Facepalm Tales: The Interview

The young man boarded the EMTA bus and headed to his job interview.

With a new haircut, carefully pressed trousers and shirt, and resume in a crisp manila envelope, he exuded confidence and hope.

“I have a good feeling about this,” he said.

He had a job interview at 1:15p.m. He would get there a little early, which would give him a chance to center himself and make a good entrance.

Although there was plenty of room on the bus he remained standing, perhaps to keep his interview outfit looking nice.

Suddenly his mood changed to panic and he ran up front to the bus driver. “Where are you going???” he asked. “Why didn’t you turn?” He told the driver where his job interview was.

The driver explained that the route had just changed, and it no longer went that way. The driver pulled the bus over to the side of the road so the guy could get off and walk the 1.3 mile to where he had reasonably expected the bus would have taken him.

The man left the bus, very upset. I wished him well, but I knew this was going to trash his attitude and appearance for the interview—if he even still had the interview by the time he arrived.

He would arrive late. The summer heat would make him sweaty and the road construction he’d have to hike through might even add a little dust and dirt to the mix. The dirtiest part of this, though, was the uncaring manner in which the EMTA administration made this change with no more notice than a small typed-up notice taped behind the bus driver.

I had seen other sudden and poorly-announced changes previous to this. I happened to find a letter I wrote to the EMTA in 2002, concerning just that. If you are wondering, I never heard back from the EMTA.

This problem with bad communications with passengers goes back at least 20 years. So one could say it may be a problem with company culture more than of any particular administration or mayor.

I’m wondering what it takes to change that culture.

~~~

Below is 2002 letter to EMTA  expressing concern about the bad effects of sudden and poorly-announced changes. Included to make the point that this is a long-standing problem. Address and addressee information intentionally blurred out. Click on image for better view. 
 

Hear out the drivers

I wrote this after listening to the ATU (union) president express his gratitude toward County Executive Dahlkemper for thanking the drivers at the April 25 EMTA Board meeting. ~deb

The passenger boarding the bus was irate. The driver was trying to explain the new policy, but it wasn’t going over well.

The passenger stomped off the bus, cussing a blue streak. She turned around and took aim with her giant cup of soda pop. 

Luckily the driver saw it coming and shut the door, just in time for it to catch the big wet splatter of cola, cup and ice cubes. 

The new policy she was upset about had nothing to do with the soft drink. The passenger was upset about a sudden change that the company hadn't publicized much before putting it into effect. But the flying soft drink was just one of many types of insults EMTA drivers endure.

I'm not a driver. Lord knows I wouldn't have the patience. But I've seen this situation over and over again, I've spoken with drivers who have to put up with it, and I know it takes its toll.

Sometimes insults are just part of working with the public. There's only so much that can be done about ignorant people if you work with the public. 

But you should know that they have to put up with this, and the public and the company they work for need to appreciate that.

What the company can do is understand that drivers are often put in this position, getting stuck with explaining whatever the bus company has come up with this time, sometimes becoming the object of the passenger’s frustration or anger. It is truly emotional shitwork, and one for which they are not appreciated. 

That is one important reason that the company needs to ask for and value the drivers’ experiences with riders. The drivers are the number 1 source of feedback from riders. If the company encouraged drivers to share the feedback, they would accomplish two things.

First they would, of course, be utilizing a source for customer feedback. Secondly, they would probably make life a little easier for drivers if the company would listen to some of what gets people worked up.

The drivers get an earful as part of their job.

The least the company can do is to make every effort to hear them out.