Wearing the Paper Dress
By Barbara Poole
So, you go to the doctor for a check-up. Or maybe you’re there to get some tests. Everything’s fine, you’re feeling like you, and things are cool until you get to the office. At some point you get taken into a room and are told to take off your clothes and put on this stupid paper dress and wait for the doctor. Sometimes it’s not made out of paper. It could be made of some kind of fabric, but the crinkly feel of fabric you would never wear in your right mind makes it feel the same as paper.
OK. You’re in the dress, feeling pretty undignified, and you climb up on the table and wait. After awhile the doc walks in, and all of a sudden, you become a deaf mute. Can’t remember what you wanted to ask, can’t understand what’s being explained, and in 10 minutes – wham, bam, you’re done and back in your clothes. And the dress, with its’ magical powers is stuffed in the bin, not looking at all magical.
We’ve started the Employaid Exchange this week. It’s a place where you can go on www.employaid.com to ask a question or get some advice from one of our Exchange Experts. We’re having a great time answering the questions. What does this have to do with the paper dress? Well, a lot, or so it seems. For many employees, going into work means putting on a paper dress when they hit the office. What is it about work that can turn competent people into employees who feel, whether they’re dealing with tyrannical bosses or twisted co-workers, that they can’t speak up for themselves? It all goes back to the paper dress. They’re never stylish, and most of us certainly don’t wear them well.
Comments
One Response to “Wearing the Paper Dress”
Leave a Reply
About 2 years ago our employer, PNC Bank, began a Gallup Scoring program. Customers are contacted within days of their visit and quizzed based on a rating scale of 1-5, 5 being the best. The reflection of the canvass is at the individual employee level. The Gallup results for each branch are provided to management each Friday. The Gallup program at PNC has grown and has begun to take on a form of torture for staff. Bottom line is, if we don’t get a five (star) report each time, we are made to feel like second class citizens. In my previous employment I had the good fortune to work in mental health for many years. Received much training (formal and informal) in dealing with people of all types. As a result and due to the fact that I’m part-time, I have fared pretty well in all this, so far. We all feel very, very oppressed by this Gallup system at PNC and feel there is no recourse. Many staff just don’t have the outstanding people skills that are needed to get fives always. These same people are well liked and sought out by the customers, are excellent tellers in many ways. They’ve been with the bank for many years, through meregers and and closures. They’ve seen the criteria for a teller change from someone who is hornorable, meets and greets, handles money well, to someone who can do it all plus be a salesman/woman. Now they are expected to add shrink and magician to the list. Anyone who has worked with the publuc knows you simply cannot make everyone happy all the time and someone who is determined to be miserable isn’t going to be persuaded to change based on bank teller interaction. Our managers have told us that they are required to “manage out” people who do not get and maintain five stars. My co-workers are upset and frightened which in turn makes them very anxious. This situation is at the point of corporate bullying. Staff are conferenced and told you have to “pull this up,” “you have to do better” but no assistance is provided for achievement. Many of the managers who are forced to do this conferencing don’t have the skills needed to effectively coach these people in this matter. Also, as with any judgement query of this type, prejudice is a factor. I see it and so do the other staff members. I took a job as a part-time teller to have something to do. I love the work and the people. I want to help my co-workers and do as much as I can but there’s so much more needed. If PNC they manages out all the people who can’t cut their Gallup (that’s five stars – all perfect – all the time) and then manage out the managers who can’t help their people be all perfect – 5 stars all the time, who’s left?? Are there that many perfect people in the world who all want to work at PNC Bank? There has to be a way to help these folks. I’m wondering if it’s worth it for me to call the employee relations assistance line. Past observations of co-worker experience has led me to believe it is a farce. Perhaps it would help, if PNC provids some refresher type updated training targeted to exactly what they want – sort of give them a new tool kit. That is training with real people, not intra-net articles and cold computer based training (that is continually interrupted by customer transactions). That would be warm, inviting people graced with the perfect skills that PNC wants their employees to have all the time. I know this sounds sarcastic but it is not intended to be. I am very serious about this. Any thoughts and suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks!