Attitude Issues

jamesbrown

How do you guys deal with people that talk with so much attitude at work? Some lady just talked down to me like she was my mother at work all because she has me to do something and i forgot. I was busy with a project all day and she wants me to create a user account. I'm currently doing support work and project work at thesame time.

Thanks

networker050184

Be nice to them and go tell your boss, their boss or report to HR. The last thing you want is to get into some kind of confrontation and lose your job.

SteveLord

Let the chain of command deal with it.

jamesbrown

SteveLord wrote: »

Let the chain of command deal with it.

Does it matter if I'm on probation?

NetworkVeteran

Some lady just talked down to me like she was my mother at work all because she has me to do something and i forgot.

You goofed. I believe the best way to handle your errors is through self-improvement. Figure out what you need to do so you won't forget a client's request again. That may be tracking software, a spreadsheet, or a notebook.

I was busy with a project all day and she wants me to create a user account.

"I'm busy" in no way explains nor excuses forgetting a client request.

jamesbrown wrote: »

Does it matter if I'm on probation?

As far as specific actions to take against said woman, it's hard to say because you did not elaborate on what talking "down to me like she was my mother" entailed. If you're on probation and don't know how to do your work, she may have done you a good turn explaining what you should be doing. If she was verbally abusive, then contact management for help.

eansdad

Honestly, just deal with it. A lot of the people I deal with are teachers and if you don't have a degree you aren't at their level. Some people are just a-holes. I take solice in the fact that when something happens guess who is the 1st person they crawl to.

Akaricloud

Apologize for YOUR mistake, let her know that you will get it resolved ASAP and let it go. If she continues to harass you after then you've done everything right to correct the mistake then when you escalate it you won't come off looking like the bad guy.

I'm sure you'll run into plenty more people with attitudes but as long as you handle the situations properly you can usually leave them clearly in the wrong.

QHalo

Kill em with kindness. If you screw up, admit it and rectify it quickly. Verbal abuse gets dealt with quickly by management if necessary. My boss doesn't stand for that kind of behavior.

the_Grinch

Just a user account? Apologize and make the thing, should only take a couple of minutes. Fight the battles worth fighting, for everything else smile and nod.

humdingy02

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

... That may be tracking software, a spreadsheet, or a notebook.

This. If you don't have some kind of ticketing system in place, get one. Spiceworks is free and relatively easy to setup. I get a lot of drive-by requests (I'm walking through the hall on my way to do something, and a user catches me and asks for something - when I get a minute). Those are almost instantly forgotten, especially when they emphasize that fact that it's not urgent. With helpdesk software, it's easy to tell someone to go submit a ticket or I'll forget. I'll be honest about it. Plus, telling someone you're busy can rub certain people the wrong way. If they've already got the attitude that you mentioned, their problems should be at the top of your list (according to them).

To answer your original question, I don't even notice attitude anymore. In fact, it's kind of humorous to see some jerk's reaction when they fail to upset you. I think that's actually the goal of some people.

Iristheangel

If you work with end users, it will be inevitable that you run into people with an attitude. It may or may not be your fault. They could just be having a bad day. I've found that even if I mess up, If I'm polite, admit my error, and apologize profusely then the user will be nothing but sunshine every time I deal with them after that. I work in health care so if I have an end user who snaps or gets irrational with me, I don't sweat it. I have no idea if that person lost a patient 5 minutes prior to emailing me or if they're trying to resolve a life or death issue. There's always the bigger picture to consider.

That being said, it looks like you messed up a tiny bit. It wasn't the end of the world for you and who knows what else was going on with that person. I think you should find this person that snapped at her and just say something along the lines of "Hey, I'm sorry I snapped at you the other day and that I didn't get that user account created for you. I had a lot going on and I'll do whatever I can to fix the problem." By admitting you snapped (even if you didn't), she'll feel more inclined to apologize for her attitude and have a better work relationship with you going forward. If you wait for her to apologize, you'll be waiting forever and be resentful for it.

