do people swear at you at work?

[Niel]

Do you have a job where you get verbally harrased by customers or clients.

I dont mean like your coworkers have a sailor's mouth, or your customers swear in passing but not in an aggressive way.

 

[iLander]

I have clients that I want to curse at quite loudly, especially today. They are ungrateful, arrogant, assine jerks.

Does that count?

Do you get cursed at? Why? Do you have a stun gun, would that help?

 

[missy]

No thank goodness. I hope you don't have to deal with that kind of harassment Niel.

iLander, LOL. I hear you. Many times I too have wanted to curse and do in my mind silently. And I smile on the outside because killing arrogant jerks with kindness is the best revenge. They don't get the rise they want to out of you.

 

[justginger]

No. I have little direct patient contact. I know many of the other healthcare employees are not so lucky, despite a 'zero tolerance' harassment policy. I hope you've just had a bad day, Neil, and it isn't something you have to deal with regularly.

 

[charleston1]

Oh yes. As a welfare caseworker clients sometimes swear at me and I have been called a number of rude but creative names.

Most of the time it is out of frustration with "the system" and I don't take it personally (well, try not to).
Sometimes it has to do with mental health issues and not taking their medication.

When people call up and start swearing we can warn them once and then if they don't stop we can disconnet.
Often as I am warning them about this they hang up on me LOL.
I want to call them back and hang up on them but of course I don't

 

[redwood66]

I will say yes because being swore at was a daily thing for me in my career before I retired. But that is to be expected yes? If I could not handle being swore at then I really needed a different job. I kinda had a problem with the feces, urine, cum, and food being thrown on me. Flagrant masturbation intended for my enjoyment was actually kinda funny. My usual comment was "Do you have that in adult size?" or "That looks like a penis only smaller!" loud enough for all the others to hear.

Ah society's finest...

 

[Niel]

Thanks guys. I work with insurance in a call center. Its something I deal with somewhat regularly.

You would be shocked how rude a person can be to someone on the phone when they don't have to look at them.

 

[Niel]

I will say yes because being swore at was a daily thing for me in my career before I retired. But that is to be expected yes? If I could not handle being swore at then I really needed a different job. I kinda had a problem with the feces, urine, cum, and food being thrown on me. Flagrant masturbation intended for my enjoyment was actually kinda funny. My usual comment was "Do you have that in adult size?" or "That looks like a penis only smaller!" loud enough for all the others to hear.

Ah society's finest...

That's just terrible. I'm always glad I don't have to have physical contact with people.

 

[artdecogirl]

Do you have a stun gun, would that help?

 

[Niel]

Oh yes. As a welfare caseworker clients sometimes swear at me and I have been called a number of rude but creative names.

Most of the time it is out of frustration with "the system" and I don't take it personally (well, try not to).
Sometimes it has to do with mental health issues and not taking their medication.

When people call up and start swearing we can warn them once and then if they don't stop we can disconnet.
Often as I am warning them about this they hang up on me LOL.
I want to call them back and hang up on them but of course I don't

Hahaha
That's exactly what I do. Politely say "I need you too refrain from swearing at me or I will disconnect the call"

Then they get one super mean sentence in and hang up. You really showed me! Now I don't have to talk to you.

Problem is we can only hang up if they are swearing. If they are yelling and insulting (which is very often) I just have to try and calm them.

Our customers are a strange mix of low income individuals and they just don't like insurance. Most see it as a requirement than any sort of "good".

 

[redwood66]

I am sorry Niel - people can be *******s.

 

[Indylady]

Definitely not. Redwood, what kind of work did you do? Did you work in a prison?

 

[redwood66]

Definitely not. Redwood, what kind of work did you do? Did you work in a prison?

Yes - maximum security mens prison.

 

[TC1987]

I have clients that I want to curse at quite loudly, especially today. They are ungrateful, arrogant, assine jerks.

Does that count?

Do you get cursed at? Why? Do you have a stun gun, would that help?

Ohmigosh, too funny!

 

[redwood66]

We had tasers. It helped. Sometimes people just need a little encouragement Niel!

 

[OreoRosies86]

Yes. At my part time job, yes.

