As you know, company policy requires that employees smile at customers and make eye contact with them. In the past nine months, 12 employees have filed grievances over this rule. They say they are being harassed by customers who think they are flirting with them. A produce clerk claims customers have propositioned her and followed her to her car. Another says, “Let me decide who I am going to say hello to with a big smile.” The union wants us to change the policy to let workers not make eye contact with customers, and to allow workers to refuse to carry groceries to a customer’s car at night. My own feeling is that we want to maintain our image as a friendly store that cares about customers, but that we also don’t want to require behavior that leads to harassment. Let’s find a creative solution.
As you know, company policy requires that employees smile at customers and make eye contact with them. In the past nine months, 12 employees have filed grievances over this rule. They say they are being harassed by customers who think they are flirting with them. A produce clerk claims customers have propositioned her and followed her to her car. Another says, “Let me decide who I am going to say hello to with a big smile.” The union wants us to change the policy to let workers not make eye contact with customers, and to allow workers to refuse to carry groceries to a customer’s car at night. My own feeling is that we want to maintain our image as a friendly store that cares about customers, but that we also don’t want to require behavior that leads to harassment. Let’s find a creative solution.
Assume that your small group comprises the Labor-Management committee at the headquarters of a chain of grocery stores. This email arrives from the Vice President for Human Resources:
As the week progresses share your thoughts with your fellow team members. Cooperatively establish a method to get a single team report