I recently visited an office supply store to purchase an item I found online that was listed as “In Stock” at my local store. Referring to the printout I had created of the item description from the website, I tried but couldn’t find it in the appropriate section.
So, I approached a young lady who was re-stocking items on a nearby shelf and asked for help finding the item. She looked the paper, pointed and said, “Binding Supplies.”
“I’ve just come from there and can’t find it. Can you help me?”
Glaring at me, she snatched the paper from my hand and walked away without saying a word. I followed her to another aisle, where she handed a manager the paper and said, “Can you help her?” before walking away.
Dumbfounded, I told the manager that I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t help me herself, and he replied, “Well, she’s very shy. She’s only 16 and we usually use her as a cashier, not on the sales floor, because that way she doesn’t have to talk to people.”
WHAT??
First of all, she was out on the sales floor, where she obviously didn’t ever belong since she couldn’t interact with customers at even a basic level.
And second, they usually use her as a cashier so she doesn’t have to TALK to people?
Why would you not want your Cashier to talk to people? The Cashier position is probably one of the most important customer-facing positions in the entire store. In fact, their interaction with your Cashier is often the very last thing your customer experiences before walking out the door. A bad experience could make that visit their last visit because they may not want to walk back in the door again.
If yours is a location with a drive-thru window, the Cashier may be the first, last person (sometimes the only person) with whom your customers interact.
I realize managers face many problems finding, hiring and retaining exceptional people, especially for entry-level positions nowadays. But this cannot serve as an excuse to allow discourteous behavior toward customers or, for that matter, co-workers.
Which begs the question: If she can’t talk to customers, how is dealing with co-workers?
I would encourage any leader to think twice about putting this person anywhere in their organization. If their social skills are so awkward that they can’t talk to people, does their behavior fit with the culture of the organization?
The first question being asked shouldn’t be where can we not put this person, or where else can we put them because they can’t function in certain positions. It should be, “Does this person demonstrate the values and work ethic we desire here? Do they represent our values?”
Skills and knowledge are trainable; even maturity can be achieved with time and training. Values and work ethic cannot. Someone who cannot even muster a smile and a, “Let me find someone who can help you,” doesn’t seem to have the right attitude or work ethic regarding how they are willing to treat other human beings.
So, the better questions to ask are:
- Is this person a “right fit” for our culture and values?
- Is she able to demonstrate minimum behavioral standards that reinforce our culture?
- Is she coachable? Will coaching bring her along quickly enough to prevent overload and burnout of other members of the team who may have to work with her and pick up the slack until she is ready to face them and your customers?
- If the person is already employed there, how does the rest of the team feel about working with her?
- Do they at least enjoy working with her? If not, what is her presence doing to the morale of other team members?
- Are they resentful of her ability to pick and choose what she can/will do? Are they beginning to disengage or demonstrate undesirable behavior in response?
Only when these types of questions are answered properly, should you ask, “In what position would they (and we) be most successful?”
Remember: inviting someone into your culture is like inviting them into your family. If they don’t fit, the detrimental effects to the rest of the family could be far-reaching. And it could be very painful for everyone involved until you finally get a “divorce.” It could ruin your holidays, prevent other family members from sticking around or engaging and cause irreparable harm in the meantime.
So, be sure you both value the same things before saying, “I do.”
I’ll see you next time at the WOWplace!
