Message 6791 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

Share on Facebook |  Save to del.icio.us

> No need to say "excuse me" every time 
> you need to get by someone... just slip by. I usually just give a 
> gentle nudge (not a push, just enough to guide the person in the 
> direction I want), or say something like "watch your back" when 
> walking behind someone who's not looking.

I taught that a tap on the shoulder/elbow means "I want your attention" whilst 
a tap on the hip or thigh just means "out of my way please". You don't need to 
look, just take two steps sideways. Now. Please.
A poke in the ribs or waist I found really really aggrivating. Maybe it's a 
personal body space thing, could have been cultural, but I had a boss I wanted 
to thump every time he did that.

The call when passing with hands full was just "Behind you!"

> I think people have a 
> tendency to be over-courteous at a new job since you don't have a 
> rapport with your colleagues yet, 

Mmm. It's a hard one. No short answer as different places have different 
dynamics. If you need someones attention now, stand facing them full-body, 
preferably with something in your hand. If it's a general query, standing next 
to them is enough. If a customer is waiting to be served, that's one of the 
NOW occasions. Soon you'll know who and how you can just speak directly to a 
serving teammate without waiting - multi-tasking is what we do.

.dan.