Young people afraid to make calls??

Dial Hard

Wanderer2010 wrote:

Ah here, grow a "thicker skin"? Who are you to change someone that way? Maybe they are great workers and get what they need done very reasonably. Anything else is a personality quirk and not up to you to "fix" or change. Take a look at yourself- you enforced a call only policy for sick pay-why, exactly? What difference do you see in someone texting or leaving a message compared with actually ringing you up to say they are sick? From your post it sounds like you would be a difficult person to work for.

Nonsense. Every place I have ever worked has the same policy re calling in sick. People are far less likely to take the piss if they've to actually tell their boss in real time that they won't be in

Regarding the "phone fear" it's definitely a generational thing and definitely linked to everyone having a smartphone compared to the days of having to ring the house phone to talk to your mates/person you snogged at Wesley the week end before.

Sometimes it's just quicker and easier to make a 30-second phone call rather than do a 20-message text or email back-and-forth but I know people who'll let the phone ring out and then immediately text going "What's up?" It's bizarre and a bit pathetic.

Batgurl

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Ah here, grow a "thicker skin"? Who are you to change someone that way?

I’m their manager. It’s my job to ensure they have the right skills to do the job. That includes a thick skin because as much as I’d love the world to be nice and kind to them, it’s not.

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

What difference do you see in someone texting or leaving a message compared with actually ringing you up to say they are sick?

As I mentioned, the difference is that it’s reduced sick leave. You’ll find if people genuinely need the day, they don’t have a problem calling.

listermint

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Ah here, grow a "thicker skin"? Who are you to change someone that way? Maybe they are great workers and get what they need done very reasonably. Anything else is a personality quirk and not up to you to "fix" or change. Take a look at yourself- you enforced a call only policy for sick pay-why, exactly? What difference do you see in someone texting or leaving a message compared with actually ringing you up to say they are sick?
From your post it sounds like you would be a difficult person to work for.

Ha ha.

Actually she sounds like a great person to work for and with.

You on the other hand appear you might have difficulty handling a babysitting job.

Molly codling adults in a workplace... I've heard it all

Klonker

I think it's as simple as lack of experience/confidence. You get a follow up question on an email you can have a think, look up the information etc., on a call you get asked, you don't want to be humming and hawwing, they're basically trying to not look stupid.

When they get more confident on their work they should lose some of this avoidance of call at least.

doolox

When I was young my father used to stand beside me if I answered the phone trying to prompt me with hand signals what to say and how to tell white lies on the phone to people he did not want to talk to at that particular time. I always seem to get it wrong and learned to dread taking or starting phone calls.

Years later I lost a job because of my lack of phone skills and shortly after I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and needed to get coaching on how to handle phone calls effectively.

This is s skill which should be taught at schools, much as debating and public speaking skills used to be taught, at least in my schooldays.

More and more jobs are moving to a fast paced and cogent form of phone usage which is totally different to the social phone usage people may be used to. Also some people may avoid the phone completely in their private lives but need to be coached how to do so professionally in their early careers.

I have always admired and studied good phone usage and practice and have tried to imitate the good practices I have seen and avoid the mistakes people make when taking a call and hopefully I am better than I was at the task.

It is vitally important not to have eavesdroppers listening in on your conversations and I try to arrange this by offering to call back in a short time if I receive a call in a awkward situation.

Bosses can be very critical of a underlings performance on the phone lacing their comments with remarks like " why did you say that?" or" I wouldn't have done it that way" etc. Also close family partners can be unhelpful if they hear your side of the conversation or do not fully understand the often weak bargaining position of a person when receiving a work offer by phone....it is often best to handle these calls in private.

Smart phones, with their combination of call logs and messaging, can be very useful in setting up the right environment for taking or starting a call.

bee06

I’m 35 and when I started work I used to hate making or taking calls because I wasn’t used to it. Then I got a role where I needed to lead conference calls and I’d consider it one of my strengths now. Practice makes perfect.

Tony EH

Wanderer78 wrote: »

I wonder does anti-social media have anything to do with this? Is it inducing some form of complex behavioural issues into our societies, maybe some form of autism, or something that resembles some form of autism?

I think there's something to that.

It's a "Twitter generation" thing and I've noticed it a lot in younger folk. Some Gen X'ers too. It's as if they're incapable of communicating anything that isn't limited to 140 characters and in the wriiten form. They cannot have their views challenged. They fall apart with the slightest crticism. They're absolutely full of themselves and all the while they're glued to their phones looking at their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and whatever you're having yourself to see who "liked" their latest self important comment or photo of their cat, schmickles.

There are a few folk where I work that cannot even return a "good morning" or a "hello". They just look at you like you told them to fuck off or something. It's pretty amazing.

