Another story of stupidity

@ElicBxn (63594)
United States
August 31, 2012 11:27pm CST
I worked in a rather small unit for several years, and I really liked the people I worked with. Now, I had a lot of respect for my boss, this was the whole unit's boss, and not just my little section's supervisor... But she had gotten to where she was by hard work and determination. I don't know, but rather suspect that either she never married or was divorced, I never saw pictures of children... She was a tough, but fair lady; but NOT someone you wanted to trifle with. When I started the job they had been promising for YEARS to get us to do our own data entry but had kept pushing the job back because of "more important things." W.O. stomped over to the programers and got it done in less than 10 years after it had been pending for about 20. But that's not the story, that's just to let you know what kind of lady she was. So, one day at work she got a phone call, I think it must've been at lunch and she picked up the phone because whoever was answering during lunch that day was on another call. I had just returned to my desk from lunch when I heard her raise her voice. Where I was I couldn't hear what she was saying, but she got louder, and then the phone slammed down loud enough for ME to hear it and she slammed her door! By this time, the soap opera watchers, those of us who had just gotten back and people from the other adjacent units were out of our cubicles and staring at her door. (The man who's work space was next to her office said that the wall shook when she slammed the door.) Well, we all shook our heads and decided to avoid the angry lady, and quietly got to work since by now lunch was over. A few minutes later my supervisor's phone rang. I look up to see her scurry by and go into her office. My co-workers kind of followed her to my cubicle that was at the corner, and we stared at the door, again. "I don't know what's going on," said P. "Well, she's not made at her," M said. "Better she than me," I told them, and got back to work. About 30 minutes later our supervisor came out and about an hour after that W.O. opened her door. Later, we all met in the file room and our supervisor told us the story. Some guy had called and wanted to talk to the supervisor. W.O. told him she was the head of the unit. Apparently he didn't believe her and got irate and wanted to talk to "a man." It was at this point that W.O. had gotten loud, not verbally abusive, she was WAY too professional for that, but informed him that he could talk to her or to nobody. Then he got verbally abusive and she informed him that she didn't have to put up with that. Apparently he got worse and she hung up, rather more loudly then she might've needed to, on him. Apparently, this was the same man who used to call and the people that answered the phones would get Dub or Alex to talk to him, I remember once one gal asking Alex if he wanted to be "the supervisor". So, it turned out they had a record of him, and I don't know what they did with that info, but I always suspected that his phone call had been kind of threatening and he might've had a Public Safety Officer show up at his door. So, just goes to show, don't snub the woman on the phone, she might be the one you should be talking to... (Oh, just an aside, the roomie called a man about his possession that got returned to the warehouse. Her job is to contact the owner and get the product returned. He told her that "I don't talk to a woman, have a man call." Sorry, you either talk to her or kiss your product goodbye...) Have you ever had this happen, or are you the stupid one expecting a man?
5 people like this
12 responses
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
1 Sep 12
Some people are just rude, I guess. They think that a woman is not good enough to handle such situation. I had an experience in the office when the man I was speaking with would not listen to what I was explaining to him and insisted that I go get my manager. IT was something that I could handle and calling the manager is useless coz the call would not be entertained. And so I just explained to the caller (for I think more than 30 minutes) that what he needs to know, I can give him a solution. He was terrible irate and so I am inside. I just didn't let myself be obvious on how irritated I was coz I know that my call was being monitored.
4 people like this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
1 Sep 12
I hear ya. My roomie used to take calls and there were those who wanted to talk to her supervisor. Well, her supervisor couldn't do anything she was already doing, and was only there to make sure that her people were there and doing their jobs. Sometimes they were asked to join a call being monitored, but mostly they were not, that was another group's job. Some people are just looking for a fight, or hoping that they can get something that the first line phone call taker can't give them. If they got really insistent, she could give Customer Services' phone number (but that wasn't toll free!)
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
1 Sep 12
Good for her, She sounds like my kind of lately. I was never too good about taking crap from people especially a smart aleck man like that.
3 people like this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
1 Sep 12
Me either, but then again, I never did marry because I couldn't trust most of them.
1 person likes this
• United States
1 Sep 12
I second that antiquelady!
3 people like this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
1 Sep 12
smart lady.
3 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (47279)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
1 Sep 12
That's one thing I like about the fellow who did most of the work on my foundation. He knows I know what's involved in the work. Hell, I hand him a tool even before he asks for it. (To which, he says, "Stop that!) As for your story, I guess the phone answerers should have told the boss about that fellow and how they handled him.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
1 Sep 12
Oh, she had been told about him, but honestly, they shouldn't have been handing him off to one of the 2 men in the unit, they should've told him years before that they could handle the call. He should've had that "wake up call" years before.
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
1 Sep 12
oh, did you like this second story?
@BarBaraPrz (47279)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
1 Sep 12
Yes, I did. Thank you.
