To report this receptionist?

[Ezlo]

Today I had to call in at my surgery to get blood bags.

I had to queue for a while to get seen to and when I did, the receptionist didn't smile, she didn't apologise for the long wait and then couldn't find on the system why I needed the blood to be taken. Her colleague eventually helped and after more faffing, I got my blood bag. She had a sour face throughout.

There were two other staff members Sat who were only taking prescription requests or arriving people in for their appointments but were mostly sat without any patients.

By that point I had just missed the hourly bus to where the bloods where being taken and had to walk about a mile all up hill whilst severly anaemic.

This is the same clinic where you can only book an appointment by going in to surgery at 8am each weekday or by using the online triage which is accessible from 8am to around 9.15am each weekday. If you work those times then you don't get an appointment. They refuse to give appointments by phone.

My point is that it can work like that - it may be that more rural NHS systems can't manage that, but requests for any blood tests I (or someone in my family) need, can be delivered electronically to the blood test centre. It saves the surgery and the blood test centre a lot of time. No forms, no special bags, and only queue as you wait fro your test. All you need to take with you is your NHS or hospital number.

Right. No wonder nhs is a disaster area. Hmm, so it seems ... the people trained/paid to show concern/compassion for people presenting with ill health are allowed to put on a sour face, making them appear unapproachable and uncompassionate, because their job is stressful (which it probs is but so are many others - how would social workers get on putting on a sour face when they need to actually think of the people they are there to help). It's not the receptionist's fault .. it's the patient's. A reminder - the purpose of the nhs is to help patients.

The thing is we shouldn't be encouraged to have so much sympathy for the people working for a shit system that we accept the shit system without a peep. We complaint to the people who represent the system and who we have access to. This includes all front line workers, doctors, nurses, receptionist. Most of us are capable of complaining in a calm and reasonable manner, but lately it seems like any complaining (particularly when it is done by women) is wholly unreasonable, "Karen" behaviour. We can not allow our health service to carry on the way it has been. The idea that one must visit one surgery for paperwork, which they then must take to another surgery for a procedure is insane and absolutely shouldn't be tolerated. Inefficient and unprofessional staff should not be tolerated. When did we start accepting such low standards? Are we supposed to just shut up, sit down and get what we're given- because I don't want to.

And the idea that expecting a receptionist who has chosen to work in a notoriously difficult sector to be able to actually handle the stress associated with it is somehow sexist is utterly ridiculous. All reception staff (especially those in high stress sectors) should be experienced in reducing conflict and handling complaints and if they aren't then they should receive training before being unleashed on the public.

She's not trained to show compassion and concern. She's not your counsellor. She's not paid to smile at you.
She's paid to.do her job, her face can look however she likes.

Christ no, I couldn't cope with all you whiners and foot stampers, I don't deal with people. People are awful.

Gosh

The Receptionist needs to be efficient and professional, thats all.
She's not a performing seal

I disagree. As a first point of contact for distressed people it IS her job to be compassionate, warm and friendly. It is not her job to be a Pollyanna and in fact that would be entirely inappropriate. I work in a similar field and if someone couldn't cope with being front line in this way, I would move them out of that role and into an administrative role behind the scenes. Not everyone is equipped for it and that's ok.

@Technonan I'm not rural - I'm in a city. Even when my blood needs doing for my Manchester hospital, it's a form

Do you expect people to deal with you reasonably or are you happy to be dealt with in an offhand/unconcerned/uncaring manner? We are talking about the nhs here. As far as I know, everyone in nhs has training to have some empathy for another person. I hope you are not in any job that has to show someone else any element of concern. You present as the kind of "difficult person" I had to deal with in my job but I still treated them correctly.

And in this case (according to OP) she was neither. If being compassionate, efficient and professional is akin to "doing tricks" then the NHS is a much sorrier state than I thought.

Reporting her for not being warm enough would be a huge overreaction. Not everyone has amazing days all the time, but it wasn’t her fault you were so tight for time that a normal, fairly short delay made things very difficult for you. Just let this one go and next time leave yourself more time for the job.

