How Do I Deal With Rude People?
By coolchic101
@coolchic101 (848)
United States
March 2, 2009 12:31am CST
So this family I just started cleaning houses for. The husband acts finicky, impatient, sarcastic, and treats his very pregnant wife like a child (acts like he's superior above her) and she takes his crap and just cringes her face and defend herself. Maybe in their "culture" the wife doesn't talk back to her spouse when he's the breadwinner or something. I know it ain't right and I mind my own business but they often do it in front of me. And also the husband is often finicky towards me too.
But the wife acts nice and friendly towards me, she's not as particular as her spouse, has manners, asks if I'm okay and how I'm doing, BUT she often tells me I'm very tense and that I need to chill out and she's not afraid to say it to me. Since when is housecleaning a chilling out job? It's physical labor and of course one gets "tense" because you're working your muscles and all parts of your body. Then when it's time to pay me, the husband tells me "Here..you can count it!!" and he laughs and he also tells me that I look very tense.
And they both say my name every 5 minutes and it's getting annoying.
What's a good comeback on how to deal with the husband who's tactless? And what do I say when they tell me "You look tense! Chill out!"
Without offending anyone?
I'm already charging a very affordable amount for my services because they're my first customers and I need them as a reference for future customers.
1 person likes this
4 responses
@srganesh (6340)
• India
2 Mar 09
I don't think you should bother about that husband.He is rude to her alone and not towards you,I think.It may be out of his habit and that shall not disturb you.Let you do the job perfectly so that you will be recommended by them to new customers.Other things shall not matter you.Cheers!
@coolchic101 (848)
• United States
2 Mar 09
The husband was rude towards me too. Sometimes people think it's okay to treat their "helpers" beneath them. Then they'll wonder why so many of their "helpers" quit.
@daneg33 (1128)
• Canada
2 Mar 09
Why do you have to do the housecleaning while they are home? Most people I know that do housecleaning for a living get the job done while the home owners are at work. If it really can't be done without them there, I would consider quitting that one and looking for others. Sounds like way too much of a headache.
@coolchic101 (848)
• United States
2 Mar 09
Why do I have to do housecleaning while they are at home? It was the weekend and this family was moving out of their 2 bed/2 bath condo and into their newer and bigger and messier townhome.
@chameleon7 (295)
• China
2 Mar 09
It doesn't seem his husband treat you very bad, at lease not as bad as how he treated his wife. since it is your first domestic helper job, you should bear with his husband as long as he does not cross out of line although he's demanding. I think you have to get used to this kind of unkind people if you still want to be domestic helper. well, if you need them to refer you to more customs, you should work even harder to impressed them. Life really is easy these days. just think positively.
@Ritchelle (3790)
• Philippines
2 Mar 09
you know, i used to have a problem in that department. actually, it's the other way around. i'm the one they used to always have a problem with. friends, coworkers...i actually had been brought up in extreme environments: expensive primary school and educationally strict secondary school. i was involuntarily embedded with hi-style and scholary ways.
until i became a professional and decided to move cities and found myself alone. i tried to smile at anyone and made them feel i'm like them and really tried to act like them. i was a guidance counselor at a college so it was hard since in the philippines, eventhough they say a guidance counselor shouldn't be a prefect of discipline, i still have a say on punishments.
anyway, since i tried to act how the people in my environment did i found a surefire way so that no one takes advantage of my all-smiles demeanor. i talk like i would to a sibling. you know, with love but candor that our relationship as sibling allows. so my frankness is something that works in getting my point across.
when you talk or even give feedback to a person do so like you would to a sibling with love and respect but still not disguising your true personality and true feelings. fortunately, they may not feel this "love" at once but in the long run they would.
