Customer service to the extreme OR "We have to what?"

[PepperElf]

My friend told me at the resort where he works employees are expected to be courteous and respectful to guests while on the property AT ALL TIMES including if they are a guest themselves.

So that means if you come on your off time and do pretty much anything that could annoy or bother or offend the customers you can and most likely WILL be fired for it.

my beef with that is that it sets up a situation where people pretty much have to be in "work mode" off the clock too.

I mean sure, behaving well is one thing, but having to carry out tasks - which some of this seems to be indicating - is something different. And sometimes it seems that this is even exceeding the range of the company's property too.

Sometimes it makes me wonder where the final limit will be?

[Solacelawlz]

I mean the policy makes sense, it's more so on the lines of common sense/courtesy but at the same time hopefully management doesn't take it over board. I agree with Bright_Star and IPF that off hours that policy shouldn't fly for employees and I highly doubt they'd be firing people for not moving. I mean honestly how many times do you have to move also is a question? 3, 4, 5+ people keep piling behind you, seems you might as well not even stay in the damn line if you keep having to move back lmao

[Pixilated]

It would also pretty much guarantee that I'd be doing no business at all with my place of employment. "Thanks for the paycheque; going up the road to support the competition now!"

[wolfie]

my beef with that is that it sets up a situation where people pretty much have to be in "work mode" off the clock too.

I mean sure, behaving well is one thing, but having to carry out tasks - which some of this seems to be indicating - is something different. And sometimes it seems that this is even exceeding the range of the company's property too.

Sometimes it makes me wonder where the final limit will be?

I can guess - not only are the serfsemployees required to do this, but so are their friends and relatives.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

It would also pretty much guarantee that I'd be doing no business at all with my place of employment. "Thanks for the paycheque; going up the road to support the competition now!"

The resort in question either limits or outright bans use of many of its guest amenities by employees, so your comment is pretty accurate.

[depechemodefan]

Kind of similar incident happened here at the library. Back during renovations we only had 2 public computers for internet use for the customers. Manager had to do something to a computer (she wasn't going to use the internet) so when a patron got off she got on and of course a customer started to have a fit. "She works here! This computer is for customers! She works here, she doen'st need this computer!!!!" Manager tried to explain she had to update it or check why it was slow (forgot what the problem was) but she gave up and let him use it. The way the guy went on you think we were kidnapping his child.

[Kristev]

Don't say that. If they were kidnapping his child, he'd be much calmer and less hysterical.

[Kitten in the box]

We use to have this policy where I work that if a customer inquired about a product was sell we had to answer them if they asked ON YOUR OWN TIME. The policy lasted 1 week before it was aboloshed. No one EVER followed that policy if I remember correctly.

[KatherineB]

We use to have this policy where I work that if a customer inquired about a product was sell we had to answer them if they asked ON YOUR OWN TIME. The policy lasted 1 week before it was aboloshed.

What happened - did a manager get caught out and have to actually know something about their own store for once?

[Sleepwalker]

I have actually instituted a policy like that. In my defense, it was for shift changes at a restaurant with very little counter space and one register. When 8 people are covering the counter in their purses and backpacks, and dithering for ten minutes about their food, something had to give. Yes, people threw a shit fit, but Jesus! It was taking half an hour to clear them from the line!

[Kitten in the box]

What happened - did a manager get caught out and have to actually know something about their own store for once?

no, its just we all refused to do it. and management can't write up the whole store...too much paperwork. Plus if they tried that we would call the union and management didn't want union coming down on them

[Jester]

A former boss of mine (I worked at a place that many young adults frequented) tried to enforce the policy that if we were at a bar in our own free time and happened to encounter one of our "customers" there, we were (under threat of termination) to leave the bar at once, leaving beverages and one's friends/guests/drinking buddies behind. No matter whether the young adult in question was aware of one's presence or not.

That policy lasted just 3 days until Boss got a friendly visit from the Union Rep...

I am generally pragmatic, and will swallow a lot of shit to keep a job--and have done so many times in the past.

But I would have laughed in that Boss's face over that one. Even if it was in any way fair or sensible, it is completely unenforceable and unrealistic!

[Raveni]

I have actually instituted a policy like that.

I did something similar at C-Store too. Of course, my employees did not clock out for breaks, so they were always getting paid, even if they had to step out of line to help out on a till.

[NorthernZel]

I am generally pragmatic, and will swallow a lot of shit to keep a job--and have done so many times in the past.

But I would have laughed in that Boss's face over that one. Even if it was in any way fair or sensible, it is completely unenforceable and unrealistic!

Yup. Boss tried to enforce that policy based upon the fact that there had been prior cases of employees (and even managers) going on a drinking binge with some of the clients, so he'd like to establish some form of "professional distance". But he went way, way too far.

On the other hand, it did make people more conscious about making party/going out arrangements without letting the clients know. And later on, after I left the company, they re-branded themselves to cater to a younger target group. So now the "accidentally meeting a client at a bar" issue is non-existant

[emax4]

There's no need to get in line. Simply clock in for break, grab your stuff behind the counter, have a coworker ring it up quickly, get out behind the counter, go sit down and enjoy your break. Easy as pie!