What's with the ads condemning rudeness to fast food employees?

SlavOz on 29/01/2020 - 22:13

I haven't stepped foot inside a fast food joint for years, but surely the rude customers are not bad enough to warrant government advertising? We all have tough jobs. In fact, I'm willing to bet most of us with careers have a much harder time at work than McDonald's staff.

Granted, most people in these positions would be kids or others who aren't equipped to handle verbal abuse, but if this has become sort of pandemic among hospitality workers then surely the burden should rest on the company, not the customers. If the government is worried about mistreatment of retail staff, then perhaps they should force employers to kick out or refuse to serve rude customers. That's a lot more reasonable and realistic than socially engineering people to be less rude or demanding that they change.

Education & Work

Comments

      • ozbjunkie on 01/02/2020 - 08:07
        +1

        Murder has happened from the beginning of time. Rape has happened from the beginning of time. Physical assaults … Are just human nature
        … Domestic abuse isn't going away any time soon… Therefore… Let's do nothing to publically reaffirm these things are not acceptable, and instead just expect people to get better at dealing with these things.

        Makes no sense dude.

        • SlavOz on 01/02/2020 - 13:14

          I'm not saying we should do nothing. I'm saying we should do something a lot more effective than pleading with unreasonable assholes to start being more polite.

          It's not gonna work, and countless more effective solutions to the problem have already been suggested in this node, to the outrage of others.

          • ozbjunkie on 01/02/2020 - 15:13
            +1

            @SlavOz: The ads might not work directly on all assholes, but might work indirectly through changing the behaviour of onlookers, and may also go a way to fostering resilience in workers, because it is acknowledging the problem.

            And actually, direct change is possible through advertising, see the drink driving and quit smoking ad campaigns.

            I'd support your idea of security guards, but something tells me it might be less cost effective, or simply not financially viable, for every fast food outlet to have 24 hour security.

      • Ghost47 on 02/02/2020 - 14:14

        You posting this thread is a snowflake tactic that achieves nothing. Go and complain to the people who wrote the ad. Go beat up the person who wrote the ad. It seems like what you want to do, snowflake.

  • Miss B on 31/01/2020 - 19:50
    +3

    Most people already know how to treat others properly. The ads are for those who don't. I wish we didn't need them, but some people just can't figure it out for themselves and need to be told.

  • Harold Halfprice on 31/01/2020 - 21:13
    +1

    If the government is worried about mistreatment of retail staff, then perhaps they should force employers to kick out or refuse to serve rude customers

    Spot on.

    I worked in retail whilst I was a student. There were quite a few times where I was openly abused and insulted by customers, and I could do nothing but stand there and cop it. Not because I wasn't capable of standing up for myself, but because I'd lose my job or be punished if I did.

    Companies allow their employees to be abused by customers and they couldn't care less.

    • spackbace on 31/01/2020 - 21:17

      If the government is worried

      Spot on.

      Well no, because this ad campaign isn't government backed

      • Harold Halfprice on 31/01/2020 - 21:32
        +1

        My sentiment was more so about the last part. Who is running or backing the campaign is largely irrelevant. The point remains the same - customers are abusive because companies allow them to be.

        The issue isn't that people don't know how to be polite. Lash out at a coworker and you'll be out of a job; be abusive in a relationship and you'll likely lose it.

        But in retail? People are offered the opportunity to lash out, be assholes and vent at employees, with no fear of repercussions, sometimes even being rewarded.

        Same reason people will gladly give you the finger whilst in their car driving, but wouldn't dare do it in the open - there's no fear of repercussion.

  • superValue on 01/02/2020 - 00:21

    You seem to be a real tough guy OP.

    It's there anything you can't do or deal with?

    You state "I haven't stepped foot inside a fast food joint for years, but surely the rude customers are not bad enough to warrant government advertising? We all have tough jobs. In fact, I'm willing to bet most of us with careers have a much harder time at work than McDonald's staff."

