David Mitchell - Customer Service Rant
Why Hacker News recommends it
Cited in threads about forced enthusiasm and 'service with a smile' in the workplace.
What it is
A one-minute clip of David Mitchell on a UK panel show explaining why he respects poor customer service in Britain. He argues that people who do their job well should not also be required to be nice.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2016 to 2018.
What Hacker News said
Cites personlurking · 2016-11 · on “Ask HN: How often do you get rejected for “lack of passion”?”
There's a QI (UK show) clip about this topic. Although the discussion is geared towards customer service, I think it still fits here. It's 45 seconds long. [this video]
Cites bcoughlan · 2017-10 · on “Are you built to be an employee?”
After working for startups, "work hard, play hard" is a red flag phrase. Employees are employees instead of entrepreneurs because they don't want the headaches of running a business. They want to do the work that they enjoy doing and have the energy at the end of the day to socialise, spend time with family and pursue other interests. Don't expect employees to be as interested and excited about [revolutionising|disrupting|dominating] industry X as you are, because they don't have the financial and social incentive an owner or executive has. It's fake and soul-destroying that modern corporate culture forces employees to feign being over-enthusiastic about the company's success for fear of get
Cites dghughes · 2018-05 · on “The dark side of “service with a smile””
I like David Mitchell said it best on the BBC series QI. He said people who do their job well shouldn't also have to be nice too it OK to "not give a shit". He respects people who work terrible jobs and act miserable it's only right. [this video]