After the Optus Data Hack… Try A Little Kindness Instead

I’d heard how staff are being abused at the moment in the wake of the Optus data breach, with people queuing up just to tear strips off them.

Walking past the Optus retail shop in my local shopping centre, I saw they were having a quiet moment.

I popped in, offered the young staffer a smile, gave his shoulder a pat and said “I just wanted to say… ” (his eyes widened probably expecting more of what he’d been getting all day) “… you’re doing a great job and it’s all going to be ok.”

His eyes filled with tears as he said how much he appreciated me saying that to him and off I went.

I hadn’t really expected tears, so was a bit taken aback.

I kind of wanted to give him a hug in that moment but thought that might be over-stepping for the poor young guy, some strange middle-aged lady throwing her arms around him!

I strolled past a few times and saw how many people were in the store. The staff were listening intently with clipboards in hand. Other people waited around to speak with them.

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I kept been thinking how tough their day must be and imagined what people must be saying too them.

So, when I was walking past again and saw they were quiet, I took the chance of heading in to offer a hug. It was the least I could do.

The Kindness Pandemic

After seeing the impact of my words for one Optus employee, and wanting to inspire more people to do the same, I posted a little story to a Facebook group I’m in – maybe you follow it too – The Kindness Pandemic.

This group was established by Dr Catherine Barrett in March 2020, to improve the lives of people devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The idea behind it was: “Kindness won’t make COVID-19 go away, but it is making our lives easier.”

More than half a million people joined the group in two weeks.

This Australian group encourages acts of kindness and late last year was voted “Most Uplifting Facebook Group in the World”!

The group members responded, not only liking my post and offering words of gratitude and encouragement, but sharing their own experiences.

“It’s absolutely demoralising to get abused by customers nearly every single interaction.”

Betty posted: “Good on you! As someone who worked in the other major telco’s call centre many years back, it’s absolutely demoralising to get abused by customers nearly every single call/interaction.”

Julie said: “I work customer service on the phones for a telco and the amount of times I’ve been yelled at… is ridiculous. It then spills over into stores as we have to send them there with physical ID so they can be re-verified.”

Then, Wanda wrote: “This sort of behaviour has been directed at airline employees for decades. I remember working a 13-hour day during flight disruptions and opening the car door at traffic lights to throw up on the way home. People have no idea how their behaviour can impact people just trying to do their best job.”

I have wondered how many of these young staffers at Optus and elsewhere – so many of them not long out of school – are finding this all a bit overwhelming.

As Chloe Gibson commented: “No wonder we have so much mental illness of young people! Give them a break. It’s disgusting, taking out their anger on the frontline. We see it also in public hospitals, on public transport and counter staff. Wake up Australia!”

“A few simple kind words can… maybe even save a life.”

Offering a kind word may not only make someone’s day better, it can make all the difference in the world to knowing someone is thinking about them. Lisa wrote in the Kindness Pandemic thread: “People don’t realise how a few simple kind words can make a huge difference and maybe even save a life!”

These young Optus staffers are bearing the brunt of peoples fear and anger over something bad that was done to Optus, not by them.

Sure, mistakes were made by Optus, and things probably could have been handled better, but none of this is the fault of store staff.

As Julie went on to say: “It is always refreshing to have a customer who genuinely wants help, stays calm while asking for help and lets you explain why a charge has gone up or why I can’t help over the phone.”

Refreshing! Just to be treated like a human!

Please, spare a thought for the humans who have to answer the phones and serve in stores. Especially these young employees facing so much abuse in the aftermath of Optus’ data breach.

Be Kind

When next you interact with them, maybe say “Hi” and offer a friendly smile. Or even some words of encouragement.

And next time you’re trying to sort out a query – whether it be with a telco, energy provider or bank – may the impact of your words and actions be refreshing (rather than demoralising).

Article supplied with thanks to ACCTV.

About the Author: Sharon Fitness is a movie buff, foodie, dog lover and TV fan.

Feature image: Photo by Dee @ Copper and Wild on Unsplash