It is awful but I am hardened to it now. It tends to be old men with silent wives who make apologetic eyes at me. I can't say anything back or I would lose my job but DAMN sometimes I want to just bust out and ask them who the @!&# they think they are

 

[TC1987]

I had a coworker who once (with a straight face) told the secretary to call Agway and order him two deluxe cattle prods. LOL. She didn't, but I still laugh about it. Cattle prod in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcFgVaVQT6I

 

[sonnyjane]

Yikes, no! And I'm sorry that you do! I work some at a place where I do deal with complaints frequently, but people don't usually elevate to the level of profanity.

 

[Rhea]

Not really. I work for a charity with people who have mental health and substance use problems and try to get them stable, engaging with other professionals, and into meaningfully activities including paid or voluntary work. I get the very occasional swearing client but it's normally more frustration with the system than with me and I think they normally see me as being on their side.

I have a mouth on me and a temper so I've probably sworn at people on the phone in your position, Niel. I manage to keep it in check when the other person is being helpful, but not so much when my question isn't getting answered. A great example from a couple of weeks ago was when someone from our potentially new internet provider called (one company bought another, a bit of confusion happening at the moment) and wanted to speak to Mr. Jones, my husband. I asked if I could assist and she said "so he's not home?" I asked what the call was in relation to and she told me she couldn't speak to me because I wasn't Mr. Jones. I asked if it was a sales call or about something in particular and she refused to answer because I wasn't Mr. Jones. I said "oh, for f's sake!" and hung up the phone. I have a low frustration point.

 

[msop04]

We had tasers. It helped. Sometimes people just need a little encouragement Niel!

HA! I wish we could use that type of "encouragement"... LOL

 

[msop04]

When I worked for the "big-box" chain pharmacies, we'd all get cursed at on a daily basis... I used to think that, "...wow, I'll bet these crazy ass people don't act like that at the doctor's office!" Sheesh!

Now I work in a clinic, and I can tell you that the same people who act a fool in other places tend to act a fool EVERYWHERE -- even to their doctors. However, my clinic isn't contracted with Medicaid, so the foolishness and daily cursing has lessened significantly. Coincidence??? I think not. #silverlinings

I did have a lady cuss me out last week because she had a $50 copay on a $700 medication -- it was the first time I'd been "cussed really good" in over a year (since I started my current job)! I'd say that's a HUGE IMPROVEMENT! I'll take it!

 

[JaneSmith]

Yep. Swear at me, threaten me, attempt assault. Not every day though. Part of the job. I've seen a lot of interesting sh!t.

 

[arkieb1]

I used to be an English History teacher in a public school in a past life so I have been called every name under the sun and more by 12 to 18 year olds.

 

[AprilBaby]

Dental office-foul language prohibited. At my previous office the boss used it on us all the time, that's why it's a former office.

 

[pandabee]

Yep. People curse at me when I won't fill their narcotic medications a week early (what do you mean you're out of them already?) or when insurance decides that they would rather not pay for the ridiculously expensive new medication until they've tried the basic, been around forever generic available mess first. Or when they tell me to "fill everything on their profile" and I give them something they didn't actually need or I forget something that they hadn't filled in several months but all of a sudden needed today. Not a mind reader, sorry not sorry.

 

[msop04]

Yep. People curse at me when I won't fill their narcotic medications a week early (what do you mean you're out of them already?) or when insurance decides that they would rather not pay for the ridiculously expensive new medication until they've tried the basic, been around forever generic available mess first. Or when they tell me to "fill everything on their profile" and I give them something they didn't actually need or I forget something that they hadn't filled in several months but all of a sudden needed today. Not a mind reader, sorry not sorry.

Word.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Heck ya! Not only do other people swear, I swear too

Sometimes the only good adjective is clusterf&%^$& and $#!%show

Plus I take all sorts of calls. You never know what someone will say when they think they're going to die.

 

[MissStepcut]

The legal profession has a lot of jerks who yell and swear. Seems like finance has plenty too. A friend of mine recently had her boss grab her by the shoulders to more directly scream into her face.

 

[msop04]

The legal profession has a lot of jerks who yell and swear. Seems like finance has plenty too. A friend of mine recently had her boss grab her by the shoulders to more directly scream into her face.

WHHAAAAAATTTTT???!!!! That's terrible.

 

[Sky56]

Yuk. No wonder I prefer to isolate myself and stay far away from people as possible in a remote country home.