[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > I dunno, it's a mystery about receptionists. Like I usually just want to say > "hey, your just a receptionist
Yeah, that's what receptionists, store clerks, waiters, secretaries, and anyone in a "lower level" job are constantly reminded of by everyone, the "customers" as well as the "higher ups". You're just a .... Studies have shown that such jobs can be more stressful than the "higher up" jobs of doctors, executives, etc. because of that lack of respect and having very little say about their work life, and by extension the rest of their life. The receptionist probably MUST be there at a certain time, for example, no matter what's going on at home; the executive can juggle and rearrange her/his schedule at will. So they have that flexibility, plus probably get paid 10 or more times what the receptionist gets paid. Unfortunately, the only way a person in such a support job has any "power" is to try to control the customer, which then just worsens the entire situation. If that need for control is what is being played out, I try to talk to someone else working there who, I hope, is in a better mood that day, that is, not feeling oppressed. Some days, though, being on the receiving end of such a "bad attitude" can get me instantly grumpy in response, no matter how much I usually try to look at the big picture, which includes keeping in mind that it's a basic human need in everyone to feel respected and appreciated, and if a person isn't getting that, hostility builds and is going to come out somehow. No one wants to be considered a "just a ...", a person with little value. I'm glad you got the care you needed, Colin. I don't understand your deodorant comment, though. You mean you can't shower, not even with some kind of plastic covering on your wounded appendage? Debra Shea
