In Taipei, there’s quite a bit. Some go by barely knowing past ni hao for years. Many of them even own businesses that are successful, the other group are hired professionals with a few years contracted form companies or schools like TAS puts in buildings that specialize in rentals to foreigners that do speak English. My friends house in tianmu, the front desk people do speak English and most of their renters are foreigners. I go there every Tuesday morning to use their space to do some boxing sparring. They talk in English to me even though they struggle a little. I just speak Chinese back to let them know I can understand Chinese, no issues.
I’m just saying, i think they should at least do their job the best they can. I don’t accept the mediocre attitude people have at their job no matter their pay. If the building is going to ask and sell a high fee for building management like this one, they should have some more “professional” people. Not necessarily a jab at the front desk people, but the people that hired and manages them.
It’s ok to not do your job because it’s uncomfortable? I don’t think you would agree with this if you think about it?
I don’t disagree with a lot of what you’re saying. But i disagree with you absolving them of any responsibility because they are low pay, feel uncomfortable, and therefore You can’t expect them to do their job in this circumstance.
I don’t think you understand the type of complex involved here. Security guards take care of security, cleaners take care of cleaning, garbage disposal takes care of garbage, maintenance takes cares of maintenance, the list goes on. The complex I live in also has concierges, they take care of residents general needs, think of the concierge at higher level hotel, if you’ve ever stayed in one.
Wow, those are thoughts you should keep on the inside of your head.
The head concierge in the complex I live in has a masters in hospitality management, she’s worked in several countries in the west for the Starwood hotel group before moving back to Taiwan. She most certainly is professional, is a concierge in anyone’s sense of the term, as are the rest of the staff, and is certainly not low paid.
Me as well, actually I give them a red envelope for New Years. They do a really good job as well though and the company takes it seriously. One guy naps on the job and he was fired quickly. And they actually get a bonus in fees for New Years. It’s 1.5x the normal amount in February.
There’s a huge amount of people on the day shift and night shift. I don’t think going around and giving them gifts is the way.
Anyways I’ll go check it out and talk to them next time with her.
She’s not some pompous foreigner that just came to Asia and looks down on the locals type of person. She’s worked in Bangkok before moving to Taipei and is an artist booking agent. She even learned what Chinese she can before she transferred here to help. She has worked in Asia for most of her professional career so I don’t think she’s expecting more than the reasonable having lived and worked in foreign countries for many years.
There, I gave you a like that you’ve been so desperately flailing at. Hahaha, you’re so witty and thought provoking. There’s your pat on the back. Now go troll somewhere else.
Rude front desk staff and how to solve it is boring Andrew. The real juicy interesting bits need a bit more prodding but I think we’ve gotten to the heart of this story mostly. Am I good or what!
Guys most guards are retirees who can’t afford to retire or have no place to live, so the management gives them shelter and stipend. Or people without education whose only work option is to man a desk all day. Hence, the chance of them speaking English is low.
There are places where English services can be expected. The gas station, the wet market, the mechanic or the building guards, IMHO, are not those places. Maybe the hospital, the airport, pushing it at the bank and it depends on the kind of bank.
In the old country it would be easy to find anyone with a basic knowledge of English because we are a tourist hub and have many immigrants. That is not the case here. We must learn Chinese to survive.
Aside from basic economics - of course someone in Tianmu or Xinyi with more contact with foreigners would find it handy and rewarding to learn and use English - there is as quoting Hsinhai a very prevalent attitude of “our country, our rules, our language”.
Ok, this is one of those buildings with a cafe on one of the floors. The building markets itself like a rental with hotel like amenities and services. We aren’t talking about a 40 year old building on top of a 711 with a guy on the first floor listening to a radio.
No doubt you should learn Chinese to do well here unless you have lots of people to help or lots of money. But at some level I think at least the front desk people should be better. She’s not asking the cleaning lady to hook up TV up or something.
Taiwan is not the ideal place for expat who want the whole maid cleaning, chauffeur driving, multilingual babysitter, separate bubble complex. Those exist, but at exorbitant prices. That makes people like diplomats very disappointed.
I don’t know exactly what’s going on. But I would think her asking about receiving a bunch of packages from Bangkok and help with some move in is not out of the norm for them to attempt to help?
Depends on how and when it is done. Inquiring about package delivery is SOP if they already perform that service for all tenants. Asking for help to move stuff would require extra something, like cash, and probably to be done out of work shift because it is not on their normal list of duties.
Average 22k salary after college, so let’s say these guys are paid hourly, not salary. Cheaper for the company.
I am thinking they might make about as any average hotel or restaurant employee. Not much. But if we are talking upscale … and still depends on how upscale… still not much.
I would say most of what some of you said if this was a average building with a grandpa on the first floor.
But the building markets itself as a rental with hotel like amenities and service and charges a pretty hefty sum for it. So if I was the one living and paying to be there. I don’t give a shit if I’m a large linebacker with my face tatted up and it makes you uncomfortable to talk to me. You should not be in this line of business if helping the tenants is uncomfortable in anyway when they are asking for basic information.
This seems to be getting a bit out of hand, @Andrew0409 and @GoGogoro perhaps ignore each other for a bit?
As to the OP question, I find asking people their names, then making an effort to remember them and politely address them by their given name works wonders in terms of extending courtesy and gives them a feeling of being respected. I have never known this approach to not be reciprocated with kindness every time.
The instructions are in Japanese. I only got the low level servants that can’t read multiple languages so I can’t expect them to do it. I’m not rich enough for a majordomo.
Wow, those are thoughts you should keep on the inside of your head.