No, this post isn't about aliens or the supernatural. It's about people who just don't get the meaning of personal space. Lately it has become more and more apparent that The Company attracts a lot of socially awkward people. People who just wouldn't understand a social queue if it bit them in the ass.
How do these people get through the interviewing process? I know I'm slightly involved in the process and I can unfortunately take credit for hiring one of the socially awkward employees, but the countless others? I know we're desperate at times to make a hire, but come on now!
This post is inspired by the most recent socially awkward person who has joined our ranks. Before describing this person I just want to say that I'm a very patient person and have a high tolerance for people in general. I'm going to refer to this employee as HCB for Hairy Crack Boy, oh yeah, it's hairy.
To give you a better picture of this kid let me describe him a bit. He is a pretty large boy, with constant greasy black hair and white dandruff powdering his head and shirt. If you're within three feet of him you can smell his fromunda cheese that permeates the air around him.
He always says the most inappropriate things to customers. He is so inept when it comes to professionalism and customer service, it’s ridiculous. I sat him right in front of me so I could call him out on the things he says. He usually apologizes and says he wasn’t thinking or gives some other excuse. I don’t think this kid actually knows how to take responsibility for his own actions.
As a manager I have 30 minute performance empowerment sessions with all of my team members once a week. These sessions take place at my desk with my laptop. My desk is more of a big open cube and I sit in the corner of it. The other chair, where the employees sit, is off to the side. I like to sit at an angle so I can easily see my computer screen to read the stats while also facing the employee as I speak.
I really enjoy these sessions. I get to spend some time with my employees and really get to know them. I really like the ones where we get to have real conversations rather than sticking to conversations about metrics. It gives both the employee and myself a quick break from the busyness a call center can have. However, my sessions with HCB are nothing to look forward to.
When I do his weekly session I don't have to angle my chair to face him at all, as he is right up next to me with his face practically next to mine. He gets so close to me during these sessions that I'm afraid if I move, this professional setting will very quickly become an unwanted intimate one.
As I stated earlier this young man also sits right in front of me. So almost every time I'm doing another employee's weekly session he listens in and tries to join in on the conversation. Its times like these I really wish The Company hadn't torn down the cube walls to make the floor more open.
Yesterday for example, during another employee's session, he commented on one of the agent's metrics! I had to ask him to turn around and not pay attention to our conversation. He had the nerve to say, "Well, I can hear everything." I'm aware he can hear everything, but it should be common courtesy to not comment on it. Everyone should know when a manager is speaking with an employee, one on one, that the conversation is private. Even if you can overhear it, you shouldn't be making comments about it.
Almost any time I'm sitting at my desk he stares at me. I try not to pay attention to him, but it's really hard when you're facing each other. Sometimes, I ask him if there is anything I can help him with and he always says no and turns around, but 30 minutes later he is staring again!
I tried so hard not to laugh yesterday. HCB was trying to explain to me how to play Yugioh cards. I'm not one bit interested in learning how to play the game. I didn't even really pretend to be paying attention. I just said uh-huh and oh now and again, I don't even think they were at appropriate times. I even walked away a few times to complete my quick one on ones I'm required to do daily with my team, but when I returned he would pick up where he left off. It seemed like nothing would deter him from explaining this game to me.
Finally one of my employees came up and told me he couldn't view his schedule so he didn't know when to take his break. HCB made some comment to him about it of course and the employee asked him if he was on break. HCB said no I was showing her how to play Yugioh cards. The employee kind of chuckled and asked him, "Shouldn't you be working?". It was epic; it was so hard not to laugh. HCB just turned around and went back to work.
After my savior pointed that out I realized I should have tactfully told him he needed to be working and not showing me some card game I could care less about. Sometimes I care more about hurting people’s feelings than I am about being a manager. That’s always an ongoing struggle for me, but I’m working on it.
Ending note:
Drew Barrymore
you really think HCB is gonna morph???
ReplyDeleteI dont...said person was talking to another in the break room when they first got hired about how to leave early, I politly scolded them and gave em a little talk about why they shouldnt and they went back to the floor...where did the work ethic go to with this new young generation? I mean im not old by any means, but i feel im alot more mentally older than alot of the younger generation now
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