Name Game
So last night I'm closing at my 'new' job and the manager asks me if I'm having problems with one of the ass't managers... and I pause. I felt that he asked the question in a non judgemental way, so felt that he wasn't implying that I had anything wrong per say- he was just asking me how I get along with this ass't manager.
The problem is for some reason... maybe owing to my bad memory and advancing age- I keep getting the NAMES of the ass't managers confused. It's like when my grandfather would call me by my older brother's name. He did this WAY before he suffered from alheimers', and I know that he didn't love me any less as he did it with my older brother as well... he just sometimes made a mistake.
The two names are VERY far apart, and when I see them- I know who I'm talking about and I know the differences between the two... but I still for some reason mess up with their names. Which isn't very good.
It also didn't help that it was the end of my shift and I was DEAD tired and not looking forward to lighting the candles and staying up another hour or two with my menorah( as I don't want to fall asleep with fire in the house).
So I told him that I felt that we had an ok relationship with her, not repeating the name of the ass't, and that I was not AWARE of any problems, but I'd like to know if I had done something wrong. I asked if I had done something wrong because I know from my family that I'm somewhat defensive. And in fact later in the conversation- I let my manager know that I was often in defensive mode... BUT that if there was a problem with me, please bring it to my attention and I'll try to correct things.
And he told me that the problem lay not with me but with her. That I was bringing a new sort of energy to the place... I was interacting with the customers and talking to them on my own, asking them if they wanted help and just approaching them. He told me that this was a change for her but in his view a positive change. He liked what I was doing but I was doing my job differently from the others( who it should be pointed out he complained about that day for grouping and not talking to the customers). I told him I also had had talked with the third manager- whose name I also mess up, but at least with her I get the first letter right just a different name out of left field... That on the second day with her she often informed me that I wasn't doing things "the right way". I didn't tell him that the first ass't manager called the third 'difficult' and implied that the third was a B*tch. He then pointed out that all the assistant managers didn't like change, that they were very worried when he was put in charge and had started calling corporate to find out more about him BEFORE he even started. He further reinforced that he liked my style, we talked abit about approaching customers and that in fact sometimes you want to leave them alone. I told him I agreed with being somewhat hands off... as I know we weren't pressuring people to buy, and indeed I was trying to find the right energy levels at time.
So I left things good. Though for the life of me I don't know which manager I had 'problems' with... I think it's the second... but could be the first... I'm not worried however because I know I'm cool with the manager... and since all things are NOT equal, I'd rather be square with the Manager and not liked by an ass't manager or two then vica versa.
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Oh and I feel I should mention that I was also 'talked to' because I tried to scan one of the badges of my co-workers... There are no barcodes on our security badges but I felt it would be "an hoot" to check it out. She joked/complained that I was scanning her boobies. She said boobies on the floor in a slightly louder then conversational voice... so others could clearly hear. I said nothing. Because I realized that once a woman who you aren't bonking( and sometimes even then) brings her boobies into the conversation... as a man, there is just NOTHING good you can say that won't get you in trouble.
This ended up becoming a story that made the rounds... the manager briefly talked to me... again as we were closing... and let me know that he knew that I hadn't meant to do anything risque and that even the girl who cried boobies, when she talked to him, made it clear she didn't want me to get in trouble and that I hadn't really done anything wrong. So he was just letting me know, things get arround and to 'be aware', I nodded and thanked him for the 4-1-1. And have made sure never to talk about this at work.
The problem is for some reason... maybe owing to my bad memory and advancing age- I keep getting the NAMES of the ass't managers confused. It's like when my grandfather would call me by my older brother's name. He did this WAY before he suffered from alheimers', and I know that he didn't love me any less as he did it with my older brother as well... he just sometimes made a mistake.
The two names are VERY far apart, and when I see them- I know who I'm talking about and I know the differences between the two... but I still for some reason mess up with their names. Which isn't very good.
It also didn't help that it was the end of my shift and I was DEAD tired and not looking forward to lighting the candles and staying up another hour or two with my menorah( as I don't want to fall asleep with fire in the house).
So I told him that I felt that we had an ok relationship with her, not repeating the name of the ass't, and that I was not AWARE of any problems, but I'd like to know if I had done something wrong. I asked if I had done something wrong because I know from my family that I'm somewhat defensive. And in fact later in the conversation- I let my manager know that I was often in defensive mode... BUT that if there was a problem with me, please bring it to my attention and I'll try to correct things.
And he told me that the problem lay not with me but with her. That I was bringing a new sort of energy to the place... I was interacting with the customers and talking to them on my own, asking them if they wanted help and just approaching them. He told me that this was a change for her but in his view a positive change. He liked what I was doing but I was doing my job differently from the others( who it should be pointed out he complained about that day for grouping and not talking to the customers). I told him I also had had talked with the third manager- whose name I also mess up, but at least with her I get the first letter right just a different name out of left field... That on the second day with her she often informed me that I wasn't doing things "the right way". I didn't tell him that the first ass't manager called the third 'difficult' and implied that the third was a B*tch. He then pointed out that all the assistant managers didn't like change, that they were very worried when he was put in charge and had started calling corporate to find out more about him BEFORE he even started. He further reinforced that he liked my style, we talked abit about approaching customers and that in fact sometimes you want to leave them alone. I told him I agreed with being somewhat hands off... as I know we weren't pressuring people to buy, and indeed I was trying to find the right energy levels at time.
So I left things good. Though for the life of me I don't know which manager I had 'problems' with... I think it's the second... but could be the first... I'm not worried however because I know I'm cool with the manager... and since all things are NOT equal, I'd rather be square with the Manager and not liked by an ass't manager or two then vica versa.
-------------------
Oh and I feel I should mention that I was also 'talked to' because I tried to scan one of the badges of my co-workers... There are no barcodes on our security badges but I felt it would be "an hoot" to check it out. She joked/complained that I was scanning her boobies. She said boobies on the floor in a slightly louder then conversational voice... so others could clearly hear. I said nothing. Because I realized that once a woman who you aren't bonking( and sometimes even then) brings her boobies into the conversation... as a man, there is just NOTHING good you can say that won't get you in trouble.
This ended up becoming a story that made the rounds... the manager briefly talked to me... again as we were closing... and let me know that he knew that I hadn't meant to do anything risque and that even the girl who cried boobies, when she talked to him, made it clear she didn't want me to get in trouble and that I hadn't really done anything wrong. So he was just letting me know, things get arround and to 'be aware', I nodded and thanked him for the 4-1-1. And have made sure never to talk about this at work.
1 Comments:
At 12/28/2005 11:03:00 AM,
Angie said…
[...I said nothing. Because I realized that once a woman who you aren't bonking (and sometimes even then) brings her boobies into the conversation... as a man, there is just NOTHING good you can say that won't get you in trouble...]
Ah, that was great, and I imagine fairly accurate. Thanks for the giggle.
And I'm happy you're settling into your job.
Aimee
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