I'm about to be fired.

[Despina83]

I'm on the brink of being fired from my cashier job. I am seriously in shock over this. I never saw it coming. I just got off "probation" only about two weeks ago, if that. That was for an entirely different issue. So I'm off probabtion, and I think, everything's fine right? Last time I worked it was I believe a four hour shift. Today I come in and the supervisor takes me back to talk to me about "something that happened last time I worked". I couldn't figure what it possibly could have been. It was a good day, no problems. Then the supevrisor lays it on me:

"The other day when you worked...we recieved five guest complaints about you."




Five.


FIVE!!!!!!!


You could have knocked me over with a FEATHER right then. What the bloody ever-loving HELL????? Know what they were complaining about? That I'm not friendly.


This is HORSESHIT! FIVE people in oen measly four hour cashier shift complained that I am RUDE??? I AM never rude to my guests!! EVER! I always GREET THEM, SAY THANKS, AND HAVE A GOOD DAY. Always. Apparently they were complaining that I don't LOOK THEM IN THE EYE!


Look them in the eye??? They were complaining about THAT??? For all they know, I could have autism, for God's sake!! My mother could have just died!! What a STUPID thing to wait in line to complain about!!


Most of the time I DO look them in the eye, but I have a hard time doing it. I have social anxiety disorder, like I've already said. I have serious self esteem issues. The reason I don't look you in the eye and smile is not because I'm a bitch but because I'm SHY AS HELL!!!!! Yeah, I'm intimidated by you!!! What do you think of THAT, ladies and gents??


I am honestly FLABBERGASTED by this. I ALWAYS make a point to be nice to my guests. I treat people the way I want to be treated, BOTTOM LINE. I may not talk a lot to the guests, but I try to make up for it by having a friendly tone. Admittedly, I have a grumpy face. So does my dad. I CAN'T HELP IT. It's because I have depression, I have anxiety, have very low self esteem. and I'm incredibly shy. Does that mean I'm a bitch, because I don't have a grin on my face? I am always polite, patient, and helpful with guests. They can take ten minutes digging for pennies in the bottom of their purse and they'll be all flustered and apologize, and I just say, "That's okay", in a friendly voice. They do stupid, nasty stuff that would get a lot of cashiers on their case, but I just let it slide.

Wait a minute, *I* was the rude one that day?? How about the lady I had just before I left (I made a post about her already) who ignored my greeting, slammed her arm down on the belt and said "Alright, THIS is how it is. Everything behind here is put in seperate bags. And let's try not to smash them!" I could have said a lot to her about that, but I simply remained neutral and said nothing. What, was she pissed because I didn't grin and say, "Yes, ma'am! At your service! Let me lick your shoes!"


I'm sorry I'm going off on a rant right now, but I've never been this pissed before in my LIFE. I'm going to get fired because of these fools who feel the need to go up to guest service and complain that I don't smile or chat them up. Un-be-LEAVABLE. My co-workers were like, "You? Rude? What the hell?? That's fucked!"

God, I need to calm down. My chest is all tight. I know I'm over-reacting but MAN that just brings my piss to a boil!!!!! I'm really scared I'm going to lose my job right now. Really scared. I do my best at that job and this is what I get in return?? I put up with all kinds of shit, people swearing at me, treating me like I'm dog crap on their shoes, CLEANING UP PEOPLE'S SHIT ON THE BATHROOM FLOOR. And this is what I get from my guests. I'm going to have to have a chat with the manager tommorow about all this and get some advice or something, at least try to clarify things.

[Evil Queen]

*pats*

Breathe. Breathing is good.

[Stid]

I'd have gone ballistic if that was me Despina.

Do your managers know about your social anxiety ?

[wagegoth]

I'd have gone ballistic if that was me Despina.

Do your managers know about your social anxiety ?

Get a doctor's note.

[katie kaboom]

Run screaming from this place and don't look back. It's not worth the grief.

[Kiwi]

I would ask to see proof of these complaints

surely if the manager is going to write you up they should at least have the times that people complained, what the specific transaction with you was, what time you served these people.
I would not take this at face value, it sounds so suspicious, so convienent that every single person in a 4 hour span complained of exactly the same thing. Let alone that 4 people were offended enough to seek out a manager.

[fireheart]

I'm with everyone above.