She wasn't just "not warm enough", she wasn't able to complete the task without help and offered no customer service. As an employer and service provider I would want to know about this.

1. So that I can check in and make sure she has received all the training she needs to carry out the tasks of her role.
2. To check in with her and make sure she is emotionally coping with what can be a very difficult and triggering role, and if not, to provide her with the support required or sign-post her to more appropriate support.
3. To understand if there is a wider pattern of behaviour within the reception team and to keep an eye on the culture there.

I welcome complaints. If someone complains directly to me then I have the opportunity to do something to fix it both for the staff as outlined above, but also for the client or patient. If they don't tell me, they tell their friends, they tell the town facebook group, they tell Mumsnet and I don't get to fix it.

this

I expect people to do their job to the best of their ability. I do not expect them.to apologize from r things outside their control and I don't expect them to smile if they don't want to.smile.

It's really fucking weird that so many of you expect that to the point that you think it's reasonable to make an actual complaint that she didn't smile enough. Creepy AF.

And I'm literally the opposite of the difficult customer, clearly. You're very confused as to what difficult means. Im the one asking for nothing, you're the ones demanding specific facial expressions!!

To repeat others before, OP is not complaining about the lack of a smile. I am just going to ignore you now as you are exceptionally rude. There is no need to be offensive and swear at someone just because they differ from your view. Maybe consider whether you need some kind of therapy to deal with what appears to be anger/aggression issues. Good luck

There is a difference between not smiling and scowling. Humans are capable of many, many facial expressions. Most people who work in customer facing roles should have a warm, neutral expression. No one with any sense would expect her to be grinning from ear to ear... In the context of a GP that would be inappropriate. But it is also inappropriate and unprofessional to make patients or clients feel uncomfortable with a negative expression. It really is the most basic part of this job.

I also don't believe that you do expect people to do a job "to the best of their ability". If I decided I wanted to be your surgeon the "best of my ability" would kill you. If you paid a hundred pounds to go and see a concert pianist but when you got there it was Grade two student playing to "the best of their ability", you would ask for a refund. I bet you actually want people to do a job that they are adequately trained for, with the appropriate skills and that they are temperamentally suited for.

And when people in customer facing roles apologise they are not apologising for the policies and structures that have caused the problem. They are acknowledging the clients' negative experiences, showing empathy and opening up a conversation which is likely to result in a better experience for the patient and the receptionist.

Are you high?! You think a surgeon working to the best if their ability is somehow bad? A trained expert doing their best work is to your mind a negative? And somehow deadly?
I have zero idea what you are wittering about here

When asked if you would be happy to accept poor service you said that you would be happy if they were doing it "to the best of their ability". But not everyone's ability level is the same. The receptionist in the OP may have been working to the "best of her ability" but that is not good enough for the role. Not everyone can do every job. That's ok.

I hope that's clearer for you and that you manage to find a less aggressive way to express your confusion in future. It's always ok to ask for clarification if you don't understand what someone has said.

I don't think it was poor service, is the point you missed. You think it was poor service because she wasn't smiley and soothing.

She literally couldn't do the task she was asked to do and had to be helped. She didn't acknowledge any of this. That's literally poor service.

In her shoes I would have acknowledged the patients wait. I would have acknowledged that I was struggling to find her information. I would have acknowledged I needed to get help from another member of staff. And then I would have apologised.

Framing it as "reporting her" is wrong. But as a manager I'd want to know this happened so I can support her to provide better service and to make sure she's ok.

You sound exceptionally entitled

She’s in the wrong job. It happens unfortunately.
Just be glad you’re not a sour puss yourself.

Considering staff turnover is high in this line of work and training is on the job she might have been new.

And that's absolutely fine. In that case, she could have said that. The vast majority of people understand that people who are new in a job need to be trained. But patients aren't mind readers and when they are full of cortisol and adrenaline they really don't always have the capacity to distinguish between a trainee and an incompetent, surly staff member. A simple, "I'm so sorry for your wait. I'm a new staff member and I'm still getting the hang of this computer system. Please bear with me while I grab someone to help me get you sorted more quickly", would have solved all of this.