Friday, April 27, 2007

Bus Driver or Bus Driver’s Supervisor. Who cares?

Recently I ran out of Newspapers to sell at the Railway Kiosk, so I rang the News Agency to get some more. Instead of having to wait for someone else to clock on down there in 20 minutes time before they could be sent up, one of my irregular Chatterers offered to go down and get them for me, as it is only a couple of hundred metres away. As he offered, I accepted, as I knew he wasn’t catching a train anyway. So talking on the phone to the News Agency and describing the guy I was sending down to get the papers, I made the mistake of calling him a Bus Driver. To which, having overheard it, he indignantly but graciously, complained, “Bus Driver? I’m not a Bus Driver!”

I ignored him on the phone and having hung up sent the “non” bus driver down to pick up the papers.

When he returned, I told him that I was having enough trouble with the guy on the other end as it was and I didn’t think he would have got the subtlety between a bus Driver and a Supervisor of Bus Drivers and thus used the easiest option. Being a good bloke and a good friend, he quite happily accepted that, but again I was left pondering the importance of my/our use of words, both in regards to people’s desired reference, but even to their job title’s

To the guy at the News Agency it would have been confusing, to me it was irrelevant, but to him, it was very important. So to answer my question at the top; He cares, that’s who! As he cares, therefore so do I! Do you?

Yes! Do you care whether you offend others by getting their job Titles wrong? Or worse, do you get offended when others get your job title mucked up? Is it really that important that they get your job description right? Or is better simply for you to do your job to the best of your ability irregardless of what others call you or think of your title? Over to you: Walter

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