Were You Raised By Wolves? The Proliferaton of Rude Behavior and Lack of Civility in Today's Society

[ledboots]

I work in a hospital also, and it's actually company policy that employees have to be cheerful and smile and be pleasant to everyone. It's brought up at every monthly department meeting and employees are told to leave their problems at home and so forth. I certainly do try, but there are times when I'm in a bad mood or not feeling well, so I probably fail miserably at that some days. I'm not being rude, I just have indigestion.

The last hospital I worked for had a policy that we be cheerful and verbally greet anyone within ten feet of us. We also had to drop whatever we were doing and "wayfind" by walking anyone who asked where something was all the way to their destination.

 

[kazyeeqen]

The last hospital I worked for had a policy that we be cheerful and verbally greet anyone within ten feet of us. We also had to drop whatever we were doing and "wayfind" by walking anyone who asked where something was all the way to their destination.

Seems like in a hospital what you might be doing could be more important than shepherding visitors, but what do I know...

When I'm working I try to make eye contact with anyone in the area, and maybe say hello or maybe just smile and act like I am friendly and available if they have questions.

It's just a strong habit in me now that I do that where ever I go and often get asked things when I'm not working...

 

[thefadedone]

The last hospital I worked for had a policy that we be cheerful and verbally greet anyone within ten feet of us. We also had to drop whatever we were doing and "wayfind" by walking anyone who asked where something was all the way to their destination.

We had the same "10 Foot Rule" when I worked retail. Nobody really strictly stuck by it though unless they knew they were being watched by management.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

Now I know my Radiation nurses aren't sunny and chipper every day, they're just doing their job!

 

[ledboots]

We had the same "10 Foot Rule" when I worked retail. Nobody really strictly stuck by it though unless they knew they were being watched by management.

Oh God, same here! You could not do all the ridiculous stuff they said and do your job! I am the kind of person who says hi or smiles at people anyway, but certainly not everyone within a ten foot radius.

 

[KLS52]

I have to say, the "new" vet office that I have been going to since I adopted Bogart is starting to get on my last nerve. They answer the phone, "Good morning/afternoon, this is (enter name of super-cheerful receptionist of your choice), thank you for calling (enter name of cheerful vet office of your choice), with whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with this morning/afternoon?" This was great the first two times I had to call. But when you are dealing with a chronically sick cat and you are calling 1-2 times a day 2-3 times a week, it starts to make a person twitch...especially since the last THREE times I had to call for a medication adjustment I had to wait three days to get a call back...not acceptable in my book...not when you're dealing with a kitty who is not feeling well. I have an idea! How about not worrying so much about the "fake" phone answering niceties and concentrating more on helping your clients?

Sorry this is so snarky...but when Bogey needs help I get very nervous/anxious and this is how it makes me feel. I'm always very polite when dealing with the people at the front desk. It's not their fault it takes forever for the vet tech to get in touch with the vet and get permission to call in medication to the compounding pharmacy.
My "old" vet is starting to look "not so bad".

I might have veered just a teeny bit off-topic! In case anyone needs help getting back on track, my on topic point is the over-the-top way they answer the phone. It doesn't feel real when you end up not getting the proper service.

 

[thefadedone]

Oh God, same here! You could not do all the ridiculous stuff they said and do your job! I am the kind of person who says hi or smiles at people anyway, but certainly not everyone within a ten foot radius.

I'll admit there were times when I actually walked the other way when I saw someone down an aisle. There were just times when I had a ton of work to do and my boss was on my case constantly to get things done ASAP so I just didn't have time to deal with anything else. There were also those days when I just wasn't it a good mood and knew it would be best to stay away from everyone!

I might have veered just a teeny bit off-topic! In case anyone needs help getting back on track, my on topic point is the over-the-top way they answer the phone. It doesn't feel real when you end up not getting the proper service.

I would rather someone be real rather than over the top and "fake polite" . Over politeness and constant cheerfulness gets pretty damn obnoxious at times.

And it doesn't sound like you are being snarky at all. Everything you said makes perfect sense and your reasons for it are justifiably valid.

I'm sure you're not their only patient that feels that way as well. It annoyed me just reading it!

 

[ledboots]

Patients who had been in the hospital for awhile would say "Please don't ask if there's anything else you can do for me." Another hospital rule I didn't follow. With some patients, you're in and out of the room, and asking if there's anything else I can do for you each time is plain idiotic.

