A salaam and a smile..
When i joined the working population of this fine city, i was told of being careful about a lot of peope who will try to ruin your day. Especially the support staff (peons, drivers and such) who usually make it their mission to do just that (at the same time, remaining within the guidelines and avoid being fired) by being rude, slacking off, or biting back.
Its been almost 16 months since i have been working, and thankfully, i havent seen that behavior yet. Over discussion with a close friend, who is havin the same bit of luck, we disected what the reason could be and here's what we came up with.
Greet people (especially the support staff) with a salaam and smile.
Yes, amazingly, thats all it takes. People tend to remember you in good words if you greet them like this in the morning, and all it takes on your part is acknowledging them when you walk into building. Trust me, they'll respect you in return, go out of their way to do stuff for you, and make your life generally happier.
I'll share with all of you, my experiences with using this method.
My previous house maid: She was usually a very *bitchy* sort of a woman and got into a lot of fights with the other ppl in my family (hence the reason shes the previous maid). But i always greeted her with a salaam and a smile first whenever i called her, and then asked her to do stuff. The end result, i started getting preferential treatment. My food was always on time, always hot. Cold water/tea always available for me, even without asking and so on.
My boss's driver: He's usually sitting at the reception of our office when the boss is here, and i always come in and greet him with a salaam and a smile. Now he goes out of his way to make me comfortable, asks me if i want anything everytime he goes for lunch, brings me water whenever i'm having lunch in my cubicle, and on occasion has even cleaned up the dishes (all without my asking).
I've had similar experiences with a variety of people in my daily life. A very positive side effect of this habit is that usually you get a smile back in return too. In the dreary and stressful life of a metropolitan city, this has become such a rarity that it should be treasured. Makes the day go much much easier.
Note: Im writing this article from karachi, where the salaam is the norm. For your own use, change it to whatever greeting is more suitable to you. e.g. Hi, hello, how u doing, namaste etc.
Its been almost 16 months since i have been working, and thankfully, i havent seen that behavior yet. Over discussion with a close friend, who is havin the same bit of luck, we disected what the reason could be and here's what we came up with.
Greet people (especially the support staff) with a salaam and smile.
Yes, amazingly, thats all it takes. People tend to remember you in good words if you greet them like this in the morning, and all it takes on your part is acknowledging them when you walk into building. Trust me, they'll respect you in return, go out of their way to do stuff for you, and make your life generally happier.
I'll share with all of you, my experiences with using this method.
My previous house maid: She was usually a very *bitchy* sort of a woman and got into a lot of fights with the other ppl in my family (hence the reason shes the previous maid). But i always greeted her with a salaam and a smile first whenever i called her, and then asked her to do stuff. The end result, i started getting preferential treatment. My food was always on time, always hot. Cold water/tea always available for me, even without asking and so on.
My boss's driver: He's usually sitting at the reception of our office when the boss is here, and i always come in and greet him with a salaam and a smile. Now he goes out of his way to make me comfortable, asks me if i want anything everytime he goes for lunch, brings me water whenever i'm having lunch in my cubicle, and on occasion has even cleaned up the dishes (all without my asking).
I've had similar experiences with a variety of people in my daily life. A very positive side effect of this habit is that usually you get a smile back in return too. In the dreary and stressful life of a metropolitan city, this has become such a rarity that it should be treasured. Makes the day go much much easier.
Note: Im writing this article from karachi, where the salaam is the norm. For your own use, change it to whatever greeting is more suitable to you. e.g. Hi, hello, how u doing, namaste etc.
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