid) and told my boss. I really was hoping I could solve things on my own and not be a pain to my manager but I really saw no other option.

So, I guess I will see Monday what comes of it

CM
 
This sounds like a really terrible place to work!

I’m 61, and I have never done well in office settings. The petty personality hassles, the claustrophobia, the stress coupled with inactivity, the boss in the same room watching my every move for 40 hours a week, etc.

I’ve been working the past 20 years as a commercial driver. The job does not take me out of town. I’m on my own all day, doing things my way. Traffic can be aggravating, but it’s better than an office.

Maybe when you’ve been there a while, your coworkers will quit trying to give you so much advice.

And, remember this old line from Catholic grade school: “Offer it up!”

Best wishes… - Rob in Oregon
 
Tough situation for sure.
Have you noticed if these kinds of exchanges go on between other employees?

One thing that I thought about is that, at least initially, these folks are trying to help “train you” in how things are done in this company. But of course this needs to “taper off” over time. If it isn’t then it’s time to be a bit more assertive, charitably so, and when unsolicited “help” is offered, either ignore it or dismiss it with a casual - “Thanks but I have it under control”…then just do what you believe to be right.

I do hope that your discussion with the boss will be helpful - but don’t expect too much. One of his jobs is to balance the interactions of his employees and he likely won’t want to upset more senior employees with any sort of “crack-down”. Besides with, such a crack down is not likely to help the work situation for you.

Try to continue to be patient - but DO try to be a bit more assertive - - “thanks for your advice, but I have it under control…” type of responses.

Peace
James
 
Tough situation for sure.
Have you noticed if these kinds of exchanges go on between other employees?
Well… I have noticed clients being put on hold for well over 10 minutes and I am shocked by that. I do notice others discussing work issues but it is usually done professionally

As for Lynn, yes, I have noticed her use the F word all over the place
One thing that I thought about is that, at least initially, these folks are trying to help “train you” in how things are done in this company. But of course this needs to “taper off” over time. If it isn’t then it’s time to be a bit more assertive, charitably so, and when unsolicited “help” is offered, either ignore it or dismiss it with a casual - “Thanks but I have it under control”…then just do what you believe to be right.
I agree the original motivation is kindness and trying to help me learn. That is what makes it so difficult. I feel I need to show a receptive attitude towards their help which is why I have not said ‘Thanks but I have it under control’ because as the new person, how do I know that. But… yes I am learning and I don’t think they realize how much I know and they are still trying to ‘help’
I do hope that your discussion with the boss will be helpful - but don’t expect too much. One of his jobs is to balance the interactions of his employees and he likely won’t want to upset more senior employees with any sort of “crack-down”. Besides with, such a crack down is not likely to help the work situation for you.

Try to continue to be patient - but DO try to be a bit more assertive - - “thanks for your advice, but I have it under control…” type of responses.

Peace
James
I don’t expect too much because after all… the culture was in that office long before I showed up. And other people don’t seem to mind it. Another problem I am having and I don’t mean to put these people down, it is very obvious some of them are not that smart. They have been there a while and know how things are done but they don’t comprehend why. When I challenge them and propose a better method, it is obvious it is over their head and if they can’t understand, they assume I don’t know what I am saying. Sometimes it is over simple math concepts such as -3+2=-1. When I get to the bottom of it, there is usally a good reason why they are right. I just have trouble trusting people’s intelligence when I spend 1 hour getting to a 30 second answer someone who has been there for years doesn’t know

For example 0ne girl asked me to do some filling and said ‘They are not in numerical order, we find it easier that way’ :rolleyes:. It turns out they were in order by client. That makes a lot more sense to me. How can anyone believe ‘not in numerical order’ is easier?

CM
 
Well… I have noticed clients being put on hold for well over 10 minutes and I am shocked by that. I do notice others discussing work issues but it is usually done professionally
So it is reasonable to expect that as time goes on…As you move from “trainee” phase to “co-worker” status
As for Lynn, yes, I have noticed her use the F word all over the place
This you will never change…
I agree the original motivation is kindness and trying to help me learn. That is what makes it so difficult. I feel I need to show a receptive attitude towards their help which is why I have not said ‘Thanks but I have it under control’ because as the new person, how do I know that. But… yes I am learning and I don’t think they realize how much I know and they are still trying to ‘help’
Again - as tome goes on, they will be somewhat less intrusive and dismissive of you - assuming that you assert your knowledge and competence as you move forward. The best thing you can do right now is to develop some good, charitable responses that will end the conversation appropriately. After all, why should you NOT say, “Thank you but I have it under control”, if you do? This shows that you are learning and becoming more valuable to the company.
I don’t expect too much because after all… the culture was in that office long before I showed up. And other people don’t seem to mind it. Another problem I am having and I don’t mean to put these people down, it is very obvious some of them are not that smart. They have been there a while and know how things are done but they don’t comprehend why. When I challenge them and propose a better method, it is obvious it is over their head and if they can’t understand, they assume I don’t know what I am saying. Sometimes it is over simple math concepts such as -3+2=-1. When I get to the bottom of it, there is usally a good reason why they are right. I just have trouble trusting people’s intelligence when I spend 1 hour getting to a 30 second answer someone who has been there for years doesn’t know
:D:D Don’t get me started on “entrenched corporate inefficiency”…otherwise known as the “We’ve always done it that way”…system. :rolleyes: I worked for many years in Quality Assurance - been there done that - 🤷
All I can say is that, for now, you are the “newbie” and so have to be somewhat careful and perhaps circumspect in how you go about offering suggestions.

Best of luck

Peace
James
 
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