An interpersonal communication issue occurred
to me during my industry attachment at Pan Pacific Singapore as a front desk
agent. The hotel was running at high occupancy that day, hence I was placed on mid-shift despite being placed on morning shift the following day.
I started closing my cashier alone as the
rest of my colleagues were on afternoon shift and they would end work three
hours after me. It was already 8.30pm, which was later than the standard timing
for mid-shift to close their cashiers. I was really tired after a busy day and
the thought of an earlier shift the following day. As I was closing my cashier,
I directed two guests who approached me to another empty counter where my colleague
was.
She was upset about it and reprimanded me
for directing the guests to her as she was replying a guest’s email. I remember
her saying that I should have served the guests instead. I felt a little upset
but after I thought about it, it might be because she forgot that I was on
mid-shift or she was feeling stressed. What do you think I should have done or
said when she reprimanded me?
(199 words)
Hello Alicia, that must have been such a tough situation to be in! I can only imagine how tiring it must have been to have had a long shift and on top of that, be scolded for wanted to rest and prepare mentally for the next day. However, before directing the guests to your colleague, it would have been better to check with her if you could send the guest over to her since you were closing. At least then, you would have known she was busy and she needed you to cover for her. I think the best thing to do when she was scolding you would be to be silent since the guests would have been near you and would hear everything. However, you could have either spoken to her after the guests left or approach her the next day to clarify why you did what you did. She may have forgotten you were suppose to leave.
ReplyDeleteHey Alicia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your clear and concise post. I can empathise with how you felt as I was also attached to the front desk during my last internship.
In your case, I think you should let her know that you have ended your shift and were busy closing the cashier. As many would have known, closing of the cashier requires a lot of concentration as you are also required to count the cash and make sure all documents are accounted for. Additionally, like what you have mentioned, she may also be unaware that you were on the mid-shift, hence clarifying it may actually allow her to realise that. I believe that by having effective communication, it would be able to solve the miscommunication/ misunderstanding between both of you.
Overall, it is a very interesting read and I hope that my suggestion would be useful for you.
Cheers,
Jiayun Sin