I had to deal with some restaurants that were being dumb. I handled most of them but then had to refer one to a manager to be handled.
And then there was inter-department dumbness.
We've been told to have our sound up on our computers (as well as our phones) so we all hear the chat requests that come in (my alert chat noise sounds like a whip-crack!) In all honesty, I don't pay attention to anyone else's alarm sounds, and only really concentrate on mine, but as a team, we're all supposed to be logged in together and are only supposed to take one chat a piece. (Let's not mention the three I took this morning AT THE SAME TIME!)
I looked at the customer chat and saw several people logged into the program but I was the only one marked as green when everyone else was grey. (When we all started chatting, we were all green when logged in.) Not intending to throw anyone under the bus, I decided to inter-office message my manager about it.
Me: I see M & L are green on [office chat] but grey on [customer chat].
Manager: They're available but only invisible to customers.
Me: I thought we're not supposed to be invisible.
Manager: Hm no. Why do you think that? You can't be "away" but invisible is only how a customer sees you.
Me: I've always been "available" since we've started using the [customer chat]. Ahhh okay. So I can be invisible. Got it. I was just never told that.
Manager: It doesn't really matter.
Me: Okay.
Manager: I make myself invisible during the meeting or away. Customers get the same effect.
Me: I just feel I've gotten the last few chats, that's all.
Mananger: Ahhhh ok... I was just pinging L to grab the last one. If you're overwhelmed, I can still ask her to take it?
Me: LOL, okay. I thought about waiting to see if someone would get it, but I didn't want to wait too long. I'm not overwhelmed, just thought it was weird no one else seemed to be getting them recently, that's all.
Manager: Oh ok... the alert still comes on... even though it's at away. I'll look into it.
Me: Thanks.
After this a few more chats chimed in. I gave it a count of three before taking it. We're not supposed to let them sit, supposed to snatch them up right away, but no one seemed to be taking them. So each time I took one, my manager would aim me to not take it... conveniently after I had. Not sure if she was trying to give some to the new guy (M) or tell L to do them, but whatever.
Also we're given assignments everyday - things we're supposed to manage but also keep an eye on everything else and help out when needed. Now when I mentioned in one of our one-on-one meetings
that if I'm dealing with restaurant confirmations, I'll see at the end of the lunch rush about five or so orders still needing to be confirmed. We have about six associate on the clock. My comment was that if we're not supposed to be exclusively responsible for the task we're assigned, then why didn't anyone else call the orders? I didn't hear anyone else on the phone, and I didn't hear any typing. My manager's reply was something along the lines of "just do them since it'll be faster that way" - but then I told her I always do, I just thought it odd that when things slowed down, no one else was calling. I mean, if everyone took an order, the board would be clear.So at the next meeting we have, she points this out to people (but I felt like she wasn't remembering our talk, like she was bringing it up all by herself). She said just because someone is assigned something... blah blah blah.
Today I saw the new guy M was assigned to restaurant confirmations. (This was around the time I was taking all the chats that were coming in - thankfully not all at the same time.) I didn't hear him on the phone. I didn't see his name in any of the orders. Nothing.
If felt like the last 30min or so before my lunch break that I was doing all tasks. Now yes, it's after the lunch rush, and not that busy, but hello? Is it like "Oh someone will get it eventually."
Reminds me of my old roommate who I'd ask to wash the tupperware that didn't wash in the dishwasher. I'd load/unload the dishwasher, take out the recyclables, trash... I'd even clear off his desk of unfinished soda cans and snack bowls because my OCD was screaming at me DO NOT LIKE and how shitty would that be if he knocked over a stale soda onto his keyboard or something? The tupperware was from leftovers from meals that I had cooked and he'd eaten, so when I'd asked him if he'd wash the tupperware (which really wasn't all that much in comparison to the dishes, etc), he would
say he'd do them... and then never do them. I remember soaking them and then resoaking them as a show of principle giving him the benefit of the doubt. Then almost a month would go by, and I'd give up and wash them. He'd appear right at my heels with "What are you doing?" I'd say "Washing the tupperware." He'd say "I was going to do that." I said "Really? When?" And he'd say "Right when you started."Once when I'd nagged him enough, and he was washing them, he'd asked me, "Why not put them in the dishwasher?" I told him most of the time they didn't and didn't get a proper wash. Then he'd try to reason that I was the one that used the tupperware - not him - so he wasn't sure why we had tupperware or why he was being made to clean them. I remember thinking "Fine, next time I'm making myself something for dinner, and you try to hound in on my food, go frak yourself since you eat my food, you can at least wash a frakkin dish!"
Since I live alone now, I get the lazy factor. If something doesn't get done FOR ME, I only have MYSELF to blame. But in a shared environment - whether it be roommate or friends or work - if one part of the structure falters, we all falter. One person can only sustain the ship for so long.
Okay, I'm babbling now. I can feel a tangental rant brewing. I should stop grumbling before it becomes something... worse.
Tonight after work I head to Kathy's for shows, drinks and friendship. That's cool beans. I could use a nice dose of all three right now.
Later my lovelies.
Have Goodness!
Rae
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