You fixed the problem so the best thing to do is to look forward to prevent this sort of thing from happening again. A few people already recommended ticketing systems to keep track of things. That is a great idea. Don't let this stuff get you so upset! It's the nature of the beast with end user support.

drkat

Meh - everyone has a complex... You'll deal with it for the rest of your career - everyone thinks their non-IT job is more important than your job and that you WORK for them. Just tell them you're sorry and you'll make the account for em and be done with it. I forget about stuff all the time... just rectify it - or ask them if they put in a ticket? if they didnt then tell them they need to in order to guarantee furture requests are completed in a timely fashion

jamesbrown

Akaricloud wrote: »

Apologize for YOUR mistake, let her know that you will get it resolved ASAP and let it go. If she continues to harass you after then you've done everything right to correct the mistake then when you escalate it you won't come off looking like the bad guy.

I'm sure you'll run into plenty more people with attitudes but as long as you handle the situations properly you can usually leave them clearly in the wrong.

Im just mad because she already got someone else to do it but she kind of ask me like did you do what I ask you to do?

jamesbrown

Iristheangel wrote: »

If you work with end users, it will be inevitable that you run into people with an attitude. It may or may not be your fault. They could just be having a bad day. I've found that even if I mess up, If I'm polite, admit my error, and apologize profusely then the user will be nothing but sunshine every time I deal with them after that. I work in health care so if I have an end user who snaps or gets irrational with me, I don't sweat it. I have no idea if that person lost a patient 5 minutes prior to emailing me or if they're trying to resolve a life or death issue. There's always the bigger picture to consider.

That being said, it looks like you messed up a tiny bit. It wasn't the end of the world for you and who knows what else was going on with that person. I think you should find this person that snapped at her and just say something along the lines of "Hey, I'm sorry I snapped at you the other day and that I didn't get that user account created for you. I had a lot going on and I'll do whatever I can to fix the problem." By admitting you snapped (even if you didn't), she'll feel more inclined to apologize for her attitude and have a better work relationship with you going forward. If you wait for her to apologize, you'll be waiting forever and be resentful for it.

You fixed the problem so the best thing to do is to look forward to prevent this sort of thing from happening again. A few people already recommended ticketing systems to keep track of things. That is a great idea. Don't let this stuff get you so upset! It's the nature of the beast with end user support.

As soon as I apologize, she kept going trying to mad me feel bad more.:)

drkat

F her.. unless she's your boss I dont think she's going to have a direct impact on your life. So you forgot - we're all human -- I mean it's a user account; maybe you can develop a process for new hires or system access so their is a formal request and wait process with an expectation of when it will be completed

Iristheangel

jamesbrown wrote: »

As soon as I apologize, she kept going trying to mad me feel bad more.:)

And that's fine too. She might be having a bad week or she can just be a bad end user. You did your part and took accountability. Make sure you walk away as the adult in any of these situations.

PatienceRecharger

detach.. don't take it personal! guard your emotions. what ever you want to call it! Stay optimistic!

jamesbrown

Thank you guys for all your advice. I won't take it personal and I'll try to learn from this.James

YFZblu

jamesbrown wrote: »

How do you guys deal with people that talk with so much attitude at work? Some lady just talked down to me like she was my mother at work all because she has me to do something and i forgot. I was busy with a project all day and she wants me to create a user account. I'm currently doing support work and project work at thesame time.

Thanks

Like others suggest, let the chain of command cover it.

My boss tells me: I'm your gun. Give me ammo, and I'll take care of the rest.

I really do like the 'detach' suggestion someone else made. Sometimes we just need to push through it. If it's a one time thing, maybe let it go - who knows, that person might be having the worst day of their life. Of course, if it's a continual thing where someone is making your work life unnecessarily miserable, it's time to call in the big dogs and get it squashed.

rsutton

jamesbrown wrote: »

Thank you guys for all your advice. I won't take it personal and I'll try to learn from this.James

Good attitude!