August 2023 by Louis M.
So, I stopped into the club, last night and things were fine. But, I've been reflecting on the employee's manners and I want to pose a convincing argument for training them in greater formality. Obviously, the first response the company would have to someone who suggests greater formality is that I'm a snob and want people to kiss up to me. That isn't quite the direction I'm going.So, as a customer if I approach a male clerk and there is little training in formality, what are they going to think are my motivations for approaching them, since they are informal, like their personal life? They won't see my talking to them as part of their job duties. They will see that I either like or dislike them and want to be their friend and they will react warmly or coldly, on that basis.What about the level of confidence the entry level workers have with their jobs? If they are not trained in formality, will they feel more awkward with themselves, in trying to talk to us? Will they wonder if they are doing a good job or a poor one? Without that formality, if every encounter with a customer is seen as a sign that they have looked us over and decided they want to be our best friend, then they aren't going to be reaching out to that many people.And what of female clerks reaching out to male customers or vice versa, in a store that has only gotten to informal? You can see where I'm going with this. It's even worse. Especially with cancel culture and the metoo movement. And presumably the clerks and cashiers set the tone, the level of formality. I can reach out to people all day with 'good morning your majesty' and it won't really make a difference. They will see me through the lens they have been trained to use to view their world, in this case, the world during their work hours.So I,as a customer, enter this store, and I see people doing tasks, picking items for pickup, working the register, scanning the exit door, but talking to us, is also a 'task.' And if the whole store has other tasks and interacting with us, isn't included, then the store is entirely self-service and some will question where the money is going from their membership fee. Reverse positions and put yourself in our place and if you pay $110, would you feel cheated by the experience, in some way.What of the managers who need to fire clerks, for not having the right attitude? Will some training in formality lead to not needing to fire as many people and possibly lead to better employee retention and lower turnover? I think there is a strong possibility there. If I applied to a store and they expected me to 'just know' this stuff and fired me if I didn't talk to customers right, I would feel a great emptiness inside, as if the world was against me. Of course, it is fair, but it might not be generous and I've written before about having managers with a generous nature, and how that is something I've wanted to see in this store.So, when applicants show up to meet to HR, and they are people who have been beaten down by life, like the Natives or minorities, and they are informal people, HR has to figure out what to do with them. And there are only so many spaces for cart wranglers and working in tires or the night crew, and then HR has to reject them for not being 'the right type.' This would give HR more freedom to accept more kinds of people, because they would know they could turn them into the right kinds of people.And what does friendliness without respect really mean? Well, when I think of that, I think of a cop who calls me 'sir' or uses my last name. It's a deeply unsettling experience, sometimes, when someone approaches you and is friendly but has no respect for you. For instance, a salesman at a new car dealership. Those guys are your instant best friends, but they are the kind of friend you don't want. Or an attorney can behave that way.Do the company reps notice a goody two shoes, holier than thou attitude when they visit and talk to t