Are We Really Still Being Mean to Our Service Workers
His voice beckoned through the restaurant, a noise that scratched my ears. His ignorance and rudeness were among the first things you recognized from him as he entered the room, other than his horrific stench. “Over easy, pork roll, home fries, and rye.” His voice made the whole restaurant vibrate. He demanded his orders, screaming if they weren’t prepared on his time as if he had somewhere to be. It is common to see mistreatment of the service industry workers. This has led me to wonder why people think it is ok to undervalue someone just because of their position in a workplace. Human decency should be more prevalent, especially in public spaces where others are trying to enjoy themselves or just get through the day. Respect for all fields of work should more talked about; we should teach people that there is value in everyone’s job, not just if you’re a doctor or lawyer.
Bitches in the workplace can affect a person after a whole day. Even the strongest person can get overwhelmed and worked up. Shit gets old. When people feel overwhelmed and undervalued, it’s natural to be mentally drained and not ok. We continue to undervalue service workers and treat them worse than dirt when they are the people who help make the world go round. Jorgenson, in an article, stated “…some employees may respond to workplace incivility with a freeze response.” A freeze response where the body becomes immobilized when faced with past traumas. Brought on to service workers with continuously rude ass customers.
Fear is instilled in the employee, fear of not only losing their job if it isn’t done correctly, but fear of the customer who holds most power over them. In an article, Ma said, “The first type is reward power, which gives customers the ability to influence commissions through their transactions. The second type is coercive power, which is reflected in the customers' ability to demand changes or make complaints that could affect the service provider.” Workers are constantly being put down; people don’t tend to realize the effect their words have on people. This is not only a problem in the workplace but in the world in general. People’s words have more of an effect than they know. What you say matters and can change the trajectory of someone’s day.
All service workers have felt the annoyance and exhaustion that comes with an annoying customer who won’t stop nitpicking at everything you do. With this comes real-life safety issues and measures that must be taken. In a news article, Isabella Fish, “The government is being urged to take tougher action against attacks on retail workers amid soaring levels of violence and abuse towards shop staff.” The government has reported that in recent attacks on service workers will urge them to keep them safe. Actual violence has been reported, and people still can’t seem to take this issue seriously. Get with the program, people, service workers are getting to be in actual danger because of people’s soaring ignorance, causing problems. Being a polite, decent human isn’t an option anymore; it’s an actual need that these service workers have.
Some people may say that service workers sign up for the job and shouldn’t expect to be treated amazingly all the time. Service workers do pick their profession, coming in already knowing most of the cautionary tales we all have heard about the scary life of serving agitated, tired people. People may be going through things of their own, and treating a service worker amazingly may not be their main worry. In an article, Jackson stated, “The upside of complaint management is that customers who do complain will continue their business with the company if they feel their complaint was dealt with quickly and satisfactorily.” The opposition is that if people complain, it’s for a good reason, and if it is handled quickly, they will continue to come back and give them business. But there is a big difference between a constructive complaint then just being rude and ignorant, which is the usual response people in the service industry receive.
While service workers continue to be verbally beaten up daily, we continue to ignore their problems, just brushing off their feelings and emotions. These workers are people as well and should be treated as such. Not just the lifesaving service workers should be praised, but the people who break their backs to put food on your table or help you find the hottest style of clothing in your favorite store. These people deserve recognition as well because they are the people who ensure you have good experiences everywhere you decide to go. No one should go home after a day’s work feeling less than when they clocked in for their shift. Continue to greet with a smile, be patient, and carry on with kind words because we need more people like this entering establishments.
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