Thursday, July 26, 2007

It Is Just One of Those Days

It must be the heat and people must be tired. I have had more people coming to me today complaining about other patrons, wanting me to get involved. That is one of my least favorite things about working with the public. I don't want the kids coming up to me, telling me some other kid is bugging them in some way, wanting me to settle things between them. I don't want to go up to the teenage boy some mom heard utter a swear word and call him out on it. I don't want to settle the scuffle over whose turn it really is to use the last available computer. I don't want to be the one some dad comes to because his daughter overheard some white kid using the phrase "fat Mexicans" and found it hurtful. I don't like confrontations! But part of working with the public is involving oneself in the confrontations of others. It is unavoidable. And on some days, like today, it is even more unavoidable than usual. Makes me want to go back and work in Technical Services...but then I remember that it is pretty dead dull back there and I rethink my position. No job is perfect I guess. What is your least favorite thing about your job?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you needed a striped shirt and a whistle so you could properly referee the goings on at the library.

My least favorite part of my job is the telephone and other people in general. I would embrace dull in my case. It would be quieter and easier to concentrate.

Tara said...

Ugh...How do you handle those types of confrontations? I don't like them either. When I worked at McDonald's, the complainers that would approach me would usually be coming up to bitch about their food. I hated it. It did teach me patience and restraint, though. Plus, I didn't realize it but it gave me future blogging material. Hehe.

Right now, the least favorite thing about my job is my manager. I can deal with the students and grads, and I can deal with him, but he has days where he's in my office 95% of the time complaining about his kids or telling me how to do the job I've been doing for five years now.

Mrs. Hairy Woman said...

Since my job is being a stay at home mom.. I would dasy when hes had a real stinky diaper... But I deal with it...

Churlita said...

the sheer boredom of it. if I could do all this stuff at home, I could finish my workload in about half the time and I wouldn't have to sit in a cubicle.

laura b. said...

Evil-E: There are definitely days I could use a ref. uniform.
I hear you about the telephone. I am not really a phone person.

Tara: I handle them as quickly and inobtrusively as possible. It always makes me uncomfortable.
Your manager sounds like he needs to be nominated for some sort of Worst of the Worst award :-)

BabyBull: I remember that all too well. Being a mom (or certain sorts of sanitation workers) you actually have to deal with literal crap!

Churlita: I know just what you mean. So much time at work is taken up with inter-office politics and goofing off that have nothing to do with the workload.