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Having a good time socializing with a delightful lady from Amsterdam. We are discussing quantum entanglement. How cool is that? FEATURED _ • Also Featured at FashionWeekNews on Facebook. . • FashionBuzz TV is our channel on IGTV. . . . #fashionweek #fashionblogger #NYFW #styleblogger #paris #love #editorial #fashion #instafashion #moda #japan #hollywood #stylist #photoshoot #instagood #vogue #glamour #model #makeupartist #makeup #hair #celebrity #style #fashionista #fblogger #beautiful #photooftheday #influencer #fashioneditorial #dubai https://www.instagram.com/p/Brt_yhkjz11/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=jcwws2l4r722

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Team Spirit vs Dominance

There are people in the workplace, that play the divide and dominate game with everyone they meet in the organization. What I mean, they systematically turn each person that they meet against everyone else so that in the end, whats left is chaos, and distrust for each other. Why? Well, for dominance. Break up all other alliances and trust circles, and inject doubt and distrust between each person so that the person responsible has invisible rule, and dominance. This is vastly different than people in the workplace that thrive to bring everyone on every level together so that the whole mechanism works better as a team. Which is beneficial for organizations? Divide and Dominate types or bring people together team spirited types. You decide.

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The new Front Desk guy.

Being Jewish in Georgia is one thing, but working for an international hotel company that takes pride on cultural diversity is quite another. The new front desk guy, lets call him M, the very first week he started working, expressed to me directly that he is of the arian master race and how cool is it that he gets to have his own hebrew slave jew to boss around. I mean, I'm not one to stress out over how one chooses to validate or invalidate my culture. I do however think very strongly that when we clock in to a company, we are expected at all times to be professional about everything we say and do and to our very best, represent the core values of the company that employs us. At the end of the day, it is what it is. I just think it strange that a person who strongly believes that blonde hair and blue eyes should automatically make the rest of us subservient, then perhaps that person should not choose to work in the hospitality industry. Just saying.

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Convenience for one at the expense of all.

So, a guest calls the front desk, saying that they are unable to get the internet working. Instead of quickly going through the login procedures again with the guest, or alternatively telling the guest where the ethernet cable is in the room, the front desk chooses to tell the guest that they will have security reset the router.

Can any of you tell me whats wrong with that? How is the convenience for one equal to or greater than the inconvenience of all the other guests throughout the hotel, who are using wifi with no problem at all? I am so beyond the grasp of this concept.

So because this choice was made by the front desk, without first carefully, thoughtfully thinking out the pros and cons, all the other guests using the hotel wifi that were in the middle of booking a flight, renting a car, or making restaurant accommodations for them and a client, were all left weighed, measured, and left wanting.

… more to come.

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Every morning, I collect the check-outs from the front desk, then distribute them under each corresponding guest door, along with a morning newspaper. A check-out is essentially a kit comprised of a guest bill statement and a comment card, both enclosed within a hotel branded sleeve.

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It takes a team.

When my mother came to the United States from TelViv Israel, more than anything, she wanted to be a nurse. What my mother did, was got herself on the housekeeping staff, at a hospital, while paying her way through medical school. As a registered nurse, she got married, she helped put her husband, my father through engineering school while they both worked full time jobs. The point I am making is that it takes a team to do whatever is necessary to get things done within a common cause. I currently work in hotel security to cover living expenses, as I move closer to my goal to be a working and successful photojoirnalist on my spare time. I do a lot of “helping out" well outside of my job description, and without a pay grade increase, to the point that its more or less expected of me. What I find disturbing, is the mindset that my coworkers take on in regards to helping outside of their job description. There are so many tasks as well as situations that arrise, which my coworkers simply will not tend to within the effort of team spirit. More to come…

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Today's front desk meeting. (inner thoughts)

Before I go on, my disclaimer for this personal blog is, that it is for my eyes only, and is no way, shape, or form, connected to any particular hotel property.

Today was a front desk meeting in which security was also asked to attend.

