Mahmoud Ahmad
I am sure most of the readers have seen the YouTube clip of a security guard at a local bank pushing an old man such that the old man rolled down one-two stairs. That particular video clip has gone viral evoking comments that the guard should be taken to task and handed a stringent punishment to calls for a real look at the root of the issue.
After a small argument that set off tempers the security guard pushed the old man despite knowing fully well that the old man was standing on the edge of the stairs. The man fell hard to the ground, got up and picked up his belongings that fell out of his pocket and left silently.
This sorry episode’s quick reaction from people on social media was an angry tirade against the guard while calling for handing out severe punishment to security guard such that he would be an example for others. All were of the singular view that no matter what the reason, the age of the man needed to be factored in while being treated by the guard, even if the old man was in the wrong or behaved incorrectly.
The local bank was quick to take action and they fired the security guard after ascertaining the facts of the case. The reason for the altercation was that the elderly man was trying to enter the bank when it was closed for prayer. Certainly it is not reason enough to first verbally assault and then push an old man like this and definitely a very poor reason to get fired.
We have to admit one thing here and that is there are a good number of employees representing government departments or private companies who are not trained on how to deal with people, crowds and in complex situations, control their temper.
In the above case, the employee lost control over a silly issue that could have been resolved amicably and thereby a needless situation could have been avoided. However, the guard decided to act on his own, ignoring decorum and company rule, when it came to dealing with the public and ended up damaging the reputation of the company he worked for while also incurring a personal cost of losing his job.
The company denounced his action and fired him and called the guard’s action an isolated incident and was not representative of the company. But does not the company have the responsibility of checking a person’s credentials before hiring the person at such a sensitive post that calls for dealing with people on a daily basis.
There are many cases of people who are employed to deal with the public and they have fallen short by revealing a short fuse that engulfs not only them but also some of the people they are dealing with and their temper tantrums have proven detrimental to them, their company and some people.
A similar example was that of a passport official few months back. The official lost his temper and wanted to beat up a citizen, who criticized him for playing with his mobile and not doing his job while his preoccupation with his mobile had created a long line of people resigned to the fact that they would get their job done if and when the officer got around to his work of serving the people.
I am sure readers have their own manifold experiences in dealing with a hot-tempered employee, whether verbal or physical, or have been witness to some incidents in which the public had been at the receiving end.
I believe it is about time that companies and government departments start training their employees on how to control their temper when they are provoked in a situation. When someone is on duty, he has a certain responsibility and I am sure that fighting with clients or arguing back in a rude manner is not part of them.
There are certain protocols to be observed when dealing with a client or a citizen, who is provoking a government employee or a private company official. In all cases the employee cannot take it personally when he is on duty. He has to see, in every case, that reason and good sense prevails.
Employees dealing with public will face, one way or another, situations provoked by people. I have seen it many times when an employee has to put up with rude and boisterous people whether in government or private sector.
And I have seen many of the employees handle the situation very soundly while at the same time I have seen in many cases where an employee lose it.
Some may put the blame on the people themselves for provoking the situation. Some may go even further by saying that they got what they deserved. But this form of thinking is wrong, as there is a need to invest in human capital that would ensure sustenance of the good image of the employee and the employer while the additional spin off being people’s satisfaction.
Companies should invest a little in holding training sessions on anger management because it is serious aspect of character building and employee trained in managing a situation will also contribute positively to society.
Those with temper that they cannot control can be redirected to another department where they are not interacting with public. Let us forget about asking employees to smile at people for now because that is another whole challenge.
While browsing on this subject, I came across an interesting article in Forbes, which lists seven steps to control anger when dealing with public. They are simple and they should be written on a big board and placed in a visible place where employees dealing with the public could read it every day at the start of work.
The steps are: Remain calm; Don’t take it personally; Use your best listening skills; Actively sympathize; Apologize gracefully; Find a solution; Take a few minutes on your own. How difficult is that.
I conclude here with the Prophet, peace be upon him, sayings, Abu Huraira reported: A man said to the Prophet, "Advise me.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Do not become angry. The man repeated his request and the Prophet said: Do not become angry.
The writer can be reached at
mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa
Twitter:
@anajeddawi_eng
