Re: Can someone explain ?
 

It's got a lot to do with politics and supply and demand too. The current Conservative led Government are weakening employees rights and, rightly or wrongly, in the current economic climate, employees need their employer a lot more than they need them.

How else do you think that the Government are able to freeze pay, reduce pension provision and make redundancies?

Yes, that's an option too, can you supply it please Sirius.

Would you tolerate the attitude that Arthur was exposed to, including rudeness and being made to feel uncomfortable in his own home?

Re: Can someone explain ?
 

I appreciate the fact that I have a job, I'm not sure I'm grateful to my employer for providing me with it though - I think they had a gap to fill and should be just as appreciative of the fact that I did what I could to stand out ahead of the other candidates. Very much works both ways. However, the general point that Arthur shouldn't have to put up with rudeness is exactly right. Maybe Richard chose the wrong words, maybe somebody shouldn't think themselves lucky to have a job, but, if they are being rude to customers then they are just that - lucky to have a job!

Re: Can someone explain ?
 

So have I :D

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Agree with you - politeness costs nothing, being rude can be costly (however, customers do not have carte blanche to be abusive).

Re: Can someone explain ?
 

It is obviously much more preferable if customers aren't abusive, although if they are, a professional member of staff should be able to deal with it correctly.

Sometimes customers have a right to be angry and their patience may be exhausted, they may be mentally ill, have a mental disability like Autism or Tourettes Syndrome or not be as articulate as you and I and, consequently, find it difficult to express themselves effectively.

I tell all my staff that it is easy to be polite and friendly to someone who is being polite and friendly towards yourself, but not so easy when that person is, for example, being abusive. Situations like this divide the professionals from the rest.

In no circumstances should staff ever engage in 'tit for tat exchanges' and there should definitely be no use of obscenities by the employee.

If handled in a mature and professional manner, such situations can easily be diffused, and on most occasions you will find that the customer readily apologises off their own back.

If done incorrectly, the situation can easily escalate, possibly to violence and the loss of a customer.

This is why I believe that training in this area is essential for all staff.

One of my staff was disciplined after HE got hit by a customer. Why? Because he did not handle the situation correctly, as he had been trained to do, which led to the escalation to violence.

Re: Can someone explain ?
 

Can't give you another +rep, Richard, but absolutely spot on there :)

Re: Can someone explain ?
 

@richardcoulter.

You quite obviously do not have any staff. Never. You say a member of your staff was disciplined after being the victim of an assault , so you see times when violence is ok? I wish I was employed in your fantasy company as if that happened to me I would of sued you to bankruptcy.

When some in the work place becomes a victim of violence then the employer has failed them. Anyone who agrees with you is an idiot.

When some at work is at risk of being disciplined by an employer when they're attacked society as a whole had failed.

Re: Can someone explain ?
 

Hang on. You would have sued your employer for something a customer did? :confused:

More proof, if it were needed, that "compensation culture" has helped ruin this country :rolleyes:

Re: Can someone explain ?
 

If I was assaulted by a customer and then disciplined by my employer for causing it I can assure you I'd be resigning, suing for constructive dismissal and winning my claim. Nobody ever ever deserves to be the victim of physical violence. Ever.

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I can see your point but, like Richard said, you have to try and rise above it, as they say. Being disciplined for it is probably a little OTT :)

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Actually, most Customer Service training states that if a customer is being abusive, and refuses to desist, you should

a) if on the phone, tell them if they don't stop, you are going to hang up as it is not possible to help them whilst they are being abusive, and record on their customer record they were being abusive
b) if in person, call for a colleague to witness what is happening, try to defuse the situation, and if that doesn't produce an appropriate result, stop the discussion and suggest to the customer that it needs to restart after the situation has cooled down (no blame should be attached to either party whilst suggesting a cool down period) - if the abuse doesn't stop, call security to ask the customer to leave.

No customer, not matter how upset they are, has the right to be continually abusive and/or violent to a member of staff - employers have a duty of care to their staff to help prevent this.

At least, that was the training given when I worked for one of the biggest Customer Service outsourcers in the UK, and it was the same when I worked for a Financial Services company which had 7 UK call centres and 500 local offices......

How many staff do you actually employ, Richard?

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Exactly what I said. Rise above it. Don't sink to their level, etc. Quite right too.

Indeed. But if something did happen, I wouldn't sue my employers unless their negligence was proven.

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Erm, that's not what he said....

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Whatever. Way OT. Done now.

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Put it this way if i had a serious gripe about something, and the person who had caused it was was being condescending and winding me up with arrogance or whatever they might get a smack, some guy mentally insults you, thinks he's better than you, laughs at you, i don't see how that isn't deserving of retribution, i don't need stress in my life, i need people to do their jobs correctly, if they don't and cause me a whole load of grief, where is the difference in them getting some pain???? Physical scars usually heal easier than mental scars.