Get proof of these complaints. They could be written, video etc. Make sure that it's one of those though, not verbal.
And also go and get a doctor's note for your anxiety. If your workplace has a HR department, forward a copy to them and check to ensure that you can't be fired for that (last time I checked, it was discriminatory) then I'd sit down with your manager and talk to him/her about it. I know how it feels, I've been there. Fortunately my boss was understanding and we discussed some solutions. From now on, most of the sups know that if I buzz them and say "I think I'm gonna lose it" that's code for "get me off the register before I start crying or screaming." It's become fairly rare lately, but there are still times. I'd suggest talking it out with your doc about some coping strategies while at work. Deep breathing works, so does drinking from your water bottle if you're allowed to have one. I have a 1.5L one that I use.

Other than that...*sends hugs and cookies*

[Despina83]

My co-worker, a girl who's younger than me (about 19) was made GSA a few weeks ago. Basically, she's in charge of baby-sitting us at the front lanes. She was the one working that day. We get along fine. I've never exchanged more than a few friendly words with her. Supposedly SHE also complained about me! That's right, she reported my behavior to the higher ups. What the hell?? This chick always looks grumpy at the register the way I do, and she's complaining about me?? Why?? What reason could she have? I don't HAVE any enemies or reasons for any of this to be happening. I just can't believe this. Today would have been a perfectly good day, and then this comes out of left field and just makes me flip out. Do people really just automatically dislike me by my face, regardless of the other nice things I say and do for them?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

This stinks about as badly as the half-empty bottle of baby milk/formula somebody left behind in the store a day or two ago and was sitting behind the service desk today until it got thrown out.

Five customer complaints? In one day? You kinda have to try to rile up that many people in one shift.

Methinks there's a conspiracy among management to turf you. It would probably be a good idea to start looking really hard for another job.

[fireheart]

Or alternately make a quick call to the HR department. From the sounds of it, it's starting to become a hostile work environment.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Or alternately make a quick call to the HR department. From the sounds of it, it's starting to become a hostile work environment.

That can be a big risk. Some HR departments will rat you right out to management for making the complaint, or give them enough information to figure out who made the complaint.

As I'm fond of saying, you can't spell "who cares?" without HR.

But the OP wouldn't know this would be the case unless she tries.

[Gingernut]

I suffer from social anxiety and depression too. I don't know if you're from the UK, but if you are those two conditions are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act... so it would actually be illegal to fire you for it. Especially if you are sufficiently friendly to the customers, and they are just complaining about the eye contact thing. You're doing your job perfectly adequately, and eye contact is a tricky thing with SA.

If you haven't got a diagnosis, I would see a doctor ASAP and get one. If you have, make your employer aware of it, and that you are covered by the DDA. If you get reported for unacceptable behaviour that's one thing, but firing you for eye contact would leave them on pretty dodgy ground I think.

[Despina83]

I'm in the US. And going to a doctor about it is out of the question since I don't have healthcare that covers visits and I can't afford it. And very soon I may have no healthcare whatsoever, if GM goes bankrupt. That was enough for me to worry about without something stupid like this happening and getting sacked. I really don't know what I'm going to say to my co-worker who helped to get me in trouble. This doesn't even sound like something she'd do, that's what's so crazy. She's the last person who would care whether or not I'm chatting guests up. Like I said, she doesn't either. I feel total disbelief, the way I did the day I woke up and my parents told me my dog died. I just keep going over it and saying WTF?? Tommorow should be reeeal interesting. I'm going to feel like I have a grudge with all of the guests because they've been complaining about petty things trying to get me fired. Who would try to get some girl (who looks like she's about 16 years old) fired in an ecoonomy like this over something as stupid as eye contact? Who has time to complain about such a thing? Probably even wait in line to do so?

[South Texan]

As others have said before, you really need to get your diagnosis and file it immediately with your boss and with HR. ADA protects you if you have these disorders but ONLY if you can prove you have them.

It is possible to have five petty people go through your line in four hours, but rarely will someone waste time waiting in another line to make a complaint about a cashier simply being quiet or not smiling. I have a strong feeling your co-worker and these people were surveyed that day regarding how you were doing, and mentioned that you were not smiling and were not talking to them. Your manager then took those comments to be black marks against you and has logged them in as complaints.

Did your manager state you were in danger of losing your job?

[Despina83]

She told me that I would be placed on corrective action (probation) for the second time and that would be final warning. Gee, they got to final warning awful quick...I don't believe she said she WAS placing me on it for sure right now, only that she was going to be forced to very soon if it continued. It's amazing that their picking on me, with the stuff I see some of the other cashiers doing. Sure, I've done more than my share of stupid things, but I've never been rude to a guest. These people are interpreting my shyness for something else. Judging me right off the bat and running off to guest service to complain. What about all the things I say and the helpful things I do? Why is it that it's only complaints against me that get voiced? Maybe I should just stop trying to be polite and helpful, it's obviously not getting me anywhere with guests.