My Staff Relationships

Having read Andrew's blog 'Working at Food Place', it occurred to me that I haven't really discussed in any depth the relationships staff at the hotel have with each other.

The hotel makes its staff into a family. The problem however, lies in how dysfunctional, and somewhat incestuous, the family is...

There is the staff block, so most of the staff who work at the hotel can live there as well. This means cheap accommodation, free meals, and a very short journey to work. However, staff accommodation also means that you are at the beck and call of the hotel. For example, if you've just come off a 15 hour shift, but someone needs to discuss something with you, they can ring your room and you can't ignore it...

(On top of which, just because you spend 8 hours a day working with people, that does not mean that you 'want' or are going to 'enjoy' seeing them when not working. This has led to several arguments, a few fights, and a lot of 'silent' relationships where staff are refusing to speak to each other)


There are cliques of staff who eat together, work together, and go out together. For example, the Filipino staff who work in house keeping, and the Polish waitresses.


There are members of staff who seem to 'date' the hotel. One receptionist has dated 3 separate members of staff, each from a different department. This has caused a massive problem where 3 separate departments may not talk to each other, depending on who is working the current shift. Additionally, I'm told that a year ago one of the waitresses managed to sleep with almost every chef... The department nearly imploded.


There are also the members of staff who seem to serve as a beacon for hatred. These are not necessarily senior managers, though one is, but can be lower rung workers as well. These members of staff can't help but generate feelings of despair, disgust, and intense rage.


Personally, I think I am maintaining my relationships fairly well... The exception being a porter who I might have to punch the next time I see...

Maybe I should date the receptionist?