How can I stop being rude at work? My coworker opened up to me about last time happened?

Question

How can I stop being rude? At work they say I dont use po and opo thats how we show respect in philippines. I work at hospital and Im in information desk as a admin assistant and I assist people to write information of watchers and patients. I have social anxiety and last time the old lady I asked if she can still write because she's 60 something usually I assist old people and people with poor eyesight to write a form and she said she was offended by my question I didn't meant to say it rudely I was just concern about her.. for me to help her write the form if she can't see it. Im just sad because all my coworkers knows it now. All I know is we are all 4 duties there. Myabe my coworker who were duty that time told another coworker. They think Im rude now I remember I still apologized to that old lady and she said its okay to me. Then my coworker opened up to me about that situation. Like I wonder how did she found out. I really dont know. All I know is that I apologized to that old lady and I didn't mean asking her that question to insult her my coworker opened up to me about it and she said I should use better choice of words when speaking to people. But sometimes I can see why they see Im rude I dont use po and opo like we always should in our country to respect people regardless of age. I also remember calling Sir the man who wore lady dress and my coworker corrected me" I should call her maam to show respect " now I feel bad of myself I like working but because of that gossip I kinda losing interest of working there now. Even small mistakes will spread in our office and I wonder who always tell it. Maybe they just concern? Who knows? there's only one person who opened up to me about how I rudely treated visitors/people and I feel really bad and disappointed sad because they might fire me if they didn't like me at my job.

Oliverlogan263 · Answer

Girl, don't be so hard on yourself okay? It sounds like you're still learning the cultural norms and it takes time. A few tips:

- Practice using "po" and "opo" with coworkers to get used to it. Say it every chance even if nerves make it hard at first. Faking it til you make it works!

- When talking to patients/visitors, speak slowly and smile. Your tone can come off gentler even if words are same. Deep breaths help calm nerves too.

- It's okay to admit if eyesight is blurry etc - say something like "I'm sorry, just want to make sure I have all the info correct for your file. May you please double check?"

- Ask a trusted coworker if you can roleplay scenarios together so you get feedback. Doing mock interactions can prepare you better than real surprises.

- Don't stress too much what others say - focus on always apologizing sincerely if you misstep, and learning from mistakes. In time they'll see you're trying.

- And girl, if those coworkers spread stuff just to be mean, try not to let it get to you okay? You got this! Keep your head up.

With practice it'll come naturally. Just be kind to yourself as you adjust - you'll get the hang of it for sure.

MountainMetal · Answer

You're fine, you aren't harassing anyone or being cruel and they probably forget about it the next day. Just focus on improving and don't overthink small stuff that everyone does

How can I stop being rude at work? My coworker opened up to me about last time happened?

What Girls & Guys Said