I am a Concierge. It is my fulltime job & for the most part, I enjoy it. I have met many interesting people & formed some meaningful relationships. One thing I notice working here is that there is ALOT of politics. So much in fact, that despite my abhorring such exercises, I find myself having to play the political game, not to get ahead, but to merely keep my job. Example: I work for a Security Company that handles Concierge work, as well as general security work, The result: A fully trained, experienced & capable Concierge, as well as Security Officer all for one low price to you the customer.
As security work is part of my duties, one of those duties is to remove Homeless people.
Ironically, I quit my previous job for just this reason. Now I do work in a higher-end apartment complex & certainly, folks are paying for a safe & secure environment. But I have a REALLY difficult time confronting & eventually having to evict those who are far less fortunate than myself. ESPECIALLY when they're in a Wheelchair, which some of my regulars are. Now, I know the Wheelchair could just be some prop meant to garner sympathy, but what if it is? The fact remains that these folks have nowhere to go & the way I see it, Homelessness is such a big problem now, that it's EVERYBODY'S problem. Not just the middle to lower class, EVERYBODY. Including the well off.
The way I see it, we, as a society created the problem & we should be held accountable.
And yes, I DO have Homeless people living by where I live, so my proposal is not hypocritical.
When I first joined the security profession WAY back in the latter half of the 20th century, I joined so I could work Graveyards so I could avoid having to work with people. Seeing as this seemed the only way I could make a living without having to interact with people. But as time went on, the Homeless problem began to emerge to finally the point where we are today. Basically, 1 Homeless on every corner. Moreso in the big cities.
So herein lies the dilemma. While evicting Trespassers, i.e. Homeless is part of my job, it is but a small part. There are many other parts to my job at which I like to think I'm at least capable.
So to just outright say maybe I should consider another job, or line of work is not applicable here I believe.
Add to which, there's also the public image to consider. Can you imagine someone snapping a pic, or even telling someone the Concierge evicted these 2 handicapped people on wheelchairs out into the rain? Instant public enemy. It seems like there's no way to win here. I know it's misplaced, but I feel a great sense of resentment toward the Homeless for putting me in this situation. Even though I know they are victims.
And there's of course, the parcels. I'd like to know just WHO first came up with the idea of having concierges receive & sign for people's packages from couriers. Obviously it was a bargaining chip to sell the service, but I still would like to find out who, specifically the person was who sold this idea so I could personally shoot him in the kneecaps. I don't know if this person realizes what they have begun, but let's just say, it's created a hostile environment between concierges & couriers. We don't like seeing them & they, I'm sure feeling our disdain, don't like us.
But, getting back to not liking dealing with people. What then, you might ask is such a person doing in such a public workplace?
Well, despite my handicap of social anxiety, I have been blessed with a tool to help me cope.
I can act. Not only act, but I've been told by several people that I'm a very good actor, & I've come to use my talent to essentially carry me through my job. I can act like the best neighbor/citizen you ever knew & because of my ability, I've earned quite the reputation for being the nicest guy when it comes to Concierges. "Nice" because I walk a political tightrope between doing what my Security company wants, which at the end of the day is to cover their ass with all kinds of restrictive rules & regs that if followed to the letter, would soon draw the ire of the tenants, as the rules clearly aren't very resident-friendly. Indeed, if taken literally, you'd be running the place more like a prison, as to a person's home.
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it's my belief that a good concierge should be professional, personable & willing to go the extra mile for his customers, which I like to think I am those things.
But make no mistake, this daily walking the fine line between the philosophies of my company & trying to maintain my superman image with the client is stressful. Not that every job doesn't have its stressors, but this one is mine.
A second reason I work in such a public place is my wife. I had been single & alone for 45 years, never having had a serious relationship with anyone, when I met this person who would not only change my life but changed me on the whole. I am totally, completely & hopelessly in love with her & this was the motivation to my taking such a job. So I could be with her as much as possible. So we could see each other at the end of the day. Keep the same hours, work the same days & have weekends off together.
THIS is why I work as a concierge.
There are other dilemmas I face at my job too. Towing. Yes, on top of everything else, the client wants us to tow people who park in the visitors parking without a pass. I've actually been pretty fortunate when it comes to this, as I've been able to avoid towing anybody personally, sometimes I've had to face the wrath of those who had been towed the shift before mine. Even those haven't been that bad, on the whole, save for one. But again, thanks to my acting ability, I've been able to convince the offenders that I sympathize with them, even though they were clearly in the wrong. You'd be amazed how long a little bullshit can go toward buying you brownie points with people.
So while these are both factors in my stress load, I enjoy a good relationship with the client.
They have told me any time I have difficulty with my company, that they've got my back, apparently.
While I'm not sure if I can believe that, it is at least a nice sentiment.