As for the OP, regarding phone calls, some people are just comfotable over a phone. Some aren't. I, myself would rather email a vendor or client instead of immediately going to the phone. Especially if I've never communicated with that person before. I also think it's politer, too, and forms a kind of introduction, as it were. If a phonecall is needed, then one is made. Or, if I am familiar with the guy/gal on the other end, picking up the phone isn't a big deal. With collegues in the office, I'll usually go to their desk, mostly to get away from the computer. :pac:

Thing is, you can edit your emails and take time to get all your ducks in a row too. A lot can be left out of a conversation, through no fault by anybody. That's just the nature of the interaction. Some communication warrants an email, as well. If there are technical issues or tracking sheets involved, no amount of face to face/voice to voice talking will help the fact that the person you're talking to cannot visualise the item you're talking about.

bee06

Jeez, the younger generation of workers are really seen in a bad light. I can’t say that’s my experience, we have a graduate programme at work and I’ve been amazed at the abilities of all the graduates I’ve worked with. A lot of them have excelled in roles that other new hires with previous work experience struggle with.

Tony EH

bee06 wrote: »

Jeez, the younger generation of workers are really seen in a bad light. I can’t say that’s my experience, we have a graduate programme at work and I’ve been amazed at the abilities of all the graduates I’ve worked with. A lot of them have excelled in roles that other new hires with previous work experience struggle with.

Well, it's not universal, of course. But it is prevalent enough to be very noticable.

Without a doubt, there are younger folk who'll slot into various situations quite well. But, likewise there remains a highly visible ineptitude regarding basic verbal communication skills in an awful lot of people. The same people who spend a large amount of their waking hours typing messages on their devices.

It's a strange malaise altogether.

R.D. aka MR.D

Interesting, I havent noticed that with the young people in my workplace.

In fact it's the opposite. I've noticed a lot of older people who don't like answering the phone. I have a staff member who won't answer the phone, it's on my to-do list to enforce this. She is 15 years older than me!!

Work with another older lady who won't take phonecalls and only sends emails or gets her subordinates to handle the calls as in she tells them what to say. I have to say, it must leave such a bad impression on clients. It's obvious she is there and just won't take their calls.

Maybe it's where I am but all the young people are very personable and eager to network and engage.

alroley

I worked in an office for a few years right after I graduated college in 2014. I had no problem answering phones/making calls, nor did the other two recent graduates in the office. However, some older co-workers did everything in their power to avoid answering the phone, even if it was ringing right next to them!

NickNickleby

In my opinion, people are reticent to do business over the phone if they are not completely confident of being able to answer queries or deal with argumentative people. Example, I got a job as a temp a couple of years ago and was put answering the phone. It was a public facing office and I can tell you that what i knew about appropriate policies etc could be written on a stamp. So I had a list of standard answers (that I compiled myself) based on asking colleagues. ASk a simple question, and expect to get three different answers from the staff. Perhaps one was correct or all three had an element of truth, or none did. So when I was challenged on the phone- which was always - I was often less than confident of my position on the matter.

To preserve my sanity, I accessed their intranet and created a comprehensive list of questions and answers. This should have been in place long before I got there.

For a while, a manager from another area was working in the office. One day he approached me about something (I was late fifties at the time) and asked me my actual position. When I told him I was a temp, he was shocked, as he reckoned I was another manager, due to my knowledge of procedures and also how I communicated them across the various sections. Why did I do it? Because I felt the next temp shouldn't have to suffer as I did.

So, to my mind , problems in an office are supposed to be solved by managers. Unfortunately, too many managers are too interested in laying down the law instead of ensuring proper policies and procedures are in place and ensuring that a robust system of communication exist.

I knew a manager who bragged about doing away with 'casual Friday'. Apart from rancour, I couldn't figure out what this brought to the section.

somefeen

I think you could show them a few things about making phone calls.
Honestly I find them very difficult myself. When your not face to face with someone its hard to know when its your turn to speak or to remember what you need to say.
I'll usually write out what I want to say, I don't follow the script exactly but use it as a guide. Like just write "hello this is X from X, I'm calling because we haven't received an invoice from you since.." Etc
Write a few lines about key info so you have it to hand and if its the kind of phone call that could turn into an argument have your point written down.
Simple stuff, if they can't atleast try that then they probably can't be bothered.

Wanderer2010

Dial Hard wrote: »

Nonsense. Every place I have ever worked has the same policy re calling in sick. People are far less likely to take the piss if they've to actually tell their boss in real time that they won't be in

Regarding the "phone fear" it's definitely a generational thing and definitely linked to everyone having a smartphone compared to the days of having to ring the house phone to talk to your mates/person you snogged at Wesley the week end before.

Sometimes it's just quicker and easier to make a 30-second phone call rather than do a 20-message text or email back-and-forth but I know people who'll let the phone ring out and then immediately text going "What's up?" It's bizarre and a bit pathetic.

