Getting fed up with my job

[snugglegirl05]

Long post

I need to vent & figure out what I can do to continue working full-time because I need to in order to pay the bills and make a living. I am also going through a lot of emotions.

The 3 links below pertain to this post. I will also include an e-mail that Andrea, *not her real name*, who is the Director of Parking and Transportation at the university I work at as a contract parking attendant, sent me, the second shift attendant, the parking company manager over the account as well as Andrea's two employees back in June, a conversation between me and Andrea this last Friday, and an e-mail that the parking company manager sent me. I would also like to get customerssuck.com members interpretation of Andrea's e-mail.

Here are the 3 links:

http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=79307

http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=78660

http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=78765

Here is the e-mail that Andrea sent to me, the second shift attendant, the parking company manager, and Andrea's two employees back in June.

From: Andrea
To: Parking attendants

Parking attendants:

Please be attentative and aware of visitors/guests entering the new visitors location. There will be times when pointing to visitor parking is not enough, especially when VIP'S are on campus. You will need to leave the booth, assist and direrct guests to a proper parking space. Remember, our visitors/guests are learning about this new parking situation for the first time, please offer essential customer service by leaving your booth to assist our guests with parking and with any parking questions they might have.

There is more to the e-mail, but it does not pertain to the phone call that Andrea and I had last Friday.

What is your interpretation of the e-mail?

There is a clicker inside the booth that I and the other parking attendant were using. Then one day I dropped the clicker on the ground outside after leaving the booth to let a guest inside the garage. One of the parking office employees had to come down to the booth to put the clicker back together. Later that day Andrea came down with the booth to give me an access card to use.

So I and the second shift attendant have been using the access card.

Last Friday's conversation between Andrea & me:

Andrea calls me, & she is royally pissed. She asked me the following...

• why have I been using the access card? According to Andrea, the access card has been messing up the gate count on the computer inside the Parking office. I explained to her that I and the second shift attendant have both been using the access card. She then told me that if I and the second shift attendant do not improve within 2 to 3 weeks, we will both be replaced.
• why have I been going up to the Visitor parking entrance gate to let customers into the garage? I explained to her that I was following what she mentioned in the e-mail she send in June. She said she knew what she wrote in the e-mail *according to what she told me over the phone last Friday*, only VIP's get that treatment, that I should be able to determine that from the e-mail, and that if I continue doing that, I will be replaced.

She then went on to say that the parking office has been getting phone calls from customers either at the call box at the entrance gate to visitor parking or at the exit gate to visitor parking. She also said that the parking office cannot handle every phone call from either call box. So I have to watch the entrance gate and the exit gate to Visitior Parking. I already asked if campus police can transfer phone calls from either gate, but I was told that they cannot determine if the person at the call box is a university employee, a visitor, or a guest here for an event. So I have to watch the entrance gate and the exit gate to that garage. The problem with this is that I have received phone calls from the parking office regarding someone at the exit gate while I was assisting a customer at the booth window. There was also a time when someone drove around the booth and straight up to the entrance gate. I managed to get the customer to drive up to the booth window so I could assist him. While I was assisting him, the phone inside the booth rang. It was a the parking office calling me to let me know that the customer at the exit gate needed help.

She also told me that what I do & do not do affects her and the 2 other employees in the parking office. She also said that her head will roll as well as the 2 other employees in the parking office if I do not improve. She then said again that if I do not improve within 2 to 3 weeks, I will be replaced.

So I contacted the parking company manager over the account regarding this.

Here is what he had to say.

Andrea has called him regarding the number of phone calls the Parking office has received from a visitor or a guest either at the entrance gate or at the exit gate.

Andrea, the client, is not happy with the way I am doing my job.

I need to improve.

So he sent me an e-mail on what needs to be done to improve.

Here is the e-mail...

• Make sure to serve the customers at the entry and exit promtly. You should keep a keen eye on the entrance and the exit throughout your shift to make sure that no one is waiting for service. You should be aware of the parker before they have a chance to push the call button on the call box at either gate.
  
• Use the clicker to open both gates.
  
• You should not have to leave the booth often to find parking for VIPs. You might need to do this if visitor parking is approaching capacity.

When giving directions to parkers entering, keep your directions short while still being polite. Something like this following...