At the end of the day, most of my "dilemmas"/conflict are likely more internal than external, which in of itself makes life more interesting.
But this is my basic reaction to having worked this job for a couple of years now. I'm curious as to other people's experiences having worked the same, or similar job?
As security work is part of my duties, one of those duties is to remove Homeless people.
Ironically, I quit my previous job for just this reason. Now I do work in a higher-end apartment complex & certainly, folks are paying for a safe & secure environment. But I have a REALLY difficult time confronting & eventually having to evict those who are far less fortunate than myself. ESPECIALLY when they're in a Wheelchair, which some of my regulars are. Now, I know the Wheelchair could just be some prop meant to garner sympathy, but what if it is? The fact remains that these folks have nowhere to go & the way I see it, Homelessness is such a big problem now, that it's EVERYBODY'S problem. Not just the middle to lower class, EVERYBODY. Including the well off.
The way I see it, we, as a society created the problem & we should be held accountable.
And yes, I DO have Homeless people living by where I live, so my proposal is not hypocritical.
When I first joined the security profession WAY back in the latter half of the 20th century, I joined so I could work Graveyards so I could avoid having to work with people. Seeing as this seemed the only way I could make a living without having to interact with people. But as time went on, the Homeless problem began to emerge to finally the point where we are today. Basically, 1 Homeless on every corner. Moreso in the big cities.
So herein lies the dilemma. While evicting Trespassers, i.e. Homeless is part of my job, it is but a small part. There are many other parts to my job at which I like to think I'm at least capable.
So to just outright say maybe I should consider another job, or line of work is not applicable here I believe.
Add to which, there's also the public image to consider. Can you imagine someone snapping a pic, or even telling someone the Concierge evicted these 2 handicapped people on wheelchairs out into the rain? Instant public enemy. It seems like there's no way to win here. I know it's misplaced, but I feel a great sense of resentment toward the Homeless for putting me in this situation. Even though I know they are victims.
And there's of course, the parcels. I'd like to know just WHO first came up with the idea of having concierges receive & sign for people's packages from couriers. Obviously it was a bargaining chip to sell the service, but I still would like to find out who, specifically the person was who sold this idea so I could personally shoot him in the kneecaps. I don't know if this person realizes what they have begun, but let's just say, it's created a hostile environment between concierges & couriers. We don't like seeing them & they, I'm sure feeling our disdain, don't like us.
But, getting back to not liking dealing with people. What then, you might ask is such a person doing in such a public workplace?
Well, despite my handicap of social anxiety, I have been blessed with a tool to help me cope.
I can act. Not only act, but I've been told by several people that I'm a very good actor, & I've come to use my talent to essentially carry me through my job. I can act like the best neighbor/citizen you ever knew & because of my ability, I've earned quite the reputation for being the nicest guy when it comes to Concierges. "Nice" because I walk a political tightrope between doing what my Security company wants, which at the end of the day is to cover their ass with all kinds of restrictive rules & regs that if followed to the letter, would soon draw the ire of the tenants, as the rules clearly aren't very resident-friendly. Indeed, if taken literally, you'd be running the place more like a prison, as to a person's home.
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it's my belief that a good concierge should be professional, personable & willing to go the extra mile for his customers, which I like to think I am those things.
But make no mistake, this daily walking the fine line between the philosophies of my company & trying to maintain my superman image with the client is stressful. Not that every job doesn't have its stressors, but this one is mine.
A second reason I work in such a public place is my wife. I had been single & alone for 45 years, never having had a serious relationship with anyone, when I met this person who would not only change my life but changed me on the whole. I am totally, completely & hopelessly in love with her & this was the motivation to my taking such a job. So I could be with her as much as possible. So we could see each other at the end of the day. Keep the same hours, work the same days & have weekends off together.
THIS is why I work as a concierge.
There are other dilemmas I face at my job too. Towing. Yes, on top of everything else, the client wants us to tow people who park in the visitors parking without a pass. I've actually been pretty fortunate when it comes to this, as I've been able to avoid towing anybody personally, sometimes I've had to face the wrath of those who had been towed the shift before mine. Even those haven't been that bad, on the whole, save for one. But again, thanks to my acting ability, I've been able to convince the offenders that I sympathize with them, even though they were clearly in the wrong. You'd be amazed how long a little bullshit can go toward buying you brownie points with people.
So while these are both factors in my stress load, I enjoy a good relationship with the client.
They have told me any time I have difficulty with my company, that they've got my back, apparently.
While I'm not sure if I can believe that, it is at least a nice sentiment.
At the end of the day, most of my "dilemmas"/conflict are likely more internal than external, which in of itself makes life more interesting.
But this is my basic reaction to having worked this job for a couple of years now. I'm curious as to other people's experiences having worked the same, or similar job?