Work Ethics

We have different styles in working. Some people are serious, some are just plain laid-back. Some are overdoing it, some people are working smart. I love observing people while at work. I take a minute watching how they react to memos and spontaneous tasks given to them. Will they take it positively? How soon are they going to get their ass off their seat and start doing it? Our work ethics is a reflection of our character. I don't know how this topic came into my mind, it was probably because of this recent encounter with a cashier lady in a restaurant that gave me the idea to discuss the dynamics of work ethics.


What is a good customer service?

Normally, a good customer service is easily spotted at the doorstep of an establishment. The way the security guard smiles at you when you enter, the way crews would turn their heads away from their tasks unto you who is obviously looking for an immediate table. As swift as wind they will hand you the menu and will patiently wait for your order. They will not curl their lips when you are taking a century to pick a choice, they will gladly answer all your pertinent questions as if they care about your satisfaction more than anything else. A good customer service is not pushing for sale, but rather making sure you are well taken care of.

I, myself, is in customer service. I value the choices of my customer, if they will choose the smaller package against the higher one, I don't protest. It is the liberty of everyone to choose what is best for them, may it be cheap or expensive.

I had several encounters with excellent waiters who take orders. They are in almost every kind of restaurant, be it Max's, Cyma, Jollibee, or even carinderias. Understandably, expensive restaurants are on the league of providing good customer service, because with the price the customers pay, they definitely need to do a better job. But what I admire most are those people from small-scale establishments such as mami house or pares house that wouldn't mind giving suggestions, providing insightful recommendations, and perhaps even asking questions. I have seen waiters, who are frail and obviously not well-off, but exuding a great deal of charm and enthusiasm. It is as if he is doing the best job in the world. He doesn't mind if we change our minds in picking orders, because he wanted to give us the best service at the end of the day. This kind of people, I laud with utmost respect, I smile to them and give them the tip that they deserve and I say thank you in the most humbling way I can.

On the contrary, I have met the most stubborn and rudest lady a few minutes ago. She was wearing a heavy make-up, her hair is as bronze as a door knob and she is so sexy I was so surprised she was even working there. There were no guards at the door, I push it by myself and it didn't require much effort, but the moment I entered, five ladies are in the cashier and they were busy fingering their mobile phones (save for the one who was busy updating the ledger). I took the menu from the table and started picking my order. I choose one option and asked a question:

"Miss, the spaghetti? May peanut butter din?"

Her response took a while, I felt like my words weren't loud enough but I wasn't wearing any headphones at that time. She didn't answer so I just let it pass.

And then finally I took an order. I handed her a one-thousand peso bill, crisp and smooth and her eyebrows met.

"Sir, wala po ba kayong smaller bills?"

I sincerely told her none and I even showed her the contents of my wallet. Much to her dismay she went inside the staff room and I think everything will be ok. But she returned, still with peso bill on her hand, asking all of her fellow waitresses on whether they have a change. One took a moment to reach out to their cash box and there, there were like hundreds of one-hundred and five-hundred bills. The cash box is just under the cash register and I was so confused as to why she has to reach out to the inside and lingered there for almost 2-minutes when in fact she can even reach out under the register?

I'm still ok.

Just when she is about to hand me the change, I stretched out my palm as if to receive the bills on my hand, but she never put it on my hand. Instead, she put the bills on the table, counted it as if she making fun of it all, and dropped the coins from her fingers, falling to the table like drizzle.

Then I was mad.

After giving me the change she forgot to gave me queue number and the receipt because she immediately started chatting with the other ladies. I waited for her to remember that she has to give me that number and the receipt but she didn't so I throw her a dagger look and:

"Miss, di mo ba ko bibigyan ng receipt tska number".

She didn't get my ire? She was still rolling her fingers on her curly hair and continued chatting up with the ladies while she is handing me the receipt and the number.

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I have a roller-coaster issues with cab drivers. I have zero to low tolerance towards naive drivers. My relationship towards first-timer drivers are one that has to be discussed in an anger management class. But I am starting to be more understanding now and apologetic as I have heard several depressing driver stories and I can understand the difficulty of their job and risk attached to it as well. So in this category, I can be very compassionate.

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 Love your job. Not all of us will land in our ultimate dream job. I may not be at the liberty to say that we should work our ass off even if we are not compensated very well, because I know this is not going to apply to everybody. But what I wanted to put across is my admiration towards people who put 100-110% in their job despite the apparent low-wage attached to it. These are modern heroes who will not complain but rather do their best in whatever opportunity is handed to them.