    Hold on, I think I found something, being up yourself. Actually, you are very good at that too. You should get an award for so many down votes but you would be proud of that too because your so up yourself. Now we've established where your head is located let me try this scenario on you if you can pull your head out just for a moment.

    You have a lovely sister but for some reason she turned out to be a snowflake. I know that's impossible because anyone from your gene pool would only be a hard ass. But let's go with me on this one, even though every fibre in your hard ass body is saying impossible my family only produces tough nuts that are perfect in every way. Even my shit is perfect. If you don't have a sweet shy sister then let's pretend you're lovely mum is a snowflake.

    Your sister is 16 or mum is working in retail and some a-hole starts verbally abusing her. You FN little slutslut someone needs to ….. or you old bitchbitch who would ….. Your old ugly hole? Maybe one day this will be your daughter coping a serve. How would you feel then? I know your daughter will be perfect just like you.

    We could just go stuff it, this is life and accept or like you say deal with it but not everyone can deal with it just like your missing the understanding our empathy gene. It's not your fault your a bit simple in some areas that's just how you were born. There are some people that are as you put it snowflakes or as I would suggest might have anxiety or confidence issues. They try but when such confrontations occur they just don't have the OzSlav right up there hard ass gene.

    Or you suggest the company should deal with it but how? Employee security guards to monitor customers and stop them if they're about to say something terrible?

    If only everyone was as hard ass and perfect as you then all would be fine but we're not. So is it fair that your sister, mum or future daughter cops verbal abuse?

    Or you suggest the company should deal with it but how? Employ security guards to monitor customers and stop them if they're about to say something abusive?

    Some people have their heads so far up their asses that they don't realise it. While ads are not 100% effective they do help to show people that they could be a bit nicer. It's just like the good people here trying to get you to see a different perspective but you just can see out of your (profanity) for some reason?

    I know I'm being harsh but you can handle it.

    BTW. I would love to know what's the career you have where you have a much harder time at work than McDonald's staff?

    To be fair I'm confident you don't know much about clinical research and psychological impacts of abuse because you're pretty dense, I mean tough ass.

    • ozbjunkie on 01/02/2020 - 08:09
      +4

      Pretty sure that career is construction, a profession renowned for developing skills in critical thinking and phrasing well-formulated arguments.

    • SlavOz on 01/02/2020 - 13:10
      -1

      I'm struggling to make any sense out of your rambling wall of text mate. All the points you've raised have already been addressed, I'm not going to bother copy-pasting standard responses which nobody has been able to rebute anymore.

      The bottom line is that you're supporting social engineering while opposing policies which could actually help prevent abuse of retail staff or even hold people accountable for it. Like I said, this would be on the level of fighting terrorism by asking ISIS to stop being such meanies…never mind implementing actual security measures, that's clearly just for people who are "up themselves" as you put it. I can only assume you also think an ad asking people not to rob others is a better solution than locking your doors?

      • superValue on 01/02/2020 - 22:21
        +2

        You really do lack critical thinking and reasoning skills.

        You should do less assuming because that's part of your deficiency.

        Instead of spending so much time copying and pasting I recommend you go and study something to further your education and improve your critical thinking and reasoning skills.

        Why do you have so many down votes?

        It's it because most of the people here are wrong and you're right?

        Have you ever heard about the Dunning–Kruger effect? You are a prime candidate for this effect.

  • MessyG on 01/02/2020 - 08:19
    +5

    You're complaining about an ad telling people not to be rude? Really?

    • SlavOz on 01/02/2020 - 13:03
      -5

      You're complaining about a node about an ad telling people not to be rude? Really?

      And for the last time, I'm not complaining. I'm questioning how effective it is and whether better things can be done instead of just running ads which appeal to blind demagoguery and hysteria.

      • seanj on 02/02/2020 - 01:36

        He says hysterically.

