Is that review really an 'evaluation'?—The iron mask that protects your heart, and the distance needed to avoid taking reviews at face value

I find myself thinking, 'Could this person have written it?'

This consultation came over the radio during lunchtime.

Lulu, who works as an office clerk at a clinic, felt a sense of fulfillment in her job.

However, one day, she found heartless words written about herself and another staff member in a Google review.

It wasn't just criticism of their work, but content that delved into their body types and personalities.
Ever since then, every time she sees a patient coming into the clinic,

'Could this person have written it?'

she has started to think.

I don't know how I'm supposed to feel when I go to work tomorrow.
I couldn't help but feel that this consultation wasn't someone else's problem.

I have also struggled with reviews

Actually, I also run a private lodging business, and I have had the experience of struggling after someone wrote a review containing content that was not true.

If reviews barely affect business, it might be enough to just say, 'I shouldn't look at them' or 'I shouldn't worry about them.'

But in a business like the hospitality industry, where reviews are directly linked to the next reservation, it's not that simple.

Even with just one low rating,

'What if someone reads this and believes it just like that?'

I worry about that.

That's why I felt I could understand why Lulu was hurt and why she became suspicious and paranoid as a result.

Jane Su's 'thick iron mask'

To such a Lulu, Jane Su recommended an 'iron mask.'

People who are feeling unwell, carrying anxieties, or lacking peace of mind also come to the clinic.

You don't have to try to understand everyone.

When faced with unreasonable behavior, do not take the emotions to heart; respond in a businesslike manner. If something unpleasant happens, sing your favorite song in your head and build a fortress within your heart.

And, stop looking at reviews.

I found myself strangely fond of this term, 'iron mask'.

When it comes to customer service, it is often thought that 'putting your heart into it'—being smiling, kind, and understanding of the other person's feelings—is what makes for good work.

However, working diligently and taking on all of the other person's emotions are not the same thing.

Just because it is your job, you do not have to offer up your own raw heart.

Perhaps an iron mask is not meant to make you cold, but to protect you by saying, 'Everything inside this line is my territory'.

But are reviews really that absolute?

However, I thought about one more thing here.

Perhaps what Lulu-san can do right now is to wear an iron mask or stop looking at reviews.

But I wonder if it is okay to end this issue with 'the person being written about has no choice but to protect themselves'.

For example, when looking at reviews for clinics or hospitals, even in places that are highly rated overall, there are sometimes posts that make you doubt your eyes.

Like the consultation this time, there are intense attacks on individual staff members, or mentions of appearance or personality that have nothing to do with the medical treatment.

When we see such reviews, do we really,

'I see, this clinic is terrible'

and believe it just like that?

Rather,

'That's a very emotional review,'
'I wonder what happened'

don't we often read them by taking a step back?

Reviews do not just contain information about the person being evaluated;they also reflect the perspective of the person who wrote them,don't they?

Having struggled with reviews myself, I no longer assume that what is written is the absolute truth when I am on the reading side.

The 'ability to not take things at face value' needed in an era where anyone can evaluate

Of course, reviews have their purpose.

Sometimes services are improved based on the feedback of those who have actually used them. Sometimes they provide helpful information for those who are about to use them.

That is why I do not think reviews should disappear entirely.

However, I wish that those who write, those who read, and those who are written about could keep a little more distance from reviews.

• Those who write should not leave words that hurt someone's character just out of a momentary fit of anger.

• Those who read should not judge everything based on a single intense post or a star rating.

• And those who are written about should not carry every word there as an 'evaluation from society'.

As online reviews have become the norm, I feel that we are gradually learning how to read them in that way.

Look not just at the stars, but at the number of reviews. Look at the content. Compare it with other reviews. And sometimes, judge that 'it might be best to take this with a grain of salt'.

Perhaps the next thing we need, now that anyone can easily post an evaluation, is the ability to not take evaluations at face value.

What we can do as readers, outside the 'iron mask'

I want Lulu-san to wear a thick iron mask for now. I don't think you need to force yourself to look at the reviews.

There is no need to burden someone who is already hurting with the grand role of 'changing review culture'.

But there are things we can do as readers.

Strong words catch the eye, but just because they are strong does not mean they are the truth. Do not judge the people working there or the entire place based on a single review.

In the case of a post like this one, I personally think that many people who read it won't take it as a direct 'evaluation' of Lulu-san.

• Because reviews are convenient, read them with a little distance.

• When you write, when you read, and when you are written about.

If such people gradually increase, perhaps the review culture will become a little more refined than it is now.

I thought about that while listening to the radio in my living room.

A star rating given by someone, or just a few lines of text.
How much 'power to evaluate people' do we want to hand over to that?