Foo - what would you do about this harrassment at work?

my GF works in public relations. she deals with a lot of people from all over the world on the phone, in person, email, etc.

some of her clients are so mean. they call her 4 letter words, fly into a rage when something doesn't work out perfectly, and basically scream and kick like a child until they get their way. today someone called her a b-itch and told her to eff off.

she gets upset, but basically brushes it off, saying it's all part of the job. i can tell it takes it's toll on her though. my advise is to talk to the person's boss and say that she shouldn't have to take the abuse. if someone is a professional, then they should act like it. but, in her line of work, the client is treated like a god and standing up to them would jeapordize the account. i find the whole thing is really messed up.

my GF loves her line of work, and won't consider leaving, but i'm just tried of seeing her get abused like this. what you guys do? anything?

She needs to report it to her own supervisor, for one thing. Harassment which would be unalwful coming from a co-worker is also unlawful coming from a customer, provided her supervisors have been notified that it is taking place. If they know it's going on and they continue to allow her to be subjected to it, she may have grounds to go to the EEOC. That may not be a satisfactory solution for her, because she obviously likes what she does, but if she doesn't feel she can stop this kind of behavior on her own, she needs to take it up with someone who may be able to do something about it.

she doesnt have to pull up with this and her companie should stand behind her ( I hope).
she needs to speak up to her boss, he cant back this up or could be in trouble for knowing of harassment in the work force and letting it continue.
this stinks, but it was worst before they made laws to protect us againts this kind of behaviors, they are there in place for a reason, have your gf stand her own and use them :)

That sounds exactly like the owner of my company, the first meeting I had with him, he was on the phone yelling at a customer.

I've gotten used to it and learned it's mostly harmless chatter and ignore it, sometimes I'll start laughing at him and he gets a good laugh too in the middle of saying m*********er.

In her case, if it's a client appointed to her by her manager, talk to the manager. While the source of the harassment isn't from the work place, the position she is put into is a result of being in the work place and they should take care of that. But then again, if the job description says she'll have to deal with picky raving lunatics, then it goes with the territory.

If you say stuff like, "you don't know what the **** you want, I'll tell you what you want!" to a customer, then that's pretty bad.

Can she rig a recording machine on her phone, and when somebody starts getting ugly ask - "will this be on the record?" as she starts the recorder?

but it was worst before they made laws to protect us againts this kind of behaviors

That sucks because it works both ways and I can't yell at my coworkers, throw bolts and nuts at them, or make fun of their skin color either.

Luckily not around here, there's nothing more satisfying than finding your coworker on your chair and saying "you son of a *****, get the **** off my chair!" then throw a bolt at him.

Can she rig a recording machine on her phone, and when somebody starts getting ugly ask - "will this be on the record?" as she starts the recorder?

Or have a hand grenade on her desk. When someone starts getting belligerent, pull the pin, grab it, and calmly say, "ok, let's start over, shall we."

then throw a bolt at him.

Like Thor?

Can she rig a recording machine on her phone, and when somebody starts getting ugly ask - "will this be on the record?" as she starts the recorder?

And unless she explicitly tells them the call is being recorded she will be the one in trouble, as in possible jail time.

i'll suggest she let's her boss know about it.

the dyanmics of the company add a little complexity to the situation though. it's a very small company, it's basically just the owner and 5 other employees. the owner gets abused probably more than anyone else around, but she's tough and dishes it out when necessary.

my GF feels she needs to suck it up and not let these things bother her so much. i say that in a few years she'll be one of those hardened people who are doing the yelling at other people. i hope that doesn't happen though. makes me glad i'm not in the public relations industry. definitely not suited for that.

And unless she explicitly tells them the call is being recorded she will be the one in trouble, as in possible jail time.

Yeah, I guess she probably won't have a sweet plea deal like Linda Tripp... but if she then said "I'm starting my tape recorder now", it would be legal, but probably not good for business.

She can't go beat anybody down for giving her crap, but that doesn't mean you can't. :fight:

Yeah, I guess she probably won't have a sweet plea deal like Linda Tripp... but if she then said "I'm starting my tape recorder now", it would be legal, but probably not good for business.

yeah, but perhaps she could say it in a way that the customer wouldn't mind. something along the lines of "would you mind if i recorded this conversation, i just want to make sure i cover all the details that we talk about?".

they might think it's good for business then.