• May I ask where you are heading today?
• May I have your name please? *if the customer has a reservation on the Outlook calendar*
• Please display this parking pass face up on your dash
• Turn left and drive straight into the garage and parking is a park in a parking spot that is not numbered or not reserved.
• Follow the signage into the bldg.

He gave me this spiel after asking me on the phone what a typical customer asks me. The problem is, my customers are not typical. Some customers require more attention because I am asked a series of questions from them, I am asked to call someone or to look up a phone number for them, I am asked by the customer to give them detailed directions on how to get to where they are going to, I am asked for directions to get to somewhere after exiting the garage, I am asked directions from lost customers and so on. So there are times when I spend more time with a customer.

He then told me that another parking company manager will be working with me and the second shift attendant sometime this week.

He told me he wants me to be happy with my job, but the thing is, I am not happy. I am tired of dealing with Andrea and the fact that I have to make sure that the Parking office does not get any phone calls from either the call box at the entrance gate or the call box at the exit gate. I cannot do 2 things at once. I cannot prevent the parking office from getting a single call from either call box.

I want to ask to be transferred, but I do not know if the company I work for has any other full-time positions. It does not matter to me which manager I work under at this point. If there are no other full-time postions, then I want to look for another job, but I need my job to make ends meet.

Here is how I feel

[AccountingDrone]

Sounds like one major problem is Andrea the powertripping interface employee has a stick shoved up her ass like a human popsicle.

[snugglegirl05]

Sounds like one major problem is Andrea the powertripping interface employee has a stick shoved up her ass like a human popsicle.

I agree with that. I feel that even if Andrea "shops" for another parking company to staff the Visitor Parking booth, the 2 employees staffing that booth will never meet her unrealistic expectations. Then she will end up with no one staffing the booth.

I want to convey to both parking company managers that I feel that Andrea's expectations are unrealistic given what I deal with on my job. How do I go about this without sounding like I am complaining?

I would think that the parking company managers want to keep the contract, but given Andrea's unrealistic expectations of me & the second shift attendant, that may or may not happen.

[Dips]

What's happening is the the scope of your job has increased due to the construction. It sounds like adding a second staff person will be necessary during that time. Right now the problem is dropping into Andrea's lap (due to the phone ringing in her office) and she's decided threatening you is going to fix it. Which, of course, it wont.

It sounds like you manager at the parking contractor realizes there has been a change in the scope of the services he's contracted to provide and is sending someone down to watch, help and gather data so they can make the case that a second staffer is needed.

I hope they listen and it gets better.

[snugglegirl05]

I hope they listen and it gets better.

I found out from my supervisor at the parking company that Andrea wants me & the second shift attendant replaced. He will have a meeting with her this Wednesday to argue against this. I do hope she listens and it gets better. He told me he does not know when the other supervisor will arrive to give us some pointers.

Andrea is not happy with our work performance, but it is not our work performance that is the problem, it is the entire setup that is the problem. Visitors and guests drive around the Visitor Parking booth when they are supposed to drive up to it. There is a sign stating this that is posted outside the booth, but we all know that there are people who do not look for signs. There have been times when the customer tells me that they were told to park on the first level of the facutly/staff garage, & that they were not told to drive up to the Visitor parking booth. Plus some people automatically notice that the Visitor Parking garage is under construction, & so they choose to drive up to the entrance gate to the faculty/staff garage since it is open. So we have to watch for cars at the entrance gate that seem to have a problem entering the garage.

And yes...Andrea likes to make threats, something neither I nor the second shift attendant likes.

I am currently looking for a full-time job just to cover my bases.

[Sapphire Silk]

Try to get a transfer.

If you can't, suck it up until you can find something else. You're in a toxic work environment.

[Blade_Raver]

Snugglegirl05,

You're doing the best you can. Remember, you're only human.

To answer 2 phones and talk to a motorist near your gate, you'd need 3 heads and at least 4 arms.

To keep an eye on all the entrances and exits, you'll need more eyes than a spider.

Andrea's threats are just going to cause turnover and never solve anything.

You're probably doing a lot better at the job than you think you are.

Andrea's got ego problems or is trying to find a way to force your company out and replace you both with people being paid less.

Maybe she's under fire to getting let go and she's trying to make this move so she can justify keeping her job as she "saved the company x amount of money."

I'd document everything going on if I were you as backup. If you get released, seek unemployment if you can.