False politeness may be a result of the huge emphasis companies are putting on "customer service" lately. I can't call Walgreen s without getting a callback checking on the customer service I received.

 

[Skylark]

Shakespeare was the master of insults. Many of his digs are still relevant.

When it comes to door-opening, my favorite is when a man opens a door for me, and a few steps later, there's another door. I will hold the door for him and absolutely insist he go first. Passive-aggressive feminism at its best.

I'm frequently assigned to unlock the door first thing in the morning at the credit union where I work. Sometimes, I can barely get the door open a crack (let alone flip the levers that unlock the secondary door) before people are ripping the door out of my hands to push past me into the credit union. That's when I look them in the eye, say "Good morning," and taking my time at what I'm doing. No one needs their money so badly it's worth trampling a staff member.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I have to say, the "new" vet office that I have been going to since I adopted Bogart is starting to get on my last nerve. They answer the phone, "Good morning/afternoon, this is (enter name of super-cheerful receptionist of your choice), thank you for calling (enter name of cheerful vet office of your choice), with whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with this morning/afternoon?" This was great the first two times I had to call. But when you are dealing with a chronically sick cat and you are calling 1-2 times a day 2-3 times a week, it starts to make a person twitch...especially since the last THREE times I had to call for a medication adjustment I had to wait three days to get a call back...not acceptable in my book...not when you're dealing with a kitty who is not feeling well. I have an idea! How about not worrying so much about the "fake" phone answering niceties and concentrating more on helping your clients?

Annoying! I read somewhere that having to put on false cheeriness in a job is supposed to add a lot of stress.

 

[beancounter]

I agree that it seems like people have less manners as the years go on. The last time I mentioned something similar on "the other board" people actually mocked me for suggesting such a thing. So, I adapt... Now, I accept rudeness as the norm on the Internet, and just ignore it.

 

[KLS52]

False politeness may be a result of the huge emphasis companies are putting on "customer service" lately. I can't call Walgreen s without getting a callback checking on the customer service I received.

I'm sure that's it. But somehow a lot of places are missing the mark, lol. With regard to my vet, I don't need to have a lot of BS thrown at me on the phone and then have to call back three times to get what I need. They need to re-define their definition of customer "service". That's pretty funny about Walgreen's. I don't have one near me so I don't get to shop there.

I don't think I will ever "accept" rudeness. Not even on the internet. But I'm realizing I must be living under a rock because I feel like there is a lot of snarkiness in comments when it isn't warranted. I don't get why people can't just respond with an alternative view without adding the attitude.

I remember when I first joined the other board...there was a thread about what do you feed your cat. I responded with Fancy Feast. I got a reply something to the effect of, "OMG!!! THAT STUFF IS GARBAGE!! THAT'S LIKE FEEDING YOUR KID MCDONALDS EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR HIS/HER WHOLE LIFE!! YOU ARE AN AWFUL PET MOTHER!!! ETC. ETC. ETC."

Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating just a bit, but that's what it felt like. I think what I expected would have been something like, "You know, misssnowluvah, did you know that FF isn't really very nutritious? You might consider something like blah or blah or blah instead. It's much better for cats, IMO. " I will admit that I was terribly "oversensitive" back then. It was my first experience with "internet stuff". I'm better now.

But I'm starting to think that some people just really talk to each other like that. It's odd to me because it doesn't occur to me to be like that.

 

[thefadedone]

I can't call Walgreen s without getting a callback checking on the customer service I received.

OMG yes! I have noticed this happening frequently whenever I call a business to ask a question

I remember when I first joined the other board...there was a thread about what do you feed your cat. I responded with Fancy Feast. I got a reply something to the effect of, "OMG!!! THAT STUFF IS GARBAGE!! THAT'S LIKE FEEDING YOUR KID MCDONALDS EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR HIS/HER WHOLE LIFE!! YOU ARE AN AWFUL PET MOTHER!!! ETC. ETC. ETC."

Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating just a bit, but that's what it felt like. I think what I expected would have been something like, "You know, misssnowluvah, did you know that FF isn't really very nutritious? You might consider something like blah or blah or blah instead. It's much better for cats, IMO. " I will admit that I was terribly "oversensitive" back then. It was my first experience with "internet stuff". I'm better now. .

This happened a lot when it came to mentioning eating processed foods also.