Do you want to work in a place like this? Part 3

This is third and final part of our series asking "Do you want to work in a place like this?" and it's a special one.

Workplace #5: Serving the Consumer Society

Not really one workplace we admit but a large proportion of the United Kingdom's workforce is now employed in a sector loosely labelled as the 'service industries'. Indeed, the British economy is often described as being one composed mainly of companies and organisations that provide services rather than produce tangible products. Many of these services form the hidden infrastructure that the rest of the economy has come to depend upon. However there is another part of this sector that is immediately familiar to us all: that which makes money by doing business with the general public.

All of us have used shops, visited doctors and had our hair trimmed; some of us have benefited or suffered at the hands of paramedics and police; a few of us have taken out our frustrations on incompetent waiters, bar staff and traffic wardens. For many teenagers, the first experience of the working world is in a job that requires exposure to the public. But what does it take to devote one's entire career to serving the public and enjoying it?

Who would work here?

Any position that requires constant, rather than occasional, interaction with members of the public. This is a very wide category. Prostitutes and priests are at opposite ends of the spectrum (in most cases); waiters, shop assistants, salesmen and women, fortune-tellers, police officers, doctors and nurses, among others, occupy the many possible positions in between.

The setting

Wherever the public requires goods, services or support, there will be people who are employed to meet their needs. The unlucky ones will find themselves confined to draughty booths, providing advice or issuing tickets; others will find themselves confined for hours at a time to a checkout or sales desk, serving a steady stream of impatient customers; the more fortunate will handle the public one at a time in more comfortable surroundings that provide the air of relaxation and trust the profession requires. One common factor is that the workplace is designed to optimise the customer's experience rather than the worker's.

Then there are the call centres. These cavernous structures can be found wherever there is likely to be a pool of cheap, sometimes desperate, labour. Regions with attractive accents such as Leeds, Ireland and part of Scotland are popular locations. Although the public never actually visits these premises, they are the focus of customer relations for many of the largest companies such as British Telecom and other utilities.

The regime

Public workers face the most intense workplace regime of all. One must be alert, polite (yet sometimes firm), clean and well-presented, knowledgeable, company-minded, quick thinking and responsive to the moods individual customers at all times. Any deviation away from these high standards could quickly lead to a reprimand, reduced sales or tips or the ultimate disaster, facing the wrath of an angry member of the public.

Back in the call centres, where it's estimated that over a quarter of a million of the UK's workforce are employed (according to the industry's regulatory body, the CCA), the regime can, in the worst cases, be remarkably restrictive. There have been cases where workers were not paid for time spent away from their desks; others have been penalised for failing to answer their telephone within a certain number of rings. Even going to the toilet may require the permission of a supervisor. Employment contracts in call centres also tend to be tipped in the employer's favour. However, despite this, a number of television exposés have lead to some reform within the industry. The worst excesses are not as common as they were, but this mass-production approach to service rarely means good service. If the people running call centres could eliminate the human part of the equation and replace their employees with cheap, automated, voice-recognition technologies, they surely would.

What to look forward to

There is a social dimension and level of variety that few jobs can match. If you work for a successful or popular employer, you will be presented with new challenges throughout each busy shift. Boredom is more likely to have its roots in the routine of seeing the same faces over and over again rather than complete, soul-destroying, solitary inaction.

You may develop a satisfying rapport with frequent customers that develops into full-blown friendship or a relationship; there are instant results for good performance (e.g. a meaningful 'thank you very much' or a generous tip); job satisfaction is of a social rather than intellectual or financial nature, and it has been proven time and time that being in and enjoying the company of other people promotes good health and happiness.

Skills acquired when dealing with the public will be useful in most other roles. Therefore, employers are always ready to recruit people who have well-practiced interpersonal skills and an attitude that is genuinely tuned in to the notion of good customer service. Don't be ashamed to mention your time as a part-time shop assistant or your experience of bar work in every job application.

What to prepare yourself for

You'll dread the prospect of difficult customers. There may be constant pressure from the management to serve faster, to smarten yourself up, to be on time and to keep your breaks short. Of all the workplaces, this is the one where you have least control over your immediate destiny - you may be required to wear a uniform, to work unusual shifts, to take the blame for a customer's mistake, to deal with enraged, disappointed or disparaging customers. Accusations of bad service and rudeness may be levelled at you and you alone.

These jobs rarely pay well, especially at the less-skilled end of the scale. However, there is the possibility of supplementing income by collecting tips from happy customers.

The lack of privacy may be too much for some people. If something in your own life is distracting you, it will quickly become obvious to your customers. They may become offended that you are not giving them your full attention. If things deteriorate to such a level that they demand to see your manager, you may suffer the indignity of being given a public reprimand.

Who will survive here?

Some people are born for serving the public while others should be banned by law from doing so. If you feel you have the charm, patience and easy-going nature demanded by most of the public-facing professions, you are lucky as there a great number of these jobs. Working in another role may leave you feeling neglected or lonely - you absolutely need people to be at your best. Other customer-facing professions require all of these attributes and an air of authority and a knack for leadership.

The rewards for most employees who work with public are not financial: success is measured in more intangible ways. These jobs can leave you feeling good about yourself, if a little exhausted from time to time.