Lose Karmic points, gain karmic points....
So I no longer work at Sussex Downs as a receptionist administrator :) As of Tuesday next week I will be a full time (if only for 12 weeks!) Princes Trust Assistant Team Leader. This rocks.
My last shift at reception didn't end how I'd've liked.... with about 30 mins left I got a phone call from an irate lady on behalf of her disabled son. Furious that the course had been cancelled, furious that we'd made him enroll on that one anyway when she'd wanted him on another one (she WAS there when we enrolled him, so could have made that point then), furious that the course she wanted him to go on was probably also not going to run (at that point she mentioned going to her MP as it's obviously SDC's fault that the courses don't run), and finally furious that the course fees and amount paid were different to the amount she said was taken off her card.
I don't deal with with angry people, I tend to panic and when I can't avoid them and I can get defensive if I feel I don't deserve the anger. This is not good and something I need to work on as it never ends well. In this case she hung up on me after saying that all I was doing was making her angrier.
She'd insisted her son be transferred to the other course, despite my pointing out that I couldn't do that because the course was most likely not going to run (it was officially cancelled just minutes after that call) and because of the issue of payment where she said she'd paid more than I had recorded on the system. As the other course is 9.30am Tuesday... and we're closed for the next 4 days, I was panicking hugely about what to do. In the end all I could do was get evidence from Finance about the amount paid, get the procedure in case she wanted to contest that, email my (now ex) team leader and reception team all the details. I tried calling back once I had the money and course info updated, but the numbers were wrong.
I was left teary and shaking by that call. Partly as I feel I could have handled it a lot better and wish I didn't turn into a defensive panic in such situations. I also wish I hadn't had to leave that to others to now sort out as I was there when he enrolled, I processed the paperwork, I took the payment, I cancelled the course and rang him to know - so to leave it for others feels wrong.
So that was how I left work.
At the train station, I wondered if the girl on the next bench to mine was upset, and was trying to find out without staring at her or being obvious. When I heard a little sob I realised she was crying, so I went over and talked with her. I couldn't leave her crying without offering some support and we chatted for about 20 minutes, enough time for the train to arrive and to get to Lewes where she got off. She was fine, just very tired and stressed by doing a PGCE, and money stuff and getting on the wrong train to end up in Newhaven was the straw that broke her. So I just listened and agreed it was all so stressful and how hard she was working and yes why couldn't her boyfriend come and pick her up and all that. She was a really lovely girl, we had lots of hugs and she said I was the loveliest person she'd encountered for ages :)
You lose karmic points, you gain karmic points :) I guess it all evens out in the end!
I'm now worn out, trying not to think about next week as I'll just wind myself up with anxiety if I do - there's nothing I can do to prepare, so the best thing I can do is chill, relax, see some friends and enjoy this long weekend so I arrive next Tuesday happy and well rested.
My last shift at reception didn't end how I'd've liked.... with about 30 mins left I got a phone call from an irate lady on behalf of her disabled son. Furious that the course had been cancelled, furious that we'd made him enroll on that one anyway when she'd wanted him on another one (she WAS there when we enrolled him, so could have made that point then), furious that the course she wanted him to go on was probably also not going to run (at that point she mentioned going to her MP as it's obviously SDC's fault that the courses don't run), and finally furious that the course fees and amount paid were different to the amount she said was taken off her card.
I don't deal with with angry people, I tend to panic and when I can't avoid them and I can get defensive if I feel I don't deserve the anger. This is not good and something I need to work on as it never ends well. In this case she hung up on me after saying that all I was doing was making her angrier.
She'd insisted her son be transferred to the other course, despite my pointing out that I couldn't do that because the course was most likely not going to run (it was officially cancelled just minutes after that call) and because of the issue of payment where she said she'd paid more than I had recorded on the system. As the other course is 9.30am Tuesday... and we're closed for the next 4 days, I was panicking hugely about what to do. In the end all I could do was get evidence from Finance about the amount paid, get the procedure in case she wanted to contest that, email my (now ex) team leader and reception team all the details. I tried calling back once I had the money and course info updated, but the numbers were wrong.
I was left teary and shaking by that call. Partly as I feel I could have handled it a lot better and wish I didn't turn into a defensive panic in such situations. I also wish I hadn't had to leave that to others to now sort out as I was there when he enrolled, I processed the paperwork, I took the payment, I cancelled the course and rang him to know - so to leave it for others feels wrong.
So that was how I left work.
At the train station, I wondered if the girl on the next bench to mine was upset, and was trying to find out without staring at her or being obvious. When I heard a little sob I realised she was crying, so I went over and talked with her. I couldn't leave her crying without offering some support and we chatted for about 20 minutes, enough time for the train to arrive and to get to Lewes where she got off. She was fine, just very tired and stressed by doing a PGCE, and money stuff and getting on the wrong train to end up in Newhaven was the straw that broke her. So I just listened and agreed it was all so stressful and how hard she was working and yes why couldn't her boyfriend come and pick her up and all that. She was a really lovely girl, we had lots of hugs and she said I was the loveliest person she'd encountered for ages :)
You lose karmic points, you gain karmic points :) I guess it all evens out in the end!
I'm now worn out, trying not to think about next week as I'll just wind myself up with anxiety if I do - there's nothing I can do to prepare, so the best thing I can do is chill, relax, see some friends and enjoy this long weekend so I arrive next Tuesday happy and well rested.