Why is it that the places with the most anti-abuse signs are the most abusive?

Posted by MeetingTiny4541@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 38 comments

Like, I’m not condoning harassment towards anyone, but the NHS receptionists and the airport staff always have 100 signs like ‘Violence against staff will NOT be tolerated!’ yet they always end up either being insanely passive aggressive, bitchy and impatient (nurses), or screaming at you entirely unprovoked (airport staff).

Thoughts?

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Snave96@reddit

There's a reason they put up the signs.

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Outrageous_Shirt_737@reddit

And it’s OP

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

really because I’m always quiet and civil and scroll once on socials you will see people complaining about it 24/7 and I can ask any of my friends they agree lmao. But yeah I’m the issue for walking up to the reception / security with entirely neutral expression

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Outrageous_Shirt_737@reddit

You must just be extraordinarily unlucky to on ever encounter miserable NHS receptionists and airport staff then.

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

Let’s see: 1 search on TikTok top videos and comments (can provide links) all same exactly the same as this

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Necessary_Figure_817@reddit

Work a customer facing shift in any role and come back and let us know how you feel then.

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

I work in financial sales so have clients. Often clients say crazy things but never once have I acted like these people. Out the gate they are bitter and c*nty

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Drath101@reddit

Clients in finance is not the same thing as some drug addict threatening to stab you up, or somebody screaming in your face that if you don't get them on a flight they're gonna stamp your head in though, is it?

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

I’ve had many people scream at me, insult me, threaten me. But sure 🩷

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Drath101@reddit

You've had a client in finance threatening to cave your head in, and then actually trying to follow through? Doubtful

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

Why would you fixate on head caving lmfao? No they haven’t explicitly said that to me but many people in finance make empty threats ‘you’ll need therapy after this’ ‘that’s bullshit’ etc.

Point being, I don’t start every neutral vanilla reaction out as a c*nt.

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Drath101@reddit

The very fact that "that's bullshit" is your idea of a horrendous customer interaction tells me basically all I need to know about the depth of the difference between your negative interactions, and theirs

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

and guess what? I still dont think they have any reason act horribly to people as an MO, and if they’re oh so affected should find a new job

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Drath101@reddit

I don't generally find they do act horribly to me as an MO if I'm honest

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

Don’t be so obtuse. I obviously don’t care about swearing but if it’s part of a long and aggressive diatribe and they’re screaming and angry at you personally, it is different than used as a figure of speech.

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Drath101@reddit

I'm not being obtuse. I'm pointing it out to you. You'll notice that in this interaction, I said something to you that you didn't like (pointing out that finance is very different to public customer service work), you immediately got sarcastic and defensive, and then didn't like having your behaviour turned back to you. I suspect that there may be a wider lesson to be learned from this comment thread with regards to your original post

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

Your literal first comment was sarcastic to me! And yeah because you’re not taking my point seriously.

You expect me to have sympathy for them due to their job and say that I can’t hold a negative opinion on their behaviour because I haven’t specifically done their job. First of all a receptionist is a very simple job in terms of tasks, and second of all even if it was the most complex job of all, we have all experienced abuse in various facets of our life.

I don’t like the mentality that just because they’ve Potentially been hard done by, by a few people, they consequently have a liftime get out of jail free card to be rude to anybody they meet.

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Drath101@reddit

My first comment wasn't sarcastic. I pointed out that clients in finance are an entirely different thing. If you immediately read a bunch of sarcastic and negative intent into that, again, there's also part of your problem

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fezzuk@reddit

No but inderstand those people have probably had multiple violent customers already.

You cant seriously be compairing working in finance with working somwhere like the NHS.

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

I’m not comparing because finance requires a lot more intelligence than being an NHS receptionist lol

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fezzuk@reddit

Oh this is just bait.

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ActionBirbie@reddit

I work in financial sales so have clients

Lol, out of touch middle class boy detected.

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

So we can’t have white collar jobs and opinions now?

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GlitchingGecko@reddit

I've never had any issues with NHS nurses. They're usually the loveliest people in the hospital.

Haven't been in an airport for years, but never had an issue there either.

I think this might be a 'you' problem? Sounds more like you're doing things that require passive aggresiveness and screaming.

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

Unfortunately I think a lot of these organisations are just at the end of their tether and doing whatever they think might make a marginal difference.

Abusing hospital staff is scummy. If a poster makes even one person thinks about their attitude though, then mate it's worth it.

But even if it's not worth it, what is an A&E reception nurse meant to do apart from make a poster? They're not in charge of policies, they don't make the laws, they have the same arrest powers as the person bleeding away in A&E. It's almost like a last attempt at pleading people to just be somewhat civil I guess?

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Sea-Possession-1208@reddit

How many times have you been threatened at work?

As in had to call the police due to threat to your safety? That they're going to rough you up, set their dog on you, get their mates and come round. Or they hope you die a painful death when you know they have a shotgun.

Or told that they're going to go kill themselves and write your name and that it is your fault in the suicide note if you don't give them what they want.

Or been wanked at. Or flashed. Or lunged at and kissed.

Or stalked and harassed through letters and waiting outside.

Or hit

Or had guns pulled and pointed at you

Or screamed at.

For things that are outside of your control.

How defensive might you be and hyperalert and even passive aggressive or not responding to low level aggression in the usual/expected way if that happened to you semi regularly?

Fwiw I've never found airport or nhs staff to be anything other than pleasant, tired and occassionally visibly stressed and wrung out.

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Glass_Minute4753@reddit

they always end up either being insanely passive aggressive, bitchy and impatient (nurses), or screaming at you entirely unprovoked (airport staff).

Do they really though? I've generally found nurses to be pleasant and helpful, and airport staff to be pretty nice too.

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MeetingTiny4541@reddit (OP)

Sorry I meant to edit to say medical receptionists not nurses. Airport staff are terrifying

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