Mani Masood
Do you lament the death of professionalism in the workplace?
Have you even noticed? If you haven’t, it might be because you’ve been ‘Zombified’. Let’s look at what the death of professionalism has done to the work environment and what it means……….
At one time business consisted of individuals, each of whom took a pride in their skills and their performance. Sure, there was the odd exception but generally corporations encouraged a professional and self-aware approach in individuals.
That’s all changed now of course; sacrificed on the altar of efficiency and cost-cutting or should I say “optimization”.
Like any Zombie infestation, it started slowly and quietly back in the days when companies got the ‘standard process’ bug. The idea the mad scientists came up with was that a manufacturing line approach could be applied to office environments. Everything would be done the same, every time and on a one-size-fits-all basis.
That’s not what customers want? Who do these people think they are! The guys in the offices aren’t happy? Well, who do they think they are!
So, a lot of guys who at one time used to use, now what was the word again, oh yes, “initiative” to drive things forward, now found themselves constrained by the need to conform to a standard procedural model. Even if it was the wrong thing to do, just do it because that’s what the book says we should do.
Some companies even employed enforcers. Their job was to go around and ‘encourage’ people to see the light of conformity and brainless operation. They even invented a new corporate mantra “don’t think – do”, which had to be chanted monotonously on the way into the office, at lunch and when leaving in the evening.
Of course, not everyone got the message.
Some still tried to demonstrate individuality, customer service and innovation. They quickly got stamped on. Many had their brains devoured by the increasing numbers of Zombies (co-workers) around them. OK, not literally perhaps but metaphorically, as people quickly spotted that brainless conformity was now the fastest way to progress to roles like “Head of Zombiedom” or “Supervisor of Zombie Performance”.
If this is all a bit too vague for you, you might want to ask yourself what happened the last time you were unfortunate enough to need to telephone a so-called customer service desk.
Be truthful – did you get the impression you were talking to a thinking human being or a zombie? You might need to trust your first instinct when answering that one.
Let’s be clear – this isn’t the fault of the person on the other end! The trouble is, they’ve had an innovation and personality suppressor installed – it’s called the “scripted dialogue”.
That’s a brilliant idea built by one of the zombie controllers.
It’s stunningly arrogant, as it presumes that any one person can predict every single thing you, as a nuisance customer, is ever likely to say in a call. Then, it’s child’s play to construct a script covering every conceivable response to any single thing you could ever say and give it to the zombie to deliver. That goes hand-in-hand with the threat of retribution if the telephone service guy deviates from the script.
This all falls apart, of course, if you’re the sort of trouble-maker that dares to ask a question or make an observation that’s NOT on the list. Then, the poor zombie can’t make a professional assessment and respond, as they’re locked into delivering you increasingly inappropriate and irrelevant statements from their prepared list.
You’ll be lucky if you’ve never experienced this sort of thing:
“Hi. You’re speaking to XYZ, how may I help you with your payment method inquiry?”
“I don’t have a payment method inquiry. I’ve lost your bill unfortunately and want a copy sent to me”
You’ll hear the grinding of mental wheels at this point, as the realization dawns that this isn’t on the script. Yet the process demands continuation. Clutching desperately at any scripted answer that comes to hand, whether appropriate or not….
“Did you know you can pay online by credit card or through check or cash in the store?”
“Yes I did but I can’t pay anywhere because I’ve lost your bill and can’t remember the exact amount”
“We accept all major credit cards”
“Congratulations, I’m sure you do – but how do I get a copy invoice?”
“It’s always advisable to pay your bills promptly”
“Can you please put me onto a supervisor?”
Click
“Hi. You’re speaking to ABC the team supervisor. How may I help you with your payment method inquiry?”
You see, these insane views of what economy, standardization and efficiency should mean, inevitably lead to a destruction of professionalism and self-awareness. Nobody trusts their own problem-solving abilities anymore because their employer doesn’t believe they have them.
Even worse, this filters out into customer interactions where the person ultimately paying the bills and therefore salaries, starts to be seen as a non-conforming irritation to be got rid of as fast as possible, rather than the thing that the business and its processes should be built to serve.
It’s a real shame and getting worse as each year goes by.
Oh yeah, some cynics say that one of the objectives of the powers that be in developing a zombie culture is that they’re then able to use the mechanistic nature of the job as an excuse for paying low wages. That surely is going too far though, isn’t it?
Mani
