Anxiety in the Workplace

[Kari Suttle]

I am a cashier for a busy supermarket chain in the U.S.. I can perform my job just fine and can script well enough to pass as friendly on good days - and am always being complimented for my patience and calmness. However, even something as simple as a rude customer will send me into a shutdown, because I feel like I failed at my job by them leaving my line anything but happy. The moment a customer is upset about one thing or another my script flies out the window cause I can't script that, i don't know how to. And even if i could, the anxiety makes my head go crazy like everything got shaken up and jumbled and i can't think.

But that's not my main point...my newest work related issue is the fact that my supervisors and manager have been changing often, and current batch of supervisors are all the serious type save one. Serious types make me uncomfortable cause i can't read them. I can't tell if they're just being all business, or if they're just having a bad day cause work is busy, or if they're actually a little mad at me. I can't understand their joking either - not play joking but things like when one supervisor said, obviously not seriously, "(name) i'm gonna kill you" when i asked for the second time that day about something that really urgently needed done that they needed to let me go do. But in that particular situation i couldn't tell how much of it was a put on joke and how much of it was meant to show actual anger.

Plus last weekend they asked me to train a new girl, fortunately it was twenty minutes till my lunch break so i didn't have to for long. Normally i like training people just fine, but it was busy and i was already anxious as it was just dealing with the customers. But that's not it either, when they sent over my replacement - the coworker i suspect to be an aspie - i was so anxious to just get away from the register and to my lunch that i forgot to tell him the girl was training. Usually they tell people that the register they're going on has a trainee but i wanted to be sure he knew either ways, i'm paranoid like that. I like to make sure the people that replace me know everything they need to know - like if the register has been messing up or if they're low on cash in the drawer. I just feel like i messed up with training the new girl to begin with and again with making sure my replacement was aware that its her first day, and she pretty much needs to learn everything. And i mess up all the time with rude or upset customers and i can't read any of the current supervisors (save one) or my new manager.

Plus everything changes so often lately. My favorite supervisor got fired and my manager has changed twice. I just got used to the old one and now we have a different one. And being that i work weekends i don't hear about staff changes until after the fact from my coworkers. With each new manager everything changes - new dress code rules, stricter or more lax enforcement of current rules, etc. The inconsistency bothers me and i feel intimidated by every new manager just because they're a manager and i feel like one slip up and they'd probably see me for what i am - socially awkward and anxious - and fire me on the spot. Even if that may or may not be realistic idk if it is or not.

Sorry for the novel length ranting...its just been a long week and i have work at this part time job tonight so i'm really anxious about it. Whether its realistic or not, every single mistake i make makes me wonder if they're just gonna get tired of my mistakes and fire me even if they've given no indication they're mad at me for said mistakes. If anything all i've ever heard was praise. But i still fear for my job with every mistake nonetheless. They haven't seen me in my bad moments, at least to my knowledge, so for all i know they're just unaware i shut down a lot and get anxiety.

 

[Harrison]

Karri, I can sympathise with you on this, been there, still there.

Like you, I script my day and the way I deal with the members I rescue. Mostly they are happy to see me and fall in with the script, but very occasionally they don't and I get anxious. The other day I got so anxious I bought them a meal to calm them down and bring them in line.

I constantly watch for signs that my manager is unhappy with my work, yet I get more commendations than any other rescue unit. I can't lose that anxiety no matter how I look at it, simply because I can't script it properly.

I left my last job as a trainer because management kept changing and with it my goal-posts were constantly moved.

Sadly, I don't have the answer, so this is just to say you're not alone.

 

[Kari Suttle]

Thanks Harrison, i appreciate it. =)

 

[The Penguin]

I wish you are able to take time off as I feel you need it. But I know for many people it not a viable options if you need income to live on.

Jokes I normally never understood for all jobs I had. Even for the business program I'm taking now, I don't follow the jokes the people are saying.

I know having change supervisor can be hard. The first one I had for my old job was nice. The second one was a difficult person to work with, but manageable within time. The last supervisor was not understanding and I lost my job. I didn't consider things fair and I did take action to report what happen but at the end, I didn't get much of anything. But at least I tried to stand up for myself.

Never be sorry about venting. Many of us do it time to time including myself. I hoping using this site is a good support network for you as I didn't know what I would do for my life if it wasn't for this site. I'm always open if you need to talk as I know what it like doing ******** work.