I work with Cateia during the C shift. Luis (GM), brought up communication and how to improve it between night auditor and security, and Cateia, became really hostile.  Started speaking in harsh, loud tones, and became very aggressive. Started delegating blame instead of listening to what Luis had to say, which is to work together to solve problems.  Cateia basically said that when there are security situations that involve police intervention, she collaborates MOD (manager on duty) notes with security, then she said that I do not share my security notes with her. This was a complete fabrication. There was only one time in which she "allowed" me to see what she wrote in the MOD.  Whenever i do a police related report involving a guest, I always show her what I wrote in my report.  I did not want to call her out at the meeting and disagree with her as the ambience of the room was already set to an aggressive, obnoxious tone.  What I don't understand, is she said "right joe?" as if she wanted me to lie for her. In the 4 years that I have worked at this property, the night auditor (until Cateia came along), stood back and allowed security to handle the police, and guest situation.  Cateia negates my 4 year experience as security at this property, and does a great deal of guessing in her attempt to control every aspect of a guest- police - security situation.  If she is constantly playing my hand, how can I get all the necessary things from the police officer such as case number and name of officer, as well as collaborate with the officer as I have all these years.  Luis asked her in a teaching sort of way, if she works alone at night or does she work as a team, but it seems, the question was shifted to a lateral topic of sorts.

The situation at one point, escalated between Luis and Catia really bad, to the point that it was very very uncomfortable to even be in the same room, and it was professionally embarrassing as well. I do not comprehend why it is ok for an employee to express themselves in a meeting, in this manor and get away with it.

Even after she challenged his authority throughout the meeting, which resulted in him firmly slamming his hands to the table, indicating enough is enough, he ended up apologizing for that. I was so confused why she was allowed to express herself as if this was a potential street brawl. She came to the meeting late, and when she entered the room, seemed non verbally defensive, and maintained that negative posture throughout the meeting, which moved into severe verbal aggression.  Why is this form of intimidation behavior tolerated?

I am soooo confused.

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Prioity Member Complement

Upon clocking in tonight, a Priority Club member walks up to me and extends his hand to thank me for all that I did to comfort and solve problems for a number of guests last week. He said that he had been closely observing how things are done on the night shift and how impresses he is (shaking my hand firmly, the whole time), then concluded by saying that he had an extensive talk with our property GM to emphasize the complexity and excellence of what we do. I really do appreciate being recognized for my hospitality industry skillsets but, most of all, I am glad to reflect excellence on behalf of our hotel property.

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Dysfunctional Mindset

I always thought that the secret to highly successful hotel properties was attributed to a very high degree of positive synergy and mutual respect, amongst the staff, which in turn is radiated outwards to the guests. It seems on some properties this ia not the paramount objective. The divide and conquer, every man and woman for themselves "CYA" mindset is either encouraged or simply tollerated. So much for the commonality of greatness.

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Security Wand still not working.

It has been several weeks, and the security wand is still not ready for use.

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Domestic dispute?

Room 222 called the desk about 20 minutes ago or less, saying that they hear a fight between a man and woman. It seems that the front desk auditor was on the fone with the guest for a couple of minutes before i was made aware of the potential situation. I was then informed of a domestic despute on the second floor, so i ran to the second floor as fast as i could and got there within 20 seconds, and without causing a worry to other guests walking around. I patrolled the halls carefully watching and listening for any activity. I then reported zero sound and zero traffic of any kind on that floor. I then asked what room the complaint came from, and was told room 222. I then replied that i will float around the proximity of 222 for a bit, then go to neighboring floors to determine a problem. On the 3rd floor, there was no activity and the same with1st floor. I reported that to desk then said that i will walk around the parking lot to determine a problem. There was also zero activity. I reported my results to front desk.

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Fear Management

I do not agree with fear management at all, period. To me, it is the most, non-intellectual, unethical method to get people under you to do what you want them to do. In the end, producing insubbordinate, very unhappy employees. Fear Management is completly detrimental to overall office morale, hence, putting employee against employee. So, what does this mean to your patrons? More to come.

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Yikes, what a surprise !

Luis took me off the schedule for tonight.

The reason was that this week is slow, so he will use my hours

to give to the part time security guard, so that he can go in early

and paint for Luis in the hotel.

I asked if I could use a vacation day tonight, to replace the Tuesday

that was taken from me, and Luis said yes.

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Security Wand Still unusable.

(Message to self)

The security wand is still not working.

My guess is there is a malfunction that management is

trying to fix.

It has been quite a while since it has worked.

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Security wand

Security Wand has not been downloaded in about a week by "management". thereby making the wand unusable.

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The Security guy to the rescue.

So why is it that B-shift gets to skate out of straightening up the mess that occurs during their shift, without consequence? When I came in tonight, the lobby was a train wreck. The garbage at the main entrance was so full, that it was falling over. I would like to know who grants permission to just go on ahead and leave it all for the next shift to deal with. Is this the type of teamwork mentality that continually lowers our scores with the IHG mystery inspectors? I do not comprehend this type of coworker un-cooperation mentality at all. Honestly, from a guest perspective it really sends out a clear message.

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Computers that do not use USB are outdated and obsolete.