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Now this one is from my mother, back in her days in the trenches determining who gets unemployment.
Back in the 80s and 90s all interviews were conducted in person at the local unemployment office. Now it is all done by telephone and unless the person is in a special unit, there is no way to meet the workers face to face due to threats, vandalism, and other issues. All of the small local offices were consolidated to four big call centers in 1996.
Prior to the consolidation my mother worked determining unemployment. Each worker had an office, and they would go out to the waiting room, call in their next appointment, and have the interview in their office while typing away on one of those new fangled computer thingys. My mother had an appointment with one such unemployed gentleman (and I use that term loosely) who through out the interview insisted on calling her sweetie, little girl, and other 1950s secretary terms terms. He would also lean across the desk and point out parts of the statement that he wanted the wording changed on, and go out of his way to try to make her feel inferior. My mother dealt with it, knowing that once the interview was over she could just get rid of the case. At the end of the interview the man sat back, apparently content with his work and asked my mother,
'Now sweetheart, what is the name of the man that will be making the decision on my benefits?'
My mother smiled so very sweetly at him and said in a voice dripping with honey, 'I will be making all the decisions on this case.' She said that you could practially see his heart stop and then restart at double the rate. His face turned beet red and he stomped out like an angry child.
The man got angry (probably realizing that he had been a sexist pig and had hurt his chances with that whole first impression stuff) and complained. I don't think she got written up, but she always says that the look on his rapidly reddening face when she told him that was worth every minute of his sexist behavior.
Back in the 80s and 90s all interviews were conducted in person at the local unemployment office. Now it is all done by telephone and unless the person is in a special unit, there is no way to meet the workers face to face due to threats, vandalism, and other issues. All of the small local offices were consolidated to four big call centers in 1996.
Prior to the consolidation my mother worked determining unemployment. Each worker had an office, and they would go out to the waiting room, call in their next appointment, and have the interview in their office while typing away on one of those new fangled computer thingys. My mother had an appointment with one such unemployed gentleman (and I use that term loosely) who through out the interview insisted on calling her sweetie, little girl, and other 1950s secretary terms terms. He would also lean across the desk and point out parts of the statement that he wanted the wording changed on, and go out of his way to try to make her feel inferior. My mother dealt with it, knowing that once the interview was over she could just get rid of the case. At the end of the interview the man sat back, apparently content with his work and asked my mother,
'Now sweetheart, what is the name of the man that will be making the decision on my benefits?'
My mother smiled so very sweetly at him and said in a voice dripping with honey, 'I will be making all the decisions on this case.' She said that you could practially see his heart stop and then restart at double the rate. His face turned beet red and he stomped out like an angry child.
The man got angry (probably realizing that he had been a sexist pig and had hurt his chances with that whole first impression stuff) and complained. I don't think she got written up, but she always says that the look on his rapidly reddening face when she told him that was worth every minute of his sexist behavior.
Say what now?! Anything further I'll take directly to fratching.
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