  • Hangryuman on 01/02/2020 - 09:39
    +3

    haven't seen these ads - but one of the warning signs of future abusive relationships is how someone treats wait staff

    if they talk down, are rude to, and insult wait staff then that's a red flag for how they're going to treat their significant other later - after the red roses romance and perfume has died.

    people at the lowest echelons of society - in shitty precarious jobs with abusive bosses - it helps if they're an addict with addled brain cells or have been otherwise abused and traumatised themselves - can get their jollies trying to offload the monkey on their back by dumping it onto perceived subordinate wait staff - whose job depends on them standing there and not just punching you in the face when you abuse them.

    and selfish entitled people and socio/psychopaths are just gonna get away with whatever they can, because their brain is wired with a selfish lack of care for other people, except to manipulate others for their own personal gain.

    last night at a crowded city pedestrian crossing, a tall young guy on a bicycle wearing a big cubical food delivery backpack barely slowed down and was about to ride right through the middle of 50 or so people proceeding across the crowded pedestrian crossing.

    Years ago I tried yelling at such, only to see them either not hear (wearing earbuds) or simply turn and raise their middle finger as they rode off into the distance.

    This guy was passing right in front of my nose as I crossed - totally illegal as his vehicle was required by law to stop at the vehicle red light - and at significant risk to the crowd of pedestrians not seeing him.

    So I reached out and whacked his bag (it was empty but moved a lot) - he instantly turned and said 'what the F do you think you are doing !?' (he sounded northern European)

    So you see - he called me the bad guy - despite the fact that he was in the middle of both breaking the law and putting many people at risk of physical injury.

    There's your classic 'what's wrong with you' - when the speaker is the one at fault.

  • MementoMori on 01/02/2020 - 10:52

    Reminds me of the 'don't verbally abuse healthcare workers', which is a real problem that has grow significantly recently.

    However, the makeup perpetrators featured in the ads is statistically inaccurate. Go and look at who is really abusing and bashing our nurses, cops and ambos.

  • Blargman2001 on 01/02/2020 - 11:48

    SlavOz is laying concrete, some other tradie tells him what an average human being he is for his post on Ozbargain. SlavOz gives him a serve and is very happy with himself for telling him where to go. SlavOz can happily continue his job because it has nothing to do with customer service.

    Shop assistant gets told they are a rubbish human being for some company policy they have no control over. Shop assistant can't say anything because their job involves sucking up to the customer and to say anything would mean getting fired. This happens regularly.

    A bit of a difference in circumstances here.

    • SlavOz on 01/02/2020 - 12:58
      -1

      Right, so blame the companies then. Contrary to regular people who often can't help being assholes, companies can be forced to comply.. Would it not then be easier to pressure them to change their policies or employ security to deal with abusive customers?

      This would have a far better success rate and would only need to be implemented once, as opposed to some strategy which seeks to socially engineer people to be nice, which even if it did work, would have to be done forever as new people are constantly coming into adulthood and becoming shoppers.

      • Ughhh on 01/02/2020 - 13:10
        +3

        seeks to socially engineer people to be nice

        Were you never taught to how to be a decent human being and to treat others how you would like to be treated? We've been teaching this moral to kids for a long time now. When did we think it would be a good idea to stop?

        • SlavOz on 01/02/2020 - 13:17
          -2

          Dodging the question there mate. I'm not against people being nice, I'm simply saying that asking robbers to stop robbing people isn't as effective as locking your door and actually doing something to prevent the inevitable.

          People will always be assholes even though they know its wrong. Do you honestly think people who abuse retail staff go home at night thinking they're good people? No. They're not stupid. They're being abusive because they want to be. Asking them to "please stop" is laughably ineffective.

