Going to see my uncle wasn’t something I did very often but this particular day, I had a reason to so I went. On getting there, I told the receptionist that I was here to see Mr. Biola (which is my uncle’s name). She called him and was saying “Yomi” and I started to get worried; my uncle’s name was definitely not Yomi so I told her and she cut the call after apologizing to the man. Apparently, there were two Biolas in the office and she had called the wrong one. She then proceeded to tell me that she didn’t have my uncle’s number and that I would have to wait for someone going in to help me call him.
So, I waited and waited and waited. Then finally, two guys walked in and were about to go into the office so I spoke “Hello. Please could you help me call someone?” (or something along those lines). And one of the guys replied “You just met me and you’re asking me to help you call someone.” He sounded pissed so I apologized, noticing the odd look the other guy gave me but they left me hanging. Trust me, that hurts but humiliation is when you find out that the person you just spoke to was the Head of HR in that company (I literally wanted to sink into the ground) and I found out from none other than Miss/Mrs Lazy Receptionist who didn’t waste time to point out that “things aren’t done that way” and that I made it seem as if she didn’t “know her job” (like she did). I so wished that after telling me off, he would at least have brushed it off, smiled and gone ahead to help me call my uncle but that definitely didn’t happen. Anyway, I reminded her (the receptionist) that she was the one who told me I would need to ask someone to help me call the person I had come to see since I didn’t have his number or a phone and she was too lazy a receptionist to walk in and do the honors although she obviously didn’t say that last part. She went on to tell her gossip partner, I’m guessing he was the head messenger/security detail that she had told me to wait so that she would help me tell one of the “small boys” (smaller messengers) to call my uncle and I had just asked the-oh so mighty-Head of HR to do exactly that.
Like, how on earth was I even supposed to know that he was the Head of HR? Anyway, so I had to wait for quite a while, fuming and making annoyed faces at both the receptionist and head messenger/security detail (which they obviously couldn’t see, I hope) until I started laughing at myself because the CCTV camera in the reception was on me and I could just imagine the field day that whoever was in that control room was having by just watching my display born out of pure frustration.
Anyway, the moral of this story is, be careful who you ask for help at company receptions? Maybe. If you’re a receptionist, please be more receptive and less lazy? That could be it too. But I think the real lesson is that, as a person in a high position in society, like the HR man, we shouldn’t let the position get to our heads to the extent that we can’t just be normal. You get me? I’m not saying that people should not have respect for position or that you shouldn’t expect to be respected at a certain stage but don’t let pride or ego stop you from enjoying the little things of life, being of help to others and whatnot. Peace.
