Can we talk about the time my dad told me to just smile more at work

My dad told me last year that faking a smile at my call center job would make the day go faster. I tried it for 3 months straight, forcing grins during every rude customer call. Ended up with a tension headache that lasted 6 days and got written up for sounding fake on a recording. Has anyone else had family give advice that backfired this bad?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.finley5d ago

Is this just how parents try to fix things without actually listening? My mom's solution to every bad day at school was to just think positive. It's like they think if you ignore the problem hard enough the problem disappears. But forcing yourself to be something you're not just breaks you down faster. Real advice would be to ask what's wrong instead of telling you to paint over it.

ruby_jones9d ago

Exactly, that scaling back thing is so real. I tried the whole fake it til you make it thing too and it turned me into this weird, hollow sounding person. Once I stopped trying to be a cheerful cartoon character and just aimed for neutral and polite, everything got easier. Customers stopped asking if I was okay and my calls actually went faster because I wasn't fighting my own face the whole time. That steady voice thing you mentioned is key, it lets you be present without burning out.

charlescraig9d ago

Yeah, "sounding fake on a recording" got me too. I had a manager tell me to just "fake it til you make it" with being cheerful all day. That advice backfired SO bad for me. What actually worked was scaling it way back. Instead of forcing a huge smile, I just focused on keeping my voice steady and calm. That was WAY easier to maintain and customers actually responded better to it. You don't need to be a grinning robot to get through the day, just don't sound like you're about to quit.