Please don't be mad, but is there a remote possibility that it might be your girlfriend? You say that her "clients" are mean, indicating that it's not just one person. I'm a sr. publicist and my clients do say something it's usually "You go girl!". I have several other publicist friends and I have never ever heard of anything like that!
In PR, the clients are not Gods! The media is.
Has she talked to her boss? I'd like to know what her boss has to say about that.
If she has such rocky relationships with her clients, she should immediately start looking for another job. The chances are, it's only a matter of time before her client goes to her boss anyway.

yeah, but perhaps she could say it in a way that the customer wouldn't mind. something along the lines of "would you mind if i recorded this conversation, i just want to make sure i cover all the details that we talk about?".

they might think it's good for business then.

Have your girlfriend practice in her best monotone, "This conversation may be recorded for quality assurance purposes."

Have your girlfriend practice in her best monotone, "This conversation may be recorded for quality assurance purposes."
My thoughts exactly.

Please don't be mad, but is there a remote possibility that it might be your girlfriend? You say that her "clients" are mean, indicating that it's not just one person. I'm a sr. publicist and my clients do say something it's usually "You go girl!". I have several other publicist friends and I have never ever heard of anything like that!
In PR, the clients are not Gods! The media is.
Has she talked to her boss? I'd like to know what her boss has to say about that.
If she has such rocky relationships with her clients, she should immediately start looking for another job. The chances are, it's only a matter of time before her client goes to her boss anyway.

it's only a few people, and mostly it's the same offenders (i think) each time. always under a stressful time, such as a major event. when things are calm, they love her. i believe shes dealing with a few people with very short tempers.

my GF handles events so she deals with press, venues, chefs, photographers, catering companies, DJs, etc. it's a ton of people she has to coordinate and under a tight deadline. personally i think she does a great job considering the end results that i've seen. but, of course, i'm seeing her through my eyes.

Sounds more like abuse than harassment, but if the whole PR industry is like that, she's just gotta let it roll off her back and let the loonies be loonies.

And unless she explicitly tells them the call is being recorded she will be the one in trouble, as in possible jail time.

This is NOT so. At least, not necessarily. It is dependent upon local laws. In Texas, for example, as long as one party to a conversation knows it's being recorded, it is perfectly legal.

Many figure that you are paid to take the abuse. Seems like the biggest idiots in the world would need the services of a PR firm.

"This call may be recorded to monitor quality."

Why doesn't your GF just tell the a-hole customers that if they're gonna treat her in such a fashion their business isn't wanted. Sounds like your GF is a push over and all the clients know it so they treat her like garbage.

Sometimes you get paid to deal with people like.

My mother works for a firm and deals with a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures, some of which don't respect women very much. When meeting some of these people, they won't even acknowledge my mother is in the room.

If you were really uncomfortable, tell your boss to man up (or woman up) to these people, or if they don't, tell them you won't be talked to that way. If they continue, go 'click' and continue with your day.

I'm sorry Sir, but there is no reason to speak to me that way..
@#$(&@#$(%@
Sir, I must insist you stop speaking to me that way or I will be forced to hang up.
#$%^#$^&$%^*$%&*
*click*

Sometimes you get paid to deal with people like.

My mother works for a firm and deals with a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures, some of which don't respect woman very much. When meeting some of these people, they won't even acknowledge my mother is in the room.


yeah, i guess i could see that happening with some cultures. that must really be hard for your mom to deal with.

****
Sir, that is inappropiate.
**** you, you ****. Can't you **** do and****ingthing ****ing right?
Congratulations on your entry into the Small Penis Club!
**** you!
Your membership card and Chevrolet Avalanche will show up at your house in 6-10 business days.
*click*

Sounds more like abuse than harassment, but if the whole PR industry is like that, she's just gotta let it roll off her back and let the loonies be loonies.

My thoughts exactly. It's liking teaching in the South Bronx where you routinely get cursed-out by the students.