Its not soley a generational thing, that's a bit of a sweeping statement. I have worked with plenty of late teens, early 20s who were very very assertive and confident on the phone. Equally, I know plenty of workmates in their 30s 40s and beyond who don't like talking to co workers or their boss on the phone. Its a wide spectrum. Some people are just built for phone chats, others don't like it.

Wanderer2010

Batgurl wrote: »

I’m their manager. It’s my job to ensure they have the right skills to do the job. That includes a thick skin because as much as I’d love the world to be nice and kind to them, it’s not.

Bit patronising. The world being tough, nice or kind or whatever is not really your place to be "teaching" them is it? That's the job of their parents or guardians. They are paid to do a job. Yes, you can tell them how you like things done (even though your phone-only for sick leave is a bit pathetic), but it seems you personally are trying to "toughen them up" or "knock the corners off them" for the real big bad world.
Not your place. Be a boss, not a control freak?

Batgurl

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Bit patronising. The world being tough, nice or kind or whatever is not really your place to be "teaching" them is it?

Nope. Technically it’s not. But to stay in this job more than 12 months, they need certain skills and it’s my job to decide whether they have them or not. Me trying to help them gain them skills is just me trying to be a nice person.

I could be a self centred Douchebag only looking out for myself and manipulating the noobs but I think more of them than that.

Wanderer2010

Batgurl wrote: »

Nope. Technically it’s not. But to stay in this job more than 12 months, they need certain skills and it’s my job to decide whether they have them or not. Me trying to help them gain them skills is just me trying to be a nice person.

I could be a self centred Douchebag only looking out for myself and manipulating the noobs but I think more of them than that.

Yeah, something tells me that you don't just switch off your need to fix or change someone in your employ the moment 12 months pass, but whatever, if it makes you feel better to think that, that's up to you.

John_Rambo

A lot of my newer clients just don't use the phone! Won't make a call, won't answer a call. It's all email. That's ok, I just find it hard to build a good relationship.

My older clients will call me to say they've sent me an email if I don't reply immediately!! That's a pain in the arse.

One_Of_Shanks

Everybody is different. I dont buy into this whole generation change stuff.
Yeah sure if it's 3 generations but not one, it's too fast to see change like that. A generation below us doesn't suddenly become incompetent on the phone, that's nonsense.

You're possibly reading too much into it or just coincidence that a few aren't great at it and then you form conclusions.

I'm good on the phone and fairly nervy face to face. Is that down to my generation? No, its just who I am.

the_syco

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Is this the effect of the social media generation?

Says the person on the internet forum.

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Simply lacking important communication skills?

Such as not asking them and rather that you ask some random internet people???

OldBean

I get annoyed when people won't work over email. I have no personal issues with working over the phone or making phonecalls, but I find it leads to white lies and people forgetting their commitments. If it's over email we both have a record, a timestamp and can work on that. In my experience, people (Young and old) that only deal with calls are a red flag that they're afraid of commitment, they're afraid what they write can get them in trouble with superiors, and invoicing is going to be awful hassle.

Ohmeha

Depending on the nature of the job and whether calls are recorded then people avoiding phone calls is probably a smart move in my job as phones are a miscommunication minefield

I have a job where you can be hung for telling someone a wrong thing and disasters can occur due to verbal miscommunication - I find emailing more reliable, you are not on the spot and have extra time or write an instruction/provide explanation/give advice and the recipient has extra time to process the info your are communicating. If you or the recipient make a f-up writing/reading an email there is better transparency to who is at fault - too many disputes over the years over who said what over the phone, my employer has been proactively reducing phone call usage due to this

Also some people are too busy at their desks to be taking phonecalls on the spot in the middle of doing critical risky tasks

scamalert

working in IT i learned one thing older gen people should use typewriters and regular mail, you get people on the phone saying xyz wont work, ask to open browser which they do to shop online on daily basis, asking you whats a browser :pac: .

its not generation issue more of a fact that some people have no clue or confidence, to properly explain and relay in what they talk about is the key issue.

NickNickleby

scamalert wrote: »

working in IT i learned one thing older gen people should use typewriters and regular mail, you get people on the phone saying xyz wont work, ask to open browser which they do to shop online on daily basis, asking you whats a browser :pac: .

its not generation issue more of a fact that some people have no clue or confidence, to properly explain and relay in what they talk about is the key issue.

at the other end of the scale, years ago, desktop support role, young girl rang to report that "the smartie cons aren't working on my pc". To be fair, not everything is as intuitive (or easily pronounced) as we'd like them to be. I'm in my sixties and recently did the ECDL, passing all, first time round with 100% in all bar one. So, I don't think its generational. But, to be fair, I'm actually wonderful. :rolleyes::rolleyes: :pac::pac::pac:

Stheno

scamalert wrote: »

working in IT i learned one thing older gen people should use typewriters and regular mail, you get people on the phone saying xyz wont work, ask to open browser which they do to shop online on daily basis, asking you whats a browser :pac: .

its not generation issue more of a fact that some people have no clue or confidence, to properly explain and relay in what they talk about is the key issue.

