I mentioned in my last post how I would love working in a box so that I do not have to deal with people. I accept the fact that conflict is a part and parcel of working life but I still find it hard to believe that a small workplace like a gift shop can turn into a war zone where only the dirtiest, not the fittest survive.
At the shop where I worked, there was this rule in which a sales assistant can only serve one customer at a time. Now, I had a colleague who was a real tyrant when it comes to fighting for customers. She would spend the first half of the month doing nothing. And when she realized that she was very far from hitting her personal target for that month’s commission, she would serve three customers at a time while the rest of us just stood at the counter doing nothing. And you wonder how a person splits herself to attend to three people at the same time. This lady taught me that you serve by giving the customer a basket when you see him holding our product(s). No communication with customers whatsoever.
I was not happy with what she did as I had worked hard for the entire month only to be outdone by this colleague who practically whizzed through with her three-customers-per time winning formula. Imagine how I felt when I found out that she stooped so low as to “steal” some of my customers by keying in very big purchases under her name as she was also one of the cashiers (only senior staff can be cashiers). I did not complain to the supervisor as I felt that it would only fall on deaf ears as the supervisor himself was on excellent terms with that particular colleague.
So, my dear readers, if you were in my shoes, what would you have done? If I were to run to the boss himself, I would probably come off worse.
UCS1001 MME Tri2 2023-24 Dynamic Thinkers
2 weeks ago
Hi Wan Wei,
ReplyDeleteHow frustrated and upset you must have been!
I feel that perhaps you could have approached your colleague to call her out on her actions and to inform her that what she did was unfair to you. Maybe, you could tell her that you felt hurt by her and get a promise not to do it to you again.
I'd just like to ask: Did she do the same thing to the other salespeople, maybe the temps? If so, you could have appointed a representative to talk to her or to the boss if all else fails.
-Abigail
Ouch...
ReplyDeleteI would say that you have quite a high level of self control for not confronting her.
Personally, i would let her taste her own medicine. Practise what she is doing on her customer. But that would probably end up with more conflicts.
You should let her know that you have noticed how she keyed in very large purchases under her name. Tell her that you feel short-changed. One trick that may work is to act pitiful about how badly you need those sales number. (Remeber the Puss-in-Boots from Shrek?) She might have assumed that you did not mind as you had already reached your target.
Talking to the boss might work, but you have to take note of your tone. A frustrated and fired up tone will probably backfire especially since he is on good terms with your collegue.
- Chee Siang
Wow! This is one of the toughest situation I've ever seen. Most people would probably think of approaching the supervisor. However, I feel that it MAY backfire as it may just stir harmful gossip about you between the boss and the colleague. However, it really depends on the boss's integrity. As the boss, one is supposed to be IMPARTIAL and try his best to resolve conflicts among subordinates. Hence there is really no harm approaching the boss if you feel that he is impartial.
ReplyDeleteThe other solution I can think of is to approach your colleague face-to-face and explain to her IN A NICE TONE the frustrations you have. Speak in a diplomatic manner and all will most probably go well. You must remember to smile too while trying to resolve the situation with her. A smile always melts people's hearts. =D
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ReplyDeleteI’m glad that you did not repay a bad deed with a bad action. Can I ask you if the rest of the shopkeepers actually managed to meet their quotations at the end of that month? If the answer is yes, then perhaps I can say that I empathize that particular shopkeeper. Even though I said so, it does not mean that I think she is entirely in the right.
ReplyDeletePerhaps out of anxiety, she overlooked the feelings of the others and focused merely on herself. Of course, she was obviously not self-aware of her own actions and did not navigate around to see if her actions affected others’ emotions. However, I will say that this matter does not involve much EQ management, but instead, communication skills. (Given the fact that you HAVE a good EQ management to bear with the situation, I must say that you have portrayed the ‘Give and take’ mentality well)
The only thing you could have done is inform your boss about this matter. Maintain a good tone and do not shut that shopkeeper down. This will allow your boss to amicably accept your views and at the same time, not giving him an opportunity to ‘overly’ side that particular shopkeeper. Moreover, you can approach that shopkeeper and talk to her about it and tell her the feelings of the other shopkeepers. With your EQ management skills, I believe you will not have a problem conveying the message across to her.
Regards,
Ivan
~~somewhat NEW and IMPROVED~~
ReplyDeleteYou poor girl! But I guess this situation does reflect what is really happening in the real world. My advice to you is…
If you can’t win ‘em, join ‘em!
Maybe you could adapt to the circumstances given, by trying to foster a good relationship with this colleague. Good relationship management skills would do good here. Get her a brownie on your way to work… that nonverbal gesture could send positive vibes and go a long way in helping you improve relations between the both of you. You might also want to send the right signals, such as the way you look at her, or the tone of voice that you use, such that she will realize that your intentions to get closer to her as a positive one. In that way, it might be easier to confront her without her taking offense, or she might even stop “stealing” your purchases since you both are on friendly terms.
Otherwise, you did mention that you worked with other colleagues too right? Did they feel the same? Perhaps having a joint confrontation would be easier, and if it does not work, you could always approach the supervisor for help, as a team. But of course, be sure to do so in a cordial manner. If you use a non-demanding but firm tone, you will appear more genuine and the supervisor might be more inclined to see the problem. He might then be more agreeable to drop the one-customer-at-a-time policy, or he might even tweak the rules to allow non-senior staff to key in their own purchases. And if he were not at liberty to do that, I am sure he could somehow convince your boss!
Dear Wan Wei,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this troublesome scenario. Like other readers mention, it must have been very painful for you. You do a very good job of describing the characters involved and the context of the problem (and, I might add, of keeping your own frustration under control). You've also generated excellent feedback. The only problem is a lapse in the use of verb tense in a few spots. I'd be happy to talk to you about that.