AIBU to think some people should just grow up

[ithinksheisawuss]

Details changed and I’ve name changed to stop it being identifiable.

AIBU to think some people just need to grow up and get on with it at work?

I work in a busy fast paced environment. It’s a big office with two distinct areas. On one side are the sales people this is high stress and loud, on the other side is the support staff area which is much gentler. The support staff are mainly older women, the sales staff are a mixed bunch.

The sales side is very robust, lots of swearing and mickey taking. Some days people let off steam by shouting we all just laugh and get on with it, no one takes offence. When someone shouts we laugh at them then they laugh and the tension breaks. We need this release sometimes.

Anyway, one of the support ladies lady S was doing a job at the sales end of the office colleague A put the phone down and started to shout. Lady S asked a question of colleague A and colleague A shouted. She didn’t shout at lady S - she was just shouty iyswim.

Lady S has put in a formal complaint saying she has been bullied and colleague A was unprofessional. Colleague A often behaves like this it’s her passion that makes her good at her job.

If all the sales staff behaved in the quiet demure way the support staff do no sales would get made! But the whole support area is up in arms about poor lady S.

TBH I think lady S is a bit of a wuss but I am wondering if I am too harsh. Colleague A is really valuable to the business, lady S is easily replaceable.

'Lady S takes the bonus we make for her'.

You really think highly of yourself don't you.

No one is saying A is bad at her job, are they? Just that getting off the phone and shouting is childish, weird and unprofessional. I’m sure she sells loads (of shit).

The place I worked at that sounded just like this sold tiles and grout.

The whole place sounds like a fucking toxic nightmare.
I can't stand loud shouty rude people who think everyone else should just put up with being treated rudely.

I work in sales, for a very successful & longstanding company. None of us shout. Our morale is just fine

@DailyMailFuckRightOff year 7?? Sounds like my DDs, ie years 4 and 1.

You sound in total awe of this A person - what's that about?

Yeah we aren't selling anything glamorous.

On the whole I think we need to keep the shouty jokes in the team. We have all got used to each other and forgotten other people don't see it the same.

If you can’t do your job without shouting and belittling colleagues then you’re pretty shit at your job

She might be great at sales, but being unable to maintain a modicum of respect for your colleagues is hardly a glowing example of professionalism, is it?

A might be good at her job, but she sounds like a dick.

I run two very successful sales teams & if they behaved like that they wouldn't be in a job. Sales teams that behave in that way are very outdated. Also the Support Lady doesn't take the commission you make for her - you are all working for the same goal. You wouldn't be able to do your job without her - that's a poor attitude.

Ah so the 'older' ladies are the problem eh? Next you will say it is because they are menopausal!

Grow up yourself!

My husband sells for our business from home. Well into seven figures every year. Nope, no shouting whatsoever.

Mind you, I'm the sales admin so I'd like to see him try.

But in my observation, the best sales people are those who come across as nice, genuine, normal people. They always do better than the hot shot, whipped up, spivvy types.

Just to put it in context, we had this attitude in the sales team when a new SLT was drafted in. We insisted on professional behaviour and respect for colleagues immediately.
Some people left very quickly and were replaced with people who had the new values, our profits increased substantially, turns out our customers and prospective customers didn't like "banter" either.

"Lady S takes the bonus we make for her."

Actually she takes the bonus that she is entitled to, as part of profits accrued by the entire team.

A team she is part of.

Do you understand 'team', ithinksheisawuss? That is, a group of people with a full set of complementary skills required to complete a task, job, or project.

Do you understand 'complementary skills', ithinksheisawuss?

(Sorry if I'm breaking things down too far for you, but I am concerned that you might be as big an idiot as you sound ).

@ithinksheisawuss i'm not sure that anyone had said that the sales woman is bad at her job but that doesn't make her nice to work with. In fact it's arrogance and treating others like inferiors that is exactly the sort of thing that will build resentment. Perhaps today was the icing on the cake for the support woman.

I'm imagining the sales team made up of Beavis and Butthead, Loadsamoney, David Brent and Cartman from South Park...

SHARON DO YOU WANT A CUSTARD CREAM

Was the shouting rude and directed at lady s? Or was it just the loudness of the shout that upset her? I don't really understand.

Also 'support staff' the clue is in the name, sales can't do their job without the support staff. You could just as easily say the support staff enable sales to do deals.

Tbh I imagine your workplace to be commission based and high staff turnover in the sales side. Support staff probs have seen it all over the years.

@greenlavender I agree, without the support staff there wouldn't be jobs for any of you. If you're not careful they'll all resign and that will be it. I wouldn't want an admin job there.

God. You make this sound like a bunch of horrible cold callers who are acting like unqualified teenagers in the office. Shit job city. There is a mid ground between shouting and being demure. You can be polite To support staff. You know like actual grown ups?

I'm guessing you get a lot of people hang up on you and spend your days bugging people and taking advantage of the vulnerable who fall for your calls, so think nothing of abusing the support staff too.

@bluelady hit the nail on the head.

We don't take advantage of the vulnerable but I do think we need to moderate our behaviour in front of others.

I don't think sales always brings out the best in people.

I hear you OP but majority on here won't. I find work without banter extremely demotivating and don't understand how people work in quiet offices. Zero passion means zero motivation. I get a few shocked faces where I work because most are very precious but I am shit hot at what I do and they need me so screw it. I can afford to be myself 😉

My dh used to work in a place like this many many years ago.

There was 50 shouty sales staff who thought they were very important, 20 support staff who just got on with their jobs and 8 weird geeks who sat in the corner and no one knew what they did but everyone looked down on them.

And then YE came along and sales figures came in and it turned out that the 8 weird geeks in the corner were the web team and over 60% of the sales now came through this website.

The weird geeks were good at maths so were able to explain 60% divided by 8 vs 40% divided by 50.

Apparently it was a very happy day. (Dh was chief-geek-in-the-corner.)