2 people like this
• United States
1 Sep 12
Nothing but a bunch of crap as far as I'm concerned. I think women should start asking to talk to women instead of guys on the phone..wonder how they would take that. I would have done the same thing as she did. I personally, have not come across that in any of my jobs but I do still feel women are pushed to the side a lot. I think that's old time 50s stuff and it's like "Get with it fool!" I don't blame you for not getting married. I was a few times and here I am, single right now for 16 years. It's better this way.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
1 Sep 12
As it stands now, we are 3 never married ladies in a house with too many cats.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
1 Sep 12
I"ve had people call and ask for the supervisor, and then be very surprised that I was the supervisor. None refused to talk to me though.
3 people like this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
1 Sep 12
Most of the time supervisors aren't expected to be answering phones. Oh, one time Linda, one of my co-workers who had a very "little girl" sounding voice answered the phone and got the Commissioner of the State Agency. When she transferred him to the Boss (the former Boss who retired) the Commissioner asked when they started letting clients answer the phone!
@alaskanray (4636)
• United States
1 Sep 12
Male chauvinism is alive and well in the 21st century. I remember when I first married my ex, we were on our wedding night and went into this one bar downtown where he started chatting with a buddy of his. I started joining in, telling some of our news and this guy turns to me and says, "Excuse me, Miss, but I'm talking to him." I replied with , "That's Mrs!" and walked out. My ex never defended me to this jerk, either. I was furious. But then, my ex was a great one for abusing me, too, so I guess I should have expected as much from a buddy of his, eh?
3 people like this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
1 Sep 12
That should've been a BIG clue right there! Of course, there's loads of reasons I never married.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
1 Sep 12
Not at all, I probably would've killed him...
1 person likes this
• Kiryat Ata, Israel
1 Sep 12
Some abusive people put a good mask most of the time and they act normal. It is hard to tell whether someone is a jerk and abusive. Many of them are polite and restrained. Alaskanray , were there any other red lights before that one ? Maybe , he expected you to do all the work around the house while he go to work and provides the money ? Did he forbid you to go out with friends and just stay with him in home ?
3 people like this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
6 Sep 12
When I was working at a certain job, here in Montreal, you have to speak french. Well a man from another part of the province called and I spoke to him in french. He didn't like it and said he wanted to speak to a real french person. So I told him he would have to speak to me or hang up. He spoke to me and I rectified his issue.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
7 Sep 12
Well, the guy that told the roomie he wanted a man to call was of a certain religious faith that doesn't think women should be allowed to talk - well, maybe not quite that bad, but certainly not to work... too bad, he should move back to where they can enforce that...
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
10 Sep 12
Many, many men are intimidated by women they have to talk to. It's terribly ignorant of them of course. Stupid is another good word to describe them.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
11 Sep 12
I can think of a few but they are unprintable and I'm a lady.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
12 Sep 12
Yeah, but the one I was thinking of starts with M.C.P.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
10 Sep 12
There's another name we used to call them, back in the day...
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
2 Sep 12
hi ElicBxn back in Tustin where I worked and lived I worked in the branch library .This Muslin Arab man strode u p to me all belligerent and said"Take me to your manager as I need to tell him hes full of it," we had a small colony of Muslims there but mostly just the women came in to our library.I said to the Arab'"sir the branch manager is Emily.She is in her office"and I pointed to the open door.:He yelled in Arabic for a bit then saw RAy the only male on the staff," I shall talk to him who runs this dump out of my way .," I looked at him and said " Just go around me sir and damnation lower your voice": He shoved me aside and strode up to poor Ray.The man started screaming obscenities at Ray and Ray just pressed the special line for the Police station just 200 feet away ,The Arab was still yelling at Ra y when two officers came in,and promptly put him in handcuffs and took him away. the moral to that was never scream in a library thats next door to the police station.,.
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
2 Sep 12
I hope he got a female officer
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
2 Sep 12
I've heard stories but never actually experienced that kind of discrimination.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
2 Sep 12
It was totally stupid.
@trisha27 (3494)
• United States
12 Sep 12
This hadn't happened to me, but it happened to a supervisor that I work with. I work at this store that has all departments and the one department that this lady worked in was the automotive department and she knew about everything and anything down to the "T". There was this one customer, who was in that department and he wanted to speak to a supervisor, but he wanted to speak to a male supervisor. Me being the operator I had to mention that over the walkie. When the associate called me with that request, I was like what, I wanted to make sure that I heard correctly, and they were like yes, the customer wants to speak to a male supervisor. I was shocked, but I had to let management know. The supervisor that was over that department female was so upset and she was like what because I am female you think I don't know anything or that I don't know how to run this department. Why else would she be made supervisor over the automotive department if she knew nothing. But they had to give in to the request of the customer asking for a male supervisor. Which I think wasn't right. I think that maybe they should've said that all we have is female supervisors at the time and if he wanted to speak to a male supervisor then, there was none available. So well, anyway the male supervisor went and talked to the customer and also informed him that there was a female supervisor who knows alot about this department and she is very knowledgeable and that he should speak with her about his concern. After much talking to later the customer agreed to the female supervisor. I'm like really, women are just as good as men.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
12 Sep 12
Of course we are, but some people are idiots... And just because someone is old doesn't mean they are right.
@natliegleb (5175)
• India
2 Sep 12
that is kind of insane,the thing which public officer did was really stupid and hope it never happens again to you
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
2 Sep 12
It wasn't a public officer, it was a client who was abusive.