Kudos

I am very proud of my husband at this moment.

Since we have taken over management of this building just over a year ago, we have had a historic zero vacancy rate. Even so, we have renovated a good third of the apartments, and turned them around for rents far surpassing our bosses expectaions.

Our tenants are safer and happier than ever now that they are allowed pets, and as we finally rid the building of the meth-addict-wife-beater-gun-dealer who'd been firmly ensconced prior to our arrival. Ensconced I may add by a previous drug-selling-gun-toting-teenage-banging manager, three manager's back.

The landscaping is improved, the roof's been redone, a new and safe elevator has been put in place.

Man we've done a lot in the space of a year. A lot of stuff I would never have done if it hadn't been for Ge's persistance in entering this employment field of residential management, and then his subsequent strength to carry through despite the soul-sucking-personality-amputating political crap we need to wade through before being granted the authority to FART.

Our boss just came by, and asked Ge to put up a sign on the front lawn that reads "Applications Accepted," despite the fact we have no vacancies.

Let me describe what it is like when we advertise for a pet friendly one bedroom apartment at the edge of Stanley Park two blocks from the beach.

Starting from dawn we experience non stop doorbell buzzing, phone ringing, message leaving and taking. This is triply difficult because our door bell, phone and fax are hooked up to the same gdrn phone so you never know which you are answering until its too late and you've got an earful of high pitched beeps and whistles to indicate, you got the fax m'am (hah). On top of this people show up on our doorstep out of the blue at 9:30 pm incensed that they can't see the apartment just yet, and are told to please make an appointment.

All this in addition to taking care of two buildings, a couple hundred tenant needs and completing day to day paperwork, maintenance and cleaning schedules.

Now imagine all that, and not having any apartments available for rent.

Now, I can understand our boss wanting to ensure we cover all our bases in order to find quality tenants. Historically, this building has a bad reputation for letting in all kinds of riff raff like, oh I don't know the gun toting gang banging manager hired BEFORE us.

But to waste prospective tenants time like that? The reasoning is beyond me.

Aparently it was also beyond Ge. And he said so.

To which our boss gave him a little advice, "To do what he says, without question when and how he says to do it."

In that moment, I suspect Ge finally understood what I've been bitching about from the beginning. To this company we are nothing. Our building is nothing. The tenants we care for are nothing. Managers, employees, tenants, they all come and go. We are ALL dispensible. Our wants? Our needs? Just a way to control us, to reward or withold as though treats for a trained dog.

Working for this company has been an exploration into exploitation. How much will a person accept, how much is a person willing to give of themselves before making a return on their investment, what are they willing to give up in order to get a piece of the pie?


Ge told him in his own way that no matter what he may ask of him, Ge will have an opinion. Right or wrong it might be, but it will be his, and it is his right to make it and Boss has the ability to accept or reject Ge's opinions as he sees fit, but he'll never be able to silence them.

God Love him.

Ge then escorted the man out the back of the building and enquired of him, "So, I'm just curious. How is it that our co-workers have been able to secure the last two days off to mourn for the death of their cat, while we were told to get off the ferry en route to Granny's death bed and come home?

The man looked at his shoes and told him he'd have to take it up with the office manager.

My husband later told me its not a question for her to answer, as the boss it was his call. Now Ge knows what I've known for a good long while. We are simply
replacable.

And that was the true message our boss came to deliver today.