Why You Should Be Nice To Strangers
At my last place of employment, they really drilled into us the importance of customer service. Basically, if you weren’t sitting in your cubby tucked away from patients, who were never called patients but “guests”, and their families who were also called “guests”, you were considered “on stage”. It was the whole “Disney Philosophy” of running a hospital.
Anyway, one of the things that they brainwashed us in was watching for lost guests. If you saw someone who looked like they were lost, you were supposed to stop whatever you were doing basically (as long as it didn’t affect patient -er- guest care like someone might die) and actually take the person to where he or she wanted to go. This often caused problems for me because then I would be late for meetings and my boss would be frowny but I was required to help these lost people — it was a catch-22 thing.
They must have done some serious extra brainwashing on that particular bit because I’ll actually stop and help people on the street, though admittedly I won’t go all out to guide every Tom, Dick, and Mary to every landmark location in the state, but I generally try to give the best directions I can.
So a few weeks ago, I was coming back from a doctor appointment in the middle of the day and saw this woman in the parking garage who looking horribly lost. I couldn’t resist myself. I had to ask her if she was lost and needed help.
It turned out that the hospital I work at had sent her over to teach/lead some sort of class in one of the conference rooms in our satellite buildings but didn’t really give her any directions on how to get there or find her way or anything. In fact, they didn’t tell her she would need to go outside and around to be let in by a secretary because of security. So, I used my badge to lead her in through the back tunnels and took her the short way to the room she was going to. She was so relieved.
I was kind of worried about her and I couldn’t believe the hospital would just send her over here like that with no instructions.
Well, it turns out that she is Sunny’s live-in girlfriend. Small world! Imagine if I’d just left her wandering around in those garage tunnels!
tags: none
You may also enjoy...
One comment
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
on April 28, 2006 at 9:38 am
Tamara said:
Small world!
I do that all the time. I even offer info if I overhear a conversation and I know the answer. With a caveat apologizing for eavesdropping, of course.
My mom talks to everyone, and I definitely inherited that from her. I get some weird looks, but most people respond positively!
Friday, Friday, almost the weekend.