Kristina Galeazzi
HCOM 214
Blake Rodgers
3 March, 2015
                                                          Conflict in the Workplace
             About two years ago when I started my first job at Taco Bell, I witnessed a huge conflict. The story goes like this.. It was about a week after my first day working there, so I was still very new and did not know many things yet. I was very scared and nervous to mess anything up or have anyone yell at me. I walked into into the restaurant, ready to start an 11-5 shift. I wasn't in a very good mood to begin with because it was a cold, overcast, rainy day and all I wanted was to sit by a fire and watch movies, but I couldn't because I had to go to work.
           When I walked in Taco Bell that day, it was very crowded with many customers everywhere. I walked into the break room and put my name tag on, as well as my hat and my hair up securing it with a hair net. I clocked in at the register and there was a huge line of customers wanting to order their food. Since I had just started my shift, I had to take their orders first before I cleaned or stocked anything. Customers were getting mad because things were running low in the dining area. As soon as I took the order of the last customer, I ran over and started refilling the sauce packets and getting more napkins out for the customers.
         As I was doing that, a customer who was an older lady, came up to me and started yelling at me, asking why her food was taking so long and complaining that this was the worst Taco Bell that she has ever been to. Everyone in the restaurant heard what was going on and the chaos that she was creating. My manager heard and came out to see what all the chaos was. My manager explained to her that she was sorry and that we are trying our best to get her order out fast, and even offered the lady her food for no cost, but the lady did not want anything to do with it anymore. The lady kept yelling and yelling at both of us, and eventually just walked out of the restaurant, after throwing all of the napkins on the floor and throwing several of the sauce packets at my manager and I.
         Conflict with customers in the workplace is a very difficult thing to deal with, but we have to learn to move on and try and do better next time. This was a conflict between an employee and a customer who both have different ways of dealing with things and do not necessarily see things in the same perspective, which causes conflict.
        Conflict is going to happen no matter what, it is inevitable. It is going to happen whenever you have people with different expectations. There are a few things that I could have done better to solve this conflict with the unhappy customer.  Two things that I have learned from this conflict is that I need to try and see things from the customers point of view, and thank the person for raising the concern, so that my co-workers and I can do better next time and try to avoid a conflict like this one again. If my manger had not helped me, I would try my best to remain calm and understanding and listen to what the customer has to say and try to establish common ground with her to show that I am listening and that something like this will not occur again. Whether you agree or disagree with the other person in a conflict, it is best to remain calm and understanding in order for the conflict to be resolved.