The "Chessie" Grin
System
5,885 Posts
Unusual circumstances here - how would you handle this one?
We have a Building Inspector who is polite, well-spoken, intelligent, and wears a permanent (almost immutable) low-profile grin; commonly referred to as a "sh*%-grin." He's very meticulous when inspecting new construction. Our builders and developers have no problem if Mr. B.I. finds fault in construction. They are willing to fix it.
They take great exception to his grin. They perceive it as degrading and believe he is looking for a "sting." They see it as a "gotcha!" Some of our developers have said they will not let him on their property again - they've asked us to send another inspector because they're afraid one of the sub contractors will hurt him.
What say ye?
We have a Building Inspector who is polite, well-spoken, intelligent, and wears a permanent (almost immutable) low-profile grin; commonly referred to as a "sh*%-grin." He's very meticulous when inspecting new construction. Our builders and developers have no problem if Mr. B.I. finds fault in construction. They are willing to fix it.
They take great exception to his grin. They perceive it as degrading and believe he is looking for a "sting." They see it as a "gotcha!" Some of our developers have said they will not let him on their property again - they've asked us to send another inspector because they're afraid one of the sub contractors will hurt him.
What say ye?
Comments
Seriously, I think you need to approach it as you would anything else, for example, an employee who talks too loud in normal conversation. It's a trait that requires modification. I would simply explain to him that it's been brought to your attention that some of the customers with which he deals have expressed discomfort at his constant smile, and is there anything that we can do to assist you in helping you adapt a more neutral expression around customers? The problem is, if the smile habit is so ingrained in his nature that it's reflexive, you have another issue that I wouldn't even want to try to tackle.
No, it's more like Snidely Whiplash, without the moustache.
You're right, Shadowfax. I don't believe the forces we answer to will take our back in the oncoming troops of development.
I fielded (is that a word?) a guest complaint about a Hotel Front Office Manager who "smiled too much". She smiled while listening to a guest complain about something or other. I knew her smile was genuine and part of her approach to keeping complaint discussions positive, but this guest in particular thought she was mocking him.
She was hurt by the complaint, but she also made a conscious effort to modify her facial expressions when listening to guest complaints.
>is analgrinalosis, with 'lo' being the dominant syllable. In layman's
>terms it means a sh*t-eating-grin. x:D
Don,is that covered under the ADA?