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First, there were a few things I got marked down on that I deserved to get marked down on, as we pretty much failed as a department, and I had a hand in that. Also, a lot of the stuff relating to--let's face it, personality and schmoozing--I've fixed, even if by purposely making a huge effort to overlook annoyances and letting insults go, on the surface, and then letting go emotionally after work. My boss says since January I've done fantastically with this. I admit that last year I just didn't give people a lot of grace. I'm working on that now, because honestly, I'm not perfect and can't expect other people to be. Yes, they're annoying sometimes, but I am capable of forgiveness if I choose to be. It's a choice.
But there are a couple of things I am annoyed about getting marked down on, and need to get off my chest.
1. Sense of urgency/prioritizing. I asked why, and was told that it's because while they appreciate my helping out at service desk when needed, I "stay back there" instead of jumping back on a register, and then the lines pile up. OK, I can kind of see this. I'm very task-oriented, so a lot of times I will take an extra 30 seconds to tag an item (because we have huge problems with untagged stuff at our store, enough to suspend regular practices in dealing with it at the registers). Or I will let the returning service desk person know what's going on before going back out. I can see both sides of that. But another part of it is that instead of pulling customers up to the service desk to ring them out, I should've just jumped on a register. Sounds like a lack of urgency about the lines until you consider:
--The times I pulled people to the service desk, it was because I was a) told to,
b) the service desk person that day and not supposed to be on a register or
c) running the front lanes temporarily and not supposed to be on a register
How was this not being concerned about the backup? To boot, all year I spent calling for backup, only to have managers say, "No, we're ok" as customers rolled their eyes.
2. My attitude. OK, in 2011 it sucked. I did work on it in 2012. But in the beginning of 2012 I started working on it. I wasn't overly friendly as I am now, but I feel I was polite. There was one incident that I could think of where someone complained via phonecall where I still feel I didn't do anything wrong, unless my reaction to her unsolicited rudeness was perceived by her as rude. http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=96692 That is the only phone complaint I remember, and the manager who took it didn't even bother to document it, because she felt the SC was being ridiculous. I brought this incident up in my review, and my boss said "it's a fine line" and something about being "overly sweet as pie" in those situations in order to tick the SC off more. I love my boss, but why would I want to do that?? Also, I just physically couldn't respond that way due to my utter SHOCK at her jumping down my throat.
Anyway, apparently over the year I'd been called out by customers by name as being "huffy" or some such, yet I was never told about it. I actually said "Why was I not told??" My boss' response was that when survey comments were posted, my name was blacked out. How does that make it better? And technically they are supposed to put you on probation if you get called out by name. Never happened; I should be glad, but I would've liked to give my side.
And I wonder how much of that "huffiness" was my massive nerve pain in the beginning of the year. Yeah, I shouln't have been at work, but some of us have to go in pain. So this http://www.customerssuck.com/boardshowthread.phpt=93538 gets me in trouble. (I wouldn't doubt he complained.)
All in all, I have good scores for the last 4 months, as we are being preliminarily reviewed for that. In spite of my C- score for last year, I'm still employed, got a 1.5% raise (and some didn't get a raise at all), have the highest card ap rate in the tore currently, and have a happy boss. I should be glad, but am feeling annoyed over the above issues. I guess when my pay caps out, it won't even matter.
Thanks for "listening."
But there are a couple of things I am annoyed about getting marked down on, and need to get off my chest.
1. Sense of urgency/prioritizing. I asked why, and was told that it's because while they appreciate my helping out at service desk when needed, I "stay back there" instead of jumping back on a register, and then the lines pile up. OK, I can kind of see this. I'm very task-oriented, so a lot of times I will take an extra 30 seconds to tag an item (because we have huge problems with untagged stuff at our store, enough to suspend regular practices in dealing with it at the registers). Or I will let the returning service desk person know what's going on before going back out. I can see both sides of that. But another part of it is that instead of pulling customers up to the service desk to ring them out, I should've just jumped on a register. Sounds like a lack of urgency about the lines until you consider:
--The times I pulled people to the service desk, it was because I was a) told to,
b) the service desk person that day and not supposed to be on a register or
c) running the front lanes temporarily and not supposed to be on a register
How was this not being concerned about the backup? To boot, all year I spent calling for backup, only to have managers say, "No, we're ok" as customers rolled their eyes.
2. My attitude. OK, in 2011 it sucked. I did work on it in 2012. But in the beginning of 2012 I started working on it. I wasn't overly friendly as I am now, but I feel I was polite. There was one incident that I could think of where someone complained via phonecall where I still feel I didn't do anything wrong, unless my reaction to her unsolicited rudeness was perceived by her as rude. http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=96692 That is the only phone complaint I remember, and the manager who took it didn't even bother to document it, because she felt the SC was being ridiculous. I brought this incident up in my review, and my boss said "it's a fine line" and something about being "overly sweet as pie" in those situations in order to tick the SC off more. I love my boss, but why would I want to do that?? Also, I just physically couldn't respond that way due to my utter SHOCK at her jumping down my throat.
Anyway, apparently over the year I'd been called out by customers by name as being "huffy" or some such, yet I was never told about it. I actually said "Why was I not told??" My boss' response was that when survey comments were posted, my name was blacked out. How does that make it better? And technically they are supposed to put you on probation if you get called out by name. Never happened; I should be glad, but I would've liked to give my side.
And I wonder how much of that "huffiness" was my massive nerve pain in the beginning of the year. Yeah, I shouln't have been at work, but some of us have to go in pain. So this http://www.customerssuck.com/boardshowthread.phpt=93538 gets me in trouble. (I wouldn't doubt he complained.)
All in all, I have good scores for the last 4 months, as we are being preliminarily reviewed for that. In spite of my C- score for last year, I'm still employed, got a 1.5% raise (and some didn't get a raise at all), have the highest card ap rate in the tore currently, and have a happy boss. I should be glad, but am feeling annoyed over the above issues. I guess when my pay caps out, it won't even matter.
Thanks for "listening."