Monday Mumblings: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

"I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being."

-Jackie Robinson

Women are very sensitive about their hair. 'Nuf said. Managing a hair salon has shown me just how upset people can get when things go wrong. Our staff is made up of many wonderful stylists, all of whom I believe are capable and worthy to be in an upscale salon such as ours, but even the most professional of experts are not exempt from the occasional grouch. And when this happens, guess who gets to put on the gloves and boldly face them??

THIS girl. And you do NOT want to mess with ME!

But really... that can be incredibly intimidating. And unfortunately, I am bound by the confines of the age-old adage: "The customer is always right." We've all heard this one before, but to force yourself to enforce it under some conditions can be incredibly difficult. Just about a week ago, we had a misunderstanding with a client who requested the wrong service when setting up her appointment, which threw off our entire flow for the day and it just went downhill from there. Tears started flowing, phone calls were made, and one angry mama came rolling up to the salon doors and threw a nasty tantrum, complete with insults and name-calling to our front desk receptionist, who, by the way, had just started her shift for the day and was in absolutely no way responsible for the mistake or misunderstanding, or whatever you want to call it. Anyway!! Hearing a full-grown woman picking on a girl 1/3 her age who was just doing her job really struck a chord with me: who did this woman think she was?!

I don't know about all of you, but where I come from, it is not okay to toss around unwarranted insults to strangers. In life, things are going to go wrong. Mistakes are going to be made. I completely understand being frustrated or disappointed in how a situation is handled or played out, but there is a way to convey this without taking away somebody else's dignity. The workplace is tough enough- don't make somebody's job more difficult by shaming them, making them uncomfortable, and demeaning their personal qualities that don't pertain to the job. Show some respect. It happens to the best of us when we say things we don't mean, but it is important to make those episodes during occasions where it is more relevant. Not being able to be squeezed in for a last-second hair appointment is not one of those times. I implore all of you, should you find yourself upset with a particular business move, to take a moment to step back and evaluate the severity of the situation. If you are still upset, go to the correct person of authority and convey it to them, not whoever is within ear-shot, and please do so in a respectable and calm manner.

Now I don't want this post to sound as though I'm complaining about my job or that I'm secretly being passive-aggressive in the workplace, but I feel as though this message is long over-due and applicable to everyone: treat people with respect. It's The Golden Rule; it's the "what would you expect" mentality; it's a basic social courtesy... ABIDE BY IT. In a matter of minutes, this woman made this young girl feel horrible, causing her to feel personally attacked and consider leaving her job. Nobody should have that kind of power over you. Please keep it in mind, friends. But enough about me- I want to hear more about everyone else's weekends and cannot wait to check in with each of you!!

Pop back again for a less-strict post- haha (I sometimes get preachy, I know). Until then, take care!
P!

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