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workaday Wednesday
Sep. 27th, 2017 07:12 amLast week someone told me that I sometimes “seem frustrated” at work. (They described this as “a bummer.”) They went on to explain that they had never worked in any customer service job.
I mean, kudos to my past self for keeping it together. Even looking back on it I mostly just feel baffled. Yes, I am sometimes frustrated at work. Customer service is an inherently frustrating job.
But frustration is generally considered more acceptable in a workplace than outrage, a feeling I also feel. And humor — even dark humor — is generally more acceptable at work than tears. (I have actually said to people “we have to laugh about it, because if we didn’t laugh we’d be crying.”) So no, I wouldn’t call that a bummer. I’d call it a survival strategy.
[On an unrelated note, last night I dreamed that the world was maybe ending. I decided the first thing I would do was call family members, and the second thing was to fill up containers of water. Good call, dream self! Stay in touch, and stay hydrated — good life advice in general.]
I mean, kudos to my past self for keeping it together. Even looking back on it I mostly just feel baffled. Yes, I am sometimes frustrated at work. Customer service is an inherently frustrating job.
But frustration is generally considered more acceptable in a workplace than outrage, a feeling I also feel. And humor — even dark humor — is generally more acceptable at work than tears. (I have actually said to people “we have to laugh about it, because if we didn’t laugh we’d be crying.”) So no, I wouldn’t call that a bummer. I’d call it a survival strategy.
[On an unrelated note, last night I dreamed that the world was maybe ending. I decided the first thing I would do was call family members, and the second thing was to fill up containers of water. Good call, dream self! Stay in touch, and stay hydrated — good life advice in general.]