          • try2bhelpful on 01/02/2020 - 13:47
            +2

            @SlavOz: Sounds like, in your world, what we need to do is have a list of people who aren't ever allowed to be given access to retail places/public transport etc because they are abusive arseholes, and always will be. It would, probably, be a happier place for the rest of us but it would make it difficult for the aresholes to do anything but live in their homes and order take away. What these ads are doing is reminding people that acting like arseholes is unacceptable to the people around them and, when they are turned away for behaving appallingly, they can't say they didn't know what the standards were. Funnily enough if you set rules for children around their behaviour they tend to learn how to behave properly; what you are saying is these arseholes have no capacity to change their ways. The fact that you think asking people to consider others and behave is "social engineering" is laughable. Maybe you need to brush up on your grasp of the English language and stop talking in mindless tropes and Americanisms. For the people who aren't inveterate arseholes it reminds us to not blow shit out of proportion or take our frustrations out on other people. Instead of "going off" we need to step back and consider you are dealing with another human being. Frankly, I'm not sure why you are getting so upset about a bunch of ads that ask people to be nice to each other? You must have some really deep setted anger and entitlement issues to be so upset that you've started this thread, and persisted with it, even though people are overwhelmingly saying that there is no issue with being reminded to be considerate to others.

          • Ughhh on 01/02/2020 - 14:30
            +3

            @SlavOz:

            People will always be assholes even though they know its wrong

            Like yourself?
            How do you suggest the society protect people from you?

  • SlickMick on 01/02/2020 - 13:48
    -1

    Our doctors surgery has signs everywhere to not pick on the receptionists and abuse won't be tolerated.
    I think we're into the collapse of this society and these signs are from optimists preaching repent before it's too late.

  • Dreamcast on 01/02/2020 - 17:30

    Can't comment on ads, but come to my local maccas and see how the staff are treated. You'll change your mind.

    People are absolute scum. They lose it over trash food not being perfect and many other minor things.

    • Ghost47 on 02/02/2020 - 14:20

      It seems like people also lose it after seeing an ad on TV they don't agree with. I hear these people go on OzBargain and complain because they don't have anyone else to complain to.

  • fsdef01 on 01/02/2020 - 21:44

    You once asked:
    SlavOz on 26/07/2019 - 23:39
    "My department manager is one of those solely career focused guys who's only mission in life is to get promoted and succeed at work.

    To that end, he's started to pressure people in his team (inc. me) for doing anything that might make the department look anything less than excellent. Taking on more projects with unrealistic deadlines, demanding that we bend over to other departments and never push back on unreasonable demands etc is understandable. The main gripe is that he's started to suggest how we should speak, how to act, to whom we should or shouldn't be allowed to have conversations with, not get involved in company-wide jokes etc. Surely this is beyond a team manager's right within a company?

    What's worse is that he expects everyone in his team to strive to be as committed to their careers as he is. That's all great for a manager to push people, but the reality is that not everyone wants to succeed at work. Some just want to get by and do their hours and go home. Some don't care whether they succeed or not and prefer the wind to lead the way. That's their perogative. To me, a managers job is to manage workload and performance. Instilling personal values or priorities onto other people is definitely not what managers are paid to do or even have much of a right to do I'd imagine."

    Now imagine you are 16 years old, full time student with the same type of boss AND getting abused by customers RELENTLESSLY day in day out. You may appreciate the UNION posting an ad asking people to be a bit nicer to you.

  • [Deactivated] on 02/02/2020 - 02:15

    I don't even see ads like this anymore.
    All I watch is apps on my smart TV

  • DemocracyManifest on 02/02/2020 - 23:35
    +1

    This campaign sucks because it’s a bosses campaign, it puts no obligation on the business to protect their staff. It’s almost impossible to ban and prevent abusive customers from entering major businesses.

  • PirateKingJack on 02/02/2020 - 23:49
    +1

    Maccas was one of my first jobs. I was a little late on the job train since I was studying university at the time. One of the worst experiences I had was after handing a customer his meal, he said "this is why you stay in school". I can't help but feel that the same people who visit Maccas to feel good about themselves are the same people who have the irony escape them.

    All in all, had a lot of bad experiences in Maccas and, although it helped develop me as a person, it'd be nicer if people currently working in retail or fast food were treated better.

