Catchphrase

People and readers who interact with me may notice that when I end something, I will say, “try to have a good rest of your shift” or “Have a great rest of your shift.” This statement has led to a range of reactions, the most common being “You too,” with a look of confusion or a simple thank you. So I thought about this week’s article and decided to explain the origin of this catchphrase I use finally.

The phrase came about while working at one of the call centers. During my interactions with customers and coworkers, I would generally end my conversations with a have a great day or weekend. Often I was met with you too or a sarcastic remark. One day I said that to a customer having delivered some not-so-great news, and I was given quite the earful, with the main point being How can I? That same day I was trying to encourage a coworker who told me they could not have a good day. I asked them to try, and they told me I could do that.

That day had me relook at my interactions with people. Finally, after some thinking, I came to a few conclusions.

First, It is impossible to have every day be a good one. Bad things are going to happen that will impede our happiness. Second, most of the people I’m interacting with are at work themselves. So if I tell them to have a nice day, that day will most likely get better once they are off the clock.

With this knowledge, I started thinking about phrases I could use. After some trial and error, I settled on “Try to have a good rest of your shift.” I know that work can be an absolute grind and unpleasant, so I encourage you to try to make the most of the rest of whatever time you have. So now you know why I say what I say.

I want you to try to have a good rest of your shift, everyone. I will talk to you next week.