And you're also doing the right thing about job hunting. I hope you find something better. You deserve better.

I hope this helps.

[trailerparkmedic]

I found out from my supervisor at the parking company that Andrea wants me & the second shift attendant replaced. He will have a meeting with her this Wednesday to argue against this.

This is a really good sign for you if you hope to transfer. If you're working for a big security company, it would probably be pretty easy for your boss to find two new people to replace you with with the reasoning that he needs to do whatever she wants to save the account. That he's having a meeting to talk her out of this means that he thinks you're doing a decent job and she's being crazy, though he may never admit it to you.

[Geek King]

Keep in mind also that having someone sit in with you and the other attendant also allows your real bosses to see what the real situation is there. You can also show the person who will be shadowing you how what Andrea is asking is just not possible all the time.

[snugglegirl05]

Update

My immediate supervisor at the parking company had a meeting with Andrea on Wednesday. He managed to convince her to keep me & the second shift attendant.

But....he wants me to play nice with her. He wants to keep the contract and keep her happy. So how do I do that?

[bainsidhe]

Step back, breathe and find a moment of zen.

First, you have valid reasons why you literally can't be in six places at once. Andrea has it set in her mind that you are the problem and just aren't good enough at your job, so you need to change how you respond. Any time you say how you can't do this or it's impossible to do that, Andrea automatically sees this as making excuses for poor performance. Change how you interact with Andrea (and the parking office, who are full of Andrea's worker bees), even if it's just a little. Switch to positive words and instead of what you can't do, switch to comments explaining what you can do. Use phrases to show how you value the Parking Office's time and care about the customer.

When Nancy calls, annoyed because the 100th customer of the day ignored you yelling after them and pressed the buzzer, tell Nancy "Sorry about that, I'm trying to flag folks down before they reach the buzzer 'cause I know you're busy and it's frustrating to keep answering these calls. I'll do what I can to keep the calls to a minimum." Stating what you're actively doing to improve performance is a good thing. So is showing that you value the time of your coworkers.

One last thing, do you have any regular customers that you're on good terms with? Sometimes it's helpful to "accidentally" drop a suggestion that you could use a good word. Like "Isn't this construction crazy? Well, hopefully they'll be done soon, I'm running circles trying to keep up with people. *Looks wistfully* "I wish folks would tell the parking office how hard we're working around this stuff, I don't know if everyone realizes." Then back to "Ah well, have a nice afternoon, take care now!" Keep in mind this takes a certain...finesse. You need to say it just so to the right customer, or it can blow up in your face. If done correctly, the nice regulars will call your employer and compliment you. Just a thought towards job security.

[anyanka2]

I'm in a similar situation at one of my PT jobs. I work 2 nights a week at a local car dealership answering phones, doing office work, and taking payments. The day person quit a month ago and still hasn't been replaced. I told my boss that I was interested in her job a month and a half ago. I have the basics down and just need more training with ADP and inputing command codes. I'm a quick learner who picks up stuff fast. I'm wondering if he's holding out replacing her until things get super busy and if it's just cheaper to pay the OT for the other office people. Prior to this week, I kind of needed the FT position and benefits, but I just started PT at a law office. That could become FT with better pay and benefits. I wasn't fully trained on how to input command codes and have to have the service tech do that for me. It's an extra burden on him because he's usually pulled in multiple directions every evening being the only one there. I've watched them do that and tried to do a detail shop order this week. Turns out I did it wrong and my boss spoke to me about it yesterday. I told him that I had not been fully trained and wanted to get the full training so I could better help customers more promptly. I drive a different vehicle and would never buy a vehicle from the dealership because I like having to fill up once or twice a month verses every week. I also know because it's the cheapest place in town to get service work done, sometimes corners are cut and things aren't completely fixed. Even though I would get a discount there, I wouldn't take my car there. Earlier this month, I got a phone call from a customer who just had a vehicle in the shop and the same issues reappeared less than a half hour after he picked it up. I apologized profusely on behalf of the dealership and took his message to the service tech with a note that it was urgent. I get accused of lacking loyalty to the dealership because I have my doubts about the quality of the work. I'm sorry but I will have my doubts especially if it concerns my car. I want to quit the job because I really don't need it anymore and I want to have at least one evening free a week, but want to make sure that the law firm job will work out.