I’m worried about Monday.
I’m worried about hate, unkind words and anger.
I’m worried about small business, recreation activities and mental health.
I’m worried about division, feuds and irreparable relationships.
The vaccine passport in Nova Scotia starts on Monday. And whether you agree with it or not, it’s coming. Small businesses, customer service workers, restaurants and more are bracing themselves to deal with an onslaught of misfired anger. I’ve worked in customer facing positions since I was fifteen years old. Retail, food service, events, tourism and more. I’m not a stranger to harsh words and blame being placed on the wrong person. And I’ve developed a fairly thick skin to most of it. But I’m tired. I’m absolutely exhausted of standing my ground and defending what is being pushed down from someone higher. It’s been the case for me for 20 years now.
I remember working as a cashier at 15 years old and leaving my register crying because a customer accused me of overcharging them for banana’s. It didn’t matter how much I tried to explain that the weight on our scale was in pounds and the sign was in kilograms, it was MY fault. The customer is always right, don’t you know? I sat in the breakroom for five minutes stopping the tears before going back to that register for another four hours.
I remember working as a bartender when the government said you could no longer smoke inside at the bar. I was twenty. And it was left to me to tell customer after customer that they could no longer smoke inside. And while it wasn’t my rule, my tips suffered for that.
I remember at twenty one, working as an expediter at a restaurant and a customer telling me I brought them the wrong meal. I listened to them go on and on to say how could I be stupid enough to bring out a steak when they ordered seafood. Only after I was visibly shaking from this verbal abuse did their spouse cut in and correct the them to say, “Actually dear, you were GOING to order the seafood, but you changed your mind.” I had three more hours of work ahead of me.
I can go on with five, ten, twenty more examples. But here’s what I want to say. BE KIND! The rules are not made by frontline staff. The policies are not their fault. They may be the “face of the company” but they do not deserve the assault. They’re certainly not compensated to take it. Put yourself in the employee’s shoes and ask yourself, is this how I would want to be treated?
Go talk to your municipal councillor or MLA. Write a letter to the premier. Write a letter to the prime minister. But DO NOT slam a business for following this policy just because you don’t agree. Please, DO NOT yell at the teenager at the door asking for proof of vaccination. Trust me, they don’t want to turn away your business. They just want to keep themselves and their staff safe.
More will come and more will change before Covid-19 is truly behind us. But for now, this is our reality. And it’s not my fault, your fault or the mom-and-pop shop’s fault. Please. Be Kind.
– Candice
