The new new boss is so much better than the old new boss.
I like her and I think she likes me. But that makes it so much worse when she has do a chew-out. It's less shouty, but it really cuts. And right now I feel like I'm bleeding. Especially when I feel I did nothing wrong, but things LOOK bad and we're in a situation where perception seems to be more important than reality.
I got the non-shouty ream-out TWICE today and I feel completely gutted and ready to walk away.
#1-Client calls on Friday with a question about his international ticket, which I did not book. This client is a KNOWN problem child whose MO is to try and get different agents to give him different answers and then try and play one off against the other to force the agency to give him what he wants.
I emailed the booking agent and asked her to deal with it. Unfortunately, she was in NY getting swamped with weather stuff and SHE felt that since his travel was 1. Personal and 2. Not until April, it could wait. Result-PISSED OFF CLIENT. PISSED OFF VERY VOCAL CLIENT. Fact: I was trying to protect myself. Perception: I couldn't be bothered to help the client.
#2-Admin emails me asking for names of our limo companies in the Bay Area. She mentions an attorney who I know to be a high-status traveler who tends not to use our agency. She does NOT give me any particular details on what kind of transfer is needed. I give her the information including a heads up as to which company is preferred by the agency for cost reasons, and which one I believe will actually provide better service for the Partner.
Today I get an email where it turns out the Partner isn't happy because said limo companies are all charging what actual limos cost for a transfer that consists one less than one block. I call the admin to make sure she understands that the Partner is using a car service for something that he should OBVIOUSLY be walking. She insists that he knows and he wants to be picked up. I email the whole thing to the boss, wanting her to see that the whole thing is ludicrous and help me find a way to either convince the Partner that this is a bad idea, or get the travel manager involved to see that Partner intends to flagrantly waste company $$$. Instead I get a super-duper nice, but vicious smack-down that consists of the idea that I have failed to be proactive in the first place by not immediately volunteering to do what ever booking was needed instead of just giving the information that was asked for.
Plus I have to handle all this without ingesting a single extra morsel of comfort food. Let's just say my tongue has been scraped raw by chewing sugarless gum.
I was in tears by the end of the day and desperately trying to figure out how I can get out of this hell hole and still pay rent.
I got the non-shouty ream-out TWICE today and I feel completely gutted and ready to walk away.
#1-Client calls on Friday with a question about his international ticket, which I did not book. This client is a KNOWN problem child whose MO is to try and get different agents to give him different answers and then try and play one off against the other to force the agency to give him what he wants.
I emailed the booking agent and asked her to deal with it. Unfortunately, she was in NY getting swamped with weather stuff and SHE felt that since his travel was 1. Personal and 2. Not until April, it could wait. Result-PISSED OFF CLIENT. PISSED OFF VERY VOCAL CLIENT. Fact: I was trying to protect myself. Perception: I couldn't be bothered to help the client.
#2-Admin emails me asking for names of our limo companies in the Bay Area. She mentions an attorney who I know to be a high-status traveler who tends not to use our agency. She does NOT give me any particular details on what kind of transfer is needed. I give her the information including a heads up as to which company is preferred by the agency for cost reasons, and which one I believe will actually provide better service for the Partner.
Today I get an email where it turns out the Partner isn't happy because said limo companies are all charging what actual limos cost for a transfer that consists one less than one block. I call the admin to make sure she understands that the Partner is using a car service for something that he should OBVIOUSLY be walking. She insists that he knows and he wants to be picked up. I email the whole thing to the boss, wanting her to see that the whole thing is ludicrous and help me find a way to either convince the Partner that this is a bad idea, or get the travel manager involved to see that Partner intends to flagrantly waste company $$$. Instead I get a super-duper nice, but vicious smack-down that consists of the idea that I have failed to be proactive in the first place by not immediately volunteering to do what ever booking was needed instead of just giving the information that was asked for.
Plus I have to handle all this without ingesting a single extra morsel of comfort food. Let's just say my tongue has been scraped raw by chewing sugarless gum.
I was in tears by the end of the day and desperately trying to figure out how I can get out of this hell hole and still pay rent.