    • SlavOz on 03/02/2020 - 19:45
      -3

      To be fair, people should be pushed to strive for more than working at McDonald's. It's a minimum wage job.

      Granted its a silly comment to say to a teenager but still..

      • PirateKingJack on 03/02/2020 - 19:58

        It's a fallacy to think rude comments are a motivator for people to work harder. In fact, a year after I left one of the nicest workers I knew suicided. I know it is a strong example, but if this campaign helps even a single outlier then I am all for it.

        Edit: assuming this was an outlier situation at all

        • SlavOz on 03/02/2020 - 20:16
          -1

          It's a fallacy to think rude comments are a motivator for people to work harder.

          Sounds like it worked for you though. You evidently found the comment unsettling and critical, which potentially helped shape your actions moving forward.

          On the contrary if we constantly glorified people to work at McDonald's we would have a lot of them, especially kids, sticking around on minimum wage for a long time. That shouldn't be encouraged.

          • PirateKingJack on 03/02/2020 - 20:51

            @SlavOz: I was already studying in University. The comment didn't encourage me at all. Just made my day worse. We shouldn't praise people for being jerks.

            Besides, McDonalds isn't the worst place to work. You get 30% casual loading and it fits in with your study schedule. Pays better than most retail casual work (which I have also worked before).

            • SlavOz on 05/02/2020 - 08:50

              @PirateKingJack: And perhaps those generous benefits and that flexibility is Mcdonalds' way of helping people see the bright side of having a job, even if it means getting yelled at once in a while. Maybe other retail places don't afford the same conditions because the customers aren't as demanding.

              My ex used to work for a higher end clothing store and if she didn't make commission from sales the pay was pretty crap. The flexibility was virtually non-existent too. But by the same token it's because the environment is extremely chill and customers are all older professionals who know how to conduct themselves like adults without throwing tantrums.

              You get what you're paid for.

              • PirateKingJack on 05/02/2020 - 09:29
                +1

                @SlavOz:

                You get what you're paid for.

                But previously you admitted to thinking

                To be fair, people should be pushed to strive for more than working at McDonald's. It's a minimum wage job.

                You also have to understand that McDonalds is a franchise. Each franchisee can go with whatever pay structure they want, so long as it legal as per their agreements.

                Moreover, you previously mentioned this

                 Come to the construction site on a 45 degree day carrying cement and sand bags and you'll be begging to go back to the Maccas counter, under the nice air-con dealing mostly with kids and soccer mums.

                I know a few people with their own business who could use a hand tomorrow. $400 cash per day. Clearly it's easier than Maccas so let me know what time they can expect you.

                If we are following your own logic, then 'you get what you pay for'. You'd certainly get paid more in a construction site so why did you complain at all. You also claimed to know businesses giving $400 cash per day.

                My ex used to work for a higher end clothing store and if she didn't make commission from sales the pay was pretty crap.

                Well since you had these connections, it comes to reason you could have helped your ex out rather than have her go through such a tough time.

                It is clear that the Government's approach is not working on you which, from your perspective is,

                socially engineering people to be less rude or demanding that they change

                but neither is getting responses on a public OzBargain forum. It stands to reason that you started this forum trying to find someone who could justify your point of view. At the least, I hope you found where OzBargainers and, to a lesser extent, The Government, are getting at when they support marketing for better working conditions even if you do not personally agree with their decisions or processes.

              • try2bhelpful on 05/02/2020 - 10:02
                +1

                @SlavOz: I don’t think Maccas is happy having their staff “yelled at every now and again”. I’m pretty sure that clause isn’t in their employment contracts. I love the fact you keep trying to flog this dead horse. Just admit you are wrong here.

  • Eeples on 05/02/2020 - 22:55
    +1

    Any job that deals direct with the public is a tough job.

    No-one ought to be abused in their workplace and that includes by customers.

    Companies, unions and the government imo ought to educate the public about what constitutes abuse or harassment in the workplace.

    I think the above is especially cogent concerning child workers.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join