My thoughts exactly. It's liking teaching in the South Bronx where you routinely get cursed-out by the students.

true. just goes to show that having money and education doesn't make you a better person than anyone else.

Excuse the harshness... but either live with it or leave. :(

my GF loves her line of work, and won't consider leaving, but i'm just tried of seeing her get abused like this. what you guys do? anything?
Suck it up. She's in P.R. That's how the world works. She gets a paycheck because her company has clients. Start slapping down the clients and they will just leave. (It sounds like she works in a cutthroat industry where clients can easily take their business elsewhere.)

Have your girlfriend call the guys wife and tell her he gave her the CLAP. IF that doesn't work she could always just poke him in the eye...

Or take the client out, get him hammered, then call the cops after he gets behind the wheel of his car...

That sucks...sorry for your GF...

my GF works in public relations. she deals with a lot of people from all over the world on the phone, in person, email, etc.

some of her clients are so mean. they call her 4 letter words, fly into a rage when something doesn't work out perfectly, and basically scream and kick like a child until they get their way. today someone called her a b-itch and told her to eff off.

she gets upset, but basically brushes it off, saying it's all part of the job. i can tell it takes it's toll on her though. my advise is to talk to the person's boss and say that she shouldn't have to take the abuse. if someone is a professional, then they should act like it. but, in her line of work, the client is treated like a god and standing up to them would jeapordize the account. i find the whole thing is really messed up.

my GF loves her line of work, and won't consider leaving, but i'm just tried of seeing her get abused like this. what you guys do? anything?

Depends. I would love to be very pc and say she should take it to her boss etc...but in reality some jobs demand that of the people in them. Sales and Marketting can be brutal. Support is downright abusive. If you can't take the abuse and the job comes with the package, then maybe its not a package for everyone.

I know I can't do it. I retort and go right back at them, screw the client. This of course in the service world has gotten me into a lot of trouble. Working in several hotels, the staff are basically trained to take it up the ass from guests constantly. Those poor front liners...

tell her to mail them one of those jack in the boxes with a boxing glove inside :D

true. just goes to show that having money and education doesn't make you a better person than anyone else.

It does financially. :p

tell her to mail them one of those jack in the boxes with a boxing glove inside :D

Better yet, white powder...

i used to work in internet support, in a call center, for a company that jerked their customers around quite a bit. so the front line internet support was there to take the brunt of the backlash. i had many ways of dealing with customers like that. if they were just belligerant and didn't understand anything i was saying i'd just hang up, not worth my time. if they were just very very angry and kinda taking it out on me i'd try to help them and explain the problem as best i can, but if they're just not willing to work with me, again hang up on them (however about 80% of these customers i was able to convert into apologizing to me or still angry but willing to wait till we got whatever it was resolved). many others don't have a big problem but are abusing you because of other things in their life (wife left them, dog got hit by a car, bird died, etc...) so for them i just turned the volume on the phone waaay down or held it a little off my ear until they got it out of their system and were calm enough for me to show them how to change their homepage or whatever dumb problem they called in about. now i still work for the same company that jerks their customers around, but make a lot more money and don't talk to customers! yaay! actually their going full force with jerking the customers around now, geez i feel bad for those front line reps.

edit: ooh i wanted to add: when i worked at a computer store (employees: 5 - 2 owners, 2 employees + me) and we got angry calls from customers the hanging up thing worked too. we had to treat our customers with respect too because of the small store puts higher value on individual customers, accounts, word of mouth, etc... so if someone was just irate and not making sense i'd say very loudly "CALL BACK WHEN YOU CALM DOWN" and hang up. naturally they call back even angrier, get the same answer, then call again about ready to explode, etc... after several calls/hangups they'd finally call and there'd be a long silence, i'd say "computer store, hello? hello? computer store.." then i'd hear a quiet, sheepish "hi, uh, im sorry about earlier, uh i can't get the surround sound working on my sound card" or something then we go from there. i dunno if your GF can do that but it worked for me. eventually the company went kaput because one of the employees got an angry guy that happened to be the lead of a huge military account but instead of helping him he had some choice words that started with F for him and we lost our biggest account and word got around to our other accounts and we were toast. oh well i get paid way better now and like my job way more now anyway.