Wednesday, August 11, 2010

CHECKING OUT?

The headlines the last few days have centered around an incident taking place on a Jet Blue airplane where a flight attendant, apparently frustrated with the treatment given to him by one of the passengers, had a meltdown. Not just any old meltdown that we're accustomed to hearing about, but one that led the poor sack to curse out the passenger on the plane's intercom, declare his frustration with his job and then "checking out" via the emergency exit slide off the plane, cans of beer in tow. Of course, he eventually got arrested for reckless behavior and it's safe to say he's unemployed because of his actions, however, it seems this sad sack has struck a chord with the country.

For every person who considers this guy a nutcase and deserving of his arrest, there's another person who applauds his actions and considers him a hero of sort. The sense I get is that they can relate to the frustration on the job that this guy was dealing with. Could he have handled his situation better? Of course. But this is an example what happens when someone reaches a breaking point at the workplace. In this case, this guy had been in the airline industry for over 20 years, dealing with people and their quirks and attitudes day in and day out. I'm pretty sure he had been shit on by passengers on more than one occasion and that can take a toll on a person over the long run. I guess on this particular day he'd finally taken all that he could take and lost it.

Dealing with people on a daily basis is more work than you think. You constantly have to be "on", showing your bright side and presenting a pleasant demeanor, even when the person that you are dealing with is (for lack of a better term).. an asshole. There have been times where I've come home from work feeling totally drained after a night of mingling, networking, intervening, ego-massaging and simply listening to patrons. It takes its toll. Have there been times where I wanted to punch a wall (or someone's face)? Sure. I'd be lying if I didn't. But you learn to roll with the punches. And if you get to the point where you can't roll with the punches anymore, you walk away before you do something crazy.

And I guess in the case of the Jet Blue flight attendant, he was simply walking away. His exit strategy was a bit dramatic mind you, but in his mind, it was his time to walk away.

I guess my question for the readers out there is: "Have you ever had a last straw moment at work?" Feel free to share!


PUB TRIVIA TONIGHT! It's Wednesday and that means one thing: PUB TRIVIA, sponsored by KOPPARBERG CIDER! Teams of 1-5 (new rule change) compete against one another in pop trivia for cool prizes, including bar tabs, bar swag and of course, BRAGGING RIGHTS as the best team in the land! Great drink specials include $4 Mixed Well Drinks (for ladies), $5 Kopparberg Cider bottles (5/$20) and $15 Miller High Life buckets ALL NIGHT LONG! Fun starts at 8pm!


That's It. That's All I Got.