Work together, and separately (or, why I hate self-storage management will not return to f)
My husband and I got married because we really appreciate each other and enjoy being together. We played off each other, and strengthen the weaknesses of each other, finishing each other's ideas. We have said often, only half-jokingly, that the two of us together make one person completely. This is probably the main reason why, after a brief period of unification of fourteen years ago, we decided we would like to get a job, or a career if you prefer, where we can work together, side by side, as a team. (Something not one of us would have thought with the former husbands.)
the idea of going into our own business were not realistic at this stage (no money, no guarantees), so we set out to find the industry that would hire a couple to work as a team. Finally we spotted help wanted advertisement in the paper self-residents manage to store the couple to live in the location and management of the ins and outs of self-storage facility. Career and enticing descriptions and looked as if it was right for us alley, not to mention the fact that the experience in the self-storage is not required, so we decided to make a joint request, and we were contracting.
we moved to an apartment in the site, nervously excited about starting work on our new endeavor. We have already started planning our strategy as much as how we can assume joint management responsibilities we have and how we can divide the specificities of each mission that we were expected to perform as a team. My wife is more outgoing "people person verbal, while I" behind the scenes "administrative one, so we decided naturally to work with this, including the strengths and weaknesses of individual points best to get the job done. Of course there is always a learning curve, but for the most part, based on the description Career we have received, we are confident that we cautiously to a large extent if figured out.
being naive about the self-storage industry, ideally we should take the time to do homework over the investigation. but we were eager for the job, and am grateful for it, so we jumped in the first president with blinders on.
we have a plan for the exchange ran inside and outside duties to a bit of an obstacle almost immediately. I found myself suddenly alone in the office, flying solo, doing all rents the storage unit, and receive all phone calls, greeting all the customers and tenants, while my husband was out of grass mowing, modular cleaning, doing yard work facilities and repair. is not exactly how we pictured during the interview. sometimes our paths will cross, such as when he came inside to use the bathroom, or when they had lunch together. Otherwise, we may be able to sneak to put him do his thing with the Crown mine, although we understand that the original order in the United States will do everything we have, together, not separately.
I was more than willing to help him in the outside work, when he was allowed to have a timetable, which in our opinion is not a problem, because we did, after all, lived right there at the site, and we are 'on duty "was more than flexible hours . he said he, as a white employee collar and marketing whiz experienced, he does not shy away from being "the voice of" The Office, which allows me to fit contentedly into my favorite "behind the scenes" administrative comfort zone.
when we mentioned casually our concerns to senior management on misunderstandings obviously, we were told in no uncertain terms that the wife was to be the director of the facility, mainly in charge of the office and everything related to it, while the husband must be tough maintenance. Why? suddenly it was "management team" is not a team at all .
Needless to say that this situation did not make me happy, and my husband was not too thrilled about it either, especially when instructed our supervisor him that he did not even set foot in the office unless absolutely necessary. and grew progressively worse situation. soon, my wife is a call to other facilities to assist in the maintenance there. then cut of hours of full-time for some time, and was still expected to get everything done that is required in our facility. The whole situation was getting old. We have taken our lumps, adjusted to the learning curve we have, and now it's time to move forward. After a year and a half, we made the decision to stay in the self-storage management, but look to match the best, another more harmonious company with our desire to work together as a team, not just two people have nothing to do, who just happened to be used by the same company.
crossed state lines to meet next self storage our resident team management position, and was greeted by a Southern couple amicably graciously, owners of the company and its facilities four. We recognized them from the picture she faxed us previously, insisting that we fax them a picture of ourselves as well.
paid our hotel room (we stayed in the night), and he met us for breakfast the next day, treat, and so we can get to know each other. My husband went with the flow, like he always does, and I, being socially inept, struggled to maintain the appearance of self-confidence and interest in what was being said, especially when they started sharing stories about their lives, and to encourage us to do the same.
However, we did not get the job, and had received an offer by telephone shortly after we arrived at the house that night. We hated the company we are currently working on a lot of this time, which we gladly accepted the position, despite the fact that we did not discuss in fact, with the new employers have details about how they want to work together as a team and help each other with all duties, both within office and outside on the grounds, and in spite of the requirement of the owners that my husband shave his beard well groomed.