 

[Kari Suttle]

Thanks Penguin. =) I might take you up on that offer, it really depends how work goes tonight.

I do have a question for you all, though. Sort of a problem solving thing. You know how i said i get upset when there's a rude or upset customer? Does anyone have any ideas as to how i can learn to script these interactions, to an extent? I'm a cashier so its somewhat predictable issues...their credit/debit card isn't working or they're trying to price match something (usually a toy or something from the electronics section) and its above the 5$ personal discretion limit (if its more than 5$ price difference i have to get a supervisor's approval), things like that. A lot of the time i will have to tell a customer that something they think is on sale isn't, or they refuse to let me get the supervisor for a price match so i have to take it back, and they get upset and i can't read them to tell if they want the item anyways or if they want to put it back. I can't really think of any more good examples now.

I just would like to be able to script these common, problematic interactions with customers better so i deal with it better, and it sounds more professional because when i'm off script i say the first thing that comes to my head and even if its not rude, its not professional either.

 

[The Penguin]

I found a website for you that might help with some of the questions your having How to Handle 8 Challenging Customer Service Scenarios

 

[Kari Suttle]

I found a website for you that might help with some of the questions your having How to Handle 8 Challenging Customer Service Scenarios

Thanks Penguin! The article had some useful advice. I appreciate you finding it for me! =)

 

[The Penguin]

NP. I just typed "sales script difficult customers" in Google and I was able to find that for you. If you do a similar search like that, I sure you can find more things.

 

[Cali Cat]

Wow, Kari. That sounds like a lot to deal with. I can't handle constantly changing expectations. It sounds like that's the major problem under the current circumstances. You never know how you're suppose to respond to anything. Every mistake takes on greater importance because you don't know who these new people are or how they'll react to you. That just creates more anxiety, which reduces productivity. I agree with Penguin. If you can swing it, try to take a day or two of vacation just to chill out and maybe work on scripting for those problem customers. Good luck.

 

[Kari Suttle]

Thanks for the replies guys. As it is i only work there part time anyways - friday evenings and weekends - so i don't think getting a weekend off is very feasible. I get a mini break from it monday through thursday as it is. Granted, even that job is becoming a hassle cause the kid i babysit is almost two. >_< I love him, but he's such a handful nowadays and has acquired an attitude.

For now, i feel good about going to work tonight. I know how to handle cashiering better than i do a two year old, even if i can't read my supervisors and need to learn how to script better in problem situations. I might try to use my good hearing to listen to what other cashiers tell their customers if something happens...that's how i learned to script in the first place. That and a couple months ago they put up flyers by the clock in machines on how to communicate with customers, i might actually read those and see if they have anything helpful on them. They have verbatim what to say to customers but most of what i looked at just casually is stuff i've already picked up on.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Malfunctioning cards were easy depending on the problem. Sometimes a plastic bag over it and slid through would work, sometimes simply keying the number into the machine by hand worked, sometimes both of us cursing modern technology for the lines being down made us feel better, and if it was insufficient funds or something that was an issue on their end. You an do your best to make it work, but sometimes it simply isn't your fault that card is not fated to work at that machine at that time.
I was an ornery ol' goat when I worked a register and got a bad customer. That one butthole that would yell at me every time he came in and call me stupid and stuff? I started putting canned goods on his bread,eggs, and chips after the third or fourth visit. Be careful what ya wish for, buddy. Not recommended, but always know you have the power to squish their tomatoes if they don't behave themselves.

 

[Randomperson]

Meh, as long as nobody dies during check out it is all good.

 

[paloftoon]

In general, people like to hear positive things. Stay as positive as you can. I have a hard time with that sometimes. There can be a place where you need to stand up for yourself, but in a paid position, usually it's best to suck a lot up because it's your job.

That great website Penguin shared says that too, but the positive thing applies in life in general.

 

[Melissa Kay]

I might try to use my good hearing to listen to what other cashiers tell their customers if something happens...that's how i learned to script in the first place. That and a couple months ago they put up flyers by the clock in machines on how to communicate with customers, i might actually read those and see if they have anything helpful on them. They have verbatim what to say to customers but most of what i looked at just casually is stuff i've already picked up on.

Those sound like great ideas. I hope you've found some new tools. I always find that asking others about themselves or complimenting them helps me most of the time. That sounds like a tough job with changing everything! I agree with Cali Cat about it sounding like a touch job for one of us. But I know there are things that can help us. Hang in there!