Working in IT the past 20 years.

Your post is nonsense.

Most of my work is conference calls

doolox

Especially when making conference calls where we were always taught to introduce everybody in the room to remote callers. Likewise the remote callers would be asked if they were on their own or in company etc. This was to make sure everyone knew who was there and what was the context of the meeting. A casual tech meeting among peers of equal rank would be much more different than a meeting with senior staff or customers present.

We were always taught to err on the side of caution and keep all work related conversations and interchange of information formal and polite at all times. Some other participants were more liberal with their language and mannerisms and sometimes paid a price disciplinary wise.

traveller0101

Dial Hard wrote: »

I know people who'll let the phone ring out and then immediately text going "What's up?" It's bizarre and a bit pathetic.

How is it pathetic? That's a bizarre opinion. Whenever someone rings me they're taking me away from what I am currently doing. I don't give people that right. I'll decide when to get in contact if you need my time. I keep my personal phone on silent at all times and encourage people to email me instead of ringing in work.

Also, most conference calls contain an insane amount of wasted time.

Stheno

traveller0101 wrote: »

Also, most conference calls contain an insane amount of wasted time.

This is very true

Butterfly182

I just thought that I would add some of my own experience to the table as I am in my early 20s and I am a manager who has worked in a few different jobs which involved taking and making phone calls.

I’ll start with my own experience. My first job taking phone calls was when I was working in a busy chippers which offered a takeaway service. I dreaded taking phone calls there because there was loads of deals for party groups that I was not aware of because “nobody had time to train me”. I did not want to accidentally rip off/ mislead the customer or seem unprofessional. The workplace was also really loud so it was often hard to hear the customer and the customer could struggle to hear you (there was no dedicated space to take phone calls so you had to answer the calls on the shop floor).

Next job Clerical Officer: was nervous about answering phones at first because I didn’t know enough to help the customer at the beginning. After a few weeks I started taking phone calls from the public (there were loads of other things to learn and do first). I was really nervous at the beginning but I learnt how to answer the phones by listening to how they began the call I.e. Department of X {insert name} speaking, how may I help you?. Then most of the phone calls fell into a couple of different categories and I learnt how to answer the queries by my prior learning and then asking colleagues when I didn’t know the answers to the questions asked.

Next job Executive Officer: Now I have staff and a lot of new staff in particular are very nervous about answering phones. I tell them not to worry about the phones for a couple of weeks because they will know how to answer the customer queries after a couple of weeks of on the job “doing it”. They’re nervous about answering phones for a few different reasons: new to the office, never answered phones/ made phone calls of that nature before, and they don’t know how to help with complex problems. Additionally, some have been out of the work force for a few years and are just getting back into the swing of things. Shyness can also be a factor. All of these issues can be teased out over time with work.

My point is I found some of the comments here to be very critical of people in their twenties in particular and sometimes without just cause. A lot of people in their twenties work really hard like you too. If you’re having trouble with your staff answering phones it could be helpful to identify whether it’s an ability problem/ motivation problem. Their ability to answer the phones can be improved by training:
Teach them what the company stands for, business functions, and how to answer likely queries which they will get on the phone.
Have someone readily available to them if they run into trouble with a phone call, most times they won’t need that support but it gives them confidence knowing someone has their back.
Let them write out the important points they need to cover in the phone call
Have relevant information which they may need in the course of the phone call organized beside them
Give feedback to them about how they are getting on answering the phones- offer them tips which you found helpful etc

If it’s a case of they just don’t like answering phones and making phone calls is part of the job that’s a different matter.

I also agree some things can be said quicker by email or conversely by phone depending on the subject matter/ level of complexity. There probably is a little scope for company culture too that people have to be mindful of e.g. some companies may prefer to call clients primarily about work issues, some may prefer to communicate by email particularly if operating on different time zones so different strokes for different folks and that really is my main message...it’s not just people in their 20s etc that may have a problem with phone calls

AndrewJRenko

scamalert wrote: »

ask to open browser which they do to shop online on daily basis, asking you whats a browser :pac: .

Yeah, this happens for sure. I was trying to help an older family member with some basic tech stuff, and he was genuinely keen to learn, but there was no common language - terms like browser, desktop, folder, file were fairly meaningless to him, making it fairly impossible to have any useful discussion.

But then, there is also the problem that many systems and apps are designed by twenty-something guys to work well for twenty-something guys. If your eyesight isn't so great, or your hearing, or your fine motor control allowing you to click small on-screen buttons or whatever - it will often be difficult to use technology. All of these issues are easily fixed, particularly if considered early in the design process.