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.

"Empty vessels make the most noise."

Yes exactly.

Sounds utterly ridiculous and very wolf of Wall Street ..sound like a bunch of tossers tbh.

God op. Your work place sounds like something from a shit, nineties sitcom tbh. Do people still behave like this at work? “I get the job done! If I calm down, the whole place will go to shit, profits will die a death and we’ll all be fucked”. I thought we’d moved on tbh. Clearly not everywhere!

OP, you keep repeating about the other team 'not getting it' or 'being careful' around them. This just further shows that you think of them as seperate and inferior to your team. I can picture it now- eye rolling and 'oh shush, better BEHAVE because here comes one of THEM'.

Wouldn't it be better if you all got on as one team and stopped disregarding the work they do?

The sales team sound like arseholes.

There is a difference between “banter” and shouting and swearing.
I don’t understand how you get any sales done if people are constantly shouting and swearing? What if you’re trying to sell something on the phone and someone behind you yells FUCKING HELL? If I was the other person on the phone (being sold to) I would be rather alarmed, to say the least. Are you not mindful of your sales colleagues when they’re on the phone??

She's probably felt you were too loud for a while, it can be quite hard to concentrate on what you're doing when other people are shouting (I don't know how close the two sections of the office are to each other obviously). But I think it was most likely the last straw.

The atmosphere doesn't sound very professional - surely any office atmosphere that you have to 'explain' to an outsider or visitor is going to have the potential to offend? It sounds one step away from David Brent talking to camera about the great vibe in their office.

I think anyone in the same room would be quite reasonable to request that others lower the volume of 'banter' and avoid swearing.
Managers should support this - it doesn't matter how many sales someone wins, they could still get the company into trouble if they create an HR issue.

With regards to that particular incident:

If A was just yahooing 'Yay, I've won the sale' in response to S's question, not really hearing what she was asking, then perhaps it is just a clash of team cultures and a misunderstanding. But the team as a whole should still take this as a sign to amend their behaviour. A would also be well advised to be the bigger person and apologise.

If A responded to S's question with a shouty, rude response: eg. bellowing 'I've just won a sale with X Widgets and now she's asking me about invoices, how ridiculous', then A should be given a warning. The team should also be told in no uncertain terms to amend their behaviour.

Workplaces have moved on. It is no longer acceptable to treat others badly just because you are a big cheese.

The sales team work well together, we are in and out of the office not on the phones all the time - not a call centre.

I've listen to MN and am planning on having a let's be careful chat. Now I'm being told that's not enough we have to get on.

We mostly get on but we are never all going to be besties. Differences of age, personality etc are too big.

adishbesteatencold is spot on.

You wouldn't get that bonus without the admin team supporting you.

You sound so arrogant, disrespectful and immature I am cringing.

I bet you sell PPI or some other shit like that.

Shouting isn’t exactly the most professional behaviour, but it’s clearly your office culture. I’d tell your colleagues that it’s OK to shout amongst themselves, but to try and remember that the support staff culture isn’t like that and to remember to speak at a normal volume to them.

@ David Brent explaining what a great vibe there is in the office.

We have such banter. Me and the lads .

Cross post with @tab re cringing.

I bet you sell PPI or some other shit like that

years and years ago I visited a call centre which sold PPI as part of a job. They were all pretty well behaved and calm... no shouting!

‘We know the rules, they don’t’

I’m sure they do ‘ know the rulz’ it’s just they don’t want to act like a bunch of immature shouty knobs.

I work in sales, I can picture it. I am with you, the woman making the complaint is ridiculous if I understood properly, it's not being abused or bullied to hear someone shouting.

The sales people are the ones bringing money to the company, they should get the support.

I don't work in a call center, or selling PPI
I am in a corporate environment, dealing with blue chip clients. People don't have a clue what a sales floor looks like on this forum!

At best, ask the team to be quieter, that's very reasonable. Making a complaint is just pathetic, and she should be the one going in trouble for this! No one is irreplaceable, no one is perfect, if you look for reasons to dismiss someone you always find them.

People don't have a clue what a sales floor looks like on this forum!

Yes we do. Well I do.

You wouldn't get that bonus without the admin team supporting you
not true - the sales team would waste time dealing with the admin side, and sell less, but they usually could do it - how do you deal with clients if you don't understand the process do you think?
On the other hand, the admin side is welcome to try to sale and meet the targets.

No role is better than the other, one is just more valuable financially to the company!

The sales people are the ones bringing money to the company, they should get the support

So basically they can behave however the hell they want and everyone else has to put up and shut up? That certainly wouldn’t have washed in the banks I’ve worked in.

There have been several people on here who work in sales and do not behave or have colleagues who behave like this. So it clearly isn't 'just the way it is' if you work in sales.

This is why The Office and similar were so popular. Cringe.

cold callers are scumbags

Lady S takes the bonus we make for her.

How far up your own arse can your head be? Have you no self-awareness?

Take a look at the set-up where you work. A bunch of adrenaline-fuelled jumped-up little shits who think they're all that and then some make the sales, yet it's the older, more sedate, even-tempered women keep your customers happy.

To have such disregard for your colleagues is disgusting, and a company that tolerates that is badly run, irrespective of what the bottom line.

Did you ever consider that the reason your group are able to make sales is because of the reputation that support group earns for your company, and that you will only ever be able to make repeat sales, because of their work.

Such a shitty attitude to have to people who are every bit as important to the earning of a bonus as the one who makes the sale.

@cucaracha
People don't have a clue what a sales floor looks like on this forum!

So frigging funny and condescending! How can anyone here not have a clue? Could you be more ignorant? Yep, probably 🤣

I spent years in sales and you don't have to be a tosser to be the best seller!

Can't the customers hear all this shouting in the background?

It doesn't sound remotely like it helps.

I'm happy to admit the team is laddish and the humour immature. I think we need to be more careful around the support staff. I might have collection and buy S some flowers.

I'm puzzled as to why some of the posters saying it's awful to shout are happy to call me names and make derogatory comments about selling PPI. I'm not bothered I just wonder if name calling is ok or not.