"I do not like it, but the decision is up to you," I remember saying to him.
", and will always grow back," he said reluctantly.
so we take them and we have begun a new adventure, with limited self-storage experience with us, and hope, though admittedly not entirely convinced that this situation will be improved and another one.
We have worked very hard in this Annex. The owners refused to rent farms, despite the size of the property and logistics, so we had full hands (like overflowing) with mowing, planting flowers, and sculpture Bush, and tree pruning, weeding and watering, not to mention the storage unit for cleaning, and an abundance of duties and other maintenance twisted very description here. All this, of course, was in addition to the Labour Office segment. , So was the owner does not believe in computers (no joke) All reports and other papers to do so manually. Payments taken using a single writing system, was created messages on an old typewriter, using carbon paper for copies, was written month-end reports handwritten calculated using adding machine.
I will not embarrass myself by revealing meager salary we used to get all of the above, but trust me, it certainly was not worth it. However, we have done our best to keep up with everything that needs to be done, and frankly, we have a first-class job. My wife and I looked like hell, but the property was in great shape.
Well, we have been largely ignored by senior management until the economy is in the area where we lived and worked began. Railways, which was the main source of employment and income for the town, and lose money, so workers began losing their jobs. It escalated the situation, which affects everything and everybody. It began retail stores and businesses shut down, and the unloading stations, and since the unemployed can not find work locally, people started coming out of the region.
Of course this also had an impact on the self-storage industry. People were not going to rental units because they can not pay for, so it was new rents are few and far between, and move-outs were abundant. As expected, the situation was affecting the whole of the profit and loss figures in a bad way.
According to the owners, our facility may evolve downward due to the fact that we do not spend enough time in the office. They claimed that two of us were very much out, and it was not possible to receive potential customers that will increase business. New Rule # 1: one of us to be in the office at all times, without exception. New Rule No. 2: It was a very small office for two people to work effectively, so one of us had to stay outside.
Thus began. My husband was out of work like a dog under the whip and sweating like a pig with a fever, while I sat in the office to do pretty much anything. Oh yeah, this makes sense. And it really improve the situation too.
This is where the brain is divided into two characters, such as twin-twin good and bad. (Except in my case, it's usually the twin bad twin "lesser of two evils.") Says personal one, "Fine. If this is what you want, fine. I'll just sit here and get paid for nothing, I care? , while the facility goes in the toilet because my husband can not keep up with that. "he says other personal," this is stupid and ridiculous. I can not do this. I will go abroad. " Needless to say, I chose the latter.
On a hot day it was the two of us outside, sweating profusely and clean 10x30 units that would be rented in the next morning, when the owners showed unexpectedly. He then went for less than a week.
husband and wife lost their homes in addition to all their jobs at exactly the same time is a shock, to say the least. Lack of money actually given three days to get out is devastating. We decided to return to the state of our country, so we can, if nothing else, at least we see a familiar foods and enjoy the surroundings missed for a long time that were not available in our current.
six, "It seems forever" months later, he was finally Taaanna by another self-storage company. He started out as the position of resident management team, but through a strange series of unforeseen events, we ended up being turned into a different center, which did not have an apartment on the property. However, we can both work there as a "team."
The idea of being able to hire our very own, personally chose an apartment away from the facility, and not required to live on-site, and exhilarating, and we were very happy just to make the switch.
travel back and forth between work and home and refreshing. To be able to lock up facility and offices, actually leaving in the evening, it was fantastic. It was higher than the average wage, where we were able to catch up on our backs all the bills, which have accumulated steadily since being used by the last self-storage company.
but for all intents and purposes, the method of operating the same. It was one of you outside, and one of you at home, and Al-Qaeda. My wife did not have a problem with that, not really. Admittedly, I had a problem, and has been since the first day of our work in the self-storage environment.
I am an introvert. I unyielding and stubborn about it, too. There's no way I was going to change, and I do not want to change. This is me, and I love me the way I am. I'm not a "people person. I'm not an example of excellent customer service. The work at Wal-Mart as a cashier really put me over the edge. For someone like me, being alone in the office of one person, left to answer the phone and receive obnoxious customers throughout the day, is one step below torture. Super friendly, outgoing, people-loving and extroverts never understand. but not too bad ... I also do not understand them.
in addition, I have no particular interest in the self-storage industry. the only reason that I can until I got it to work along with my wife. I would never, application ever to self storage myself company. I would like to go back to what you were doing before we met, and sitting behind a closet in the computer with my feet, next to the square in the filling to the max with the documents waiting to be written and / or edited. ah, heaven.
somewhere along the way, and got to the point where we have agreed to take a break from the self-storage and start our own business management. the way the fire Make sure to work together as a husband and wife team on our own terms, in addition to that we have been able to save a little money that we could use to get ourselves started. A few years later, in the wake of the crash debilitating burning incident, in addition to trying to short and distasteful in the joint management of the facility retirement, we found ourselves on the Internet, and apply again for jobs Self Storage management team, denying our own "three strikes and you're out." a promise to each other that we will not go back to it again.
", and that's all we know anymore," he said. "We're good at that."
"Oi", sighed, and the desire to shoot us both.
I was hired by, stylish, Regional Director, apparently understanding cheerful, who flew to where my wife and I were living specifically to meet us. And he asked if we were ready to move to Florida. The thought never occurred to us, and we had no major objections to the right off the bat. She then arranged for the company to pay all moving expenses we have, which was a pleasant surprise unexpected to say the least. Talk about the show can not be rejected.
She does not seem to have a problem at all with the way we want to manage the facility. We explained our system to work together and get things done more effectively, and we are sure they were clear about how we like to share the responsibilities and tasks within the office and outside on the grounds. So we told her that the two of us together make one whole person. Basically it responded that it does not matter which one of us did it, or how we did it, as long as everything got done. And not necessarily every time, too. As long as I watched some degree of progress, she said, it would be more than fine. Whichever way you want to work it's fine with them. Wow, we did finally end up in the right place?
"home eventually," said my husband. Said
"We'll see. I hope so," First
our first year in the state of Florida, under its supervision, was as close as you're going than ever to get to the self-storage paradise in this age. The regional director of our True to her word, leaving mainly the United States alone and let us do the job. She expressed appreciation we have a strange feeling a little bit of humor, which most people do not seem, in addition to that they will bring us a fun little gifts, including sweets, things to decorate the office. They seem to respect us, our experience, and the fact that we really did not know what we were doing. We really liked her.
Then, just like that, to our horror, Regional Director, we have left the company. She has been out of commission for several weeks, but we just assumed they'd be back once I felt better. According to the control of the rumors, the pressure was on to blame her ill health, which apparently has not improved. She and her husband both worked for the company (he was the one who trained with us), but they rarely saw each other because they were always sent to different locations for long periods of time. They had started, way back when they worked together in the same location, but the arrangement did not last long. While encouraging the separation came. She had hinted to us several times that she was tired of being always on the unit, and that all her take a toll on her.
Regional Director, who finished her shop was recently promoted. He was hired and his wife by the company about a year Taaanna been before, and the management facility in South Florida, or they were anyway. His wife preferred to run alone office, complaining that when he hung around, and it was always under foot. So basically it became a maintenance man, landscaping, and marketing facility for him.
Then, with the so-called promotion came to travel widely in many countries for long periods of time. It got to the point where he was rarely home. Responding to a question, stubbornly he insisted that there was no problem, that his wife was an adult who can take care of itself girl. It would seem to have a problem, though, with the way we managed our facility, although he never did say much about it directly. He gave only a small frequent remarks and insinuations about our "teamwork" away from him.
With the passage of time, we can not help but notice that it was looking more and more tired. Eventually he fell very ill and was forced to work from home, ironically, but not before the arrangements for my wife and myself to be replaced by other managers. That's right, once again we lost our home and both of our jobs, with three days to get out. We never saw it coming.
was
The last thing we heard about the couple's new resident management that the wife was working in the office, and her husband was doing out landscaping and maintenance. It may never cross the tracks.
work together, each individually. I think my husband and I just do not fit into the mold. But, ha! Joke on them, because really, we do not want to.