Living In Hell

A few months before I moved to China, I was working the overnight shift at the hotel. I had taken one of newspapers for my daily crossword (strictly against company policy), and came across an article about the General Manager of some other 5-Star hotel in Chicago, who lived on site in a Manager's Suite on the top floor of the building. He even had his wife and kids living there with him.

I remember reading that and thinking, "That must be hell." As a long-time hotel worker I'm well aware of the ungodly sh*t-storm that can take place at a hotel at any time of the day. I also know how every single person on staff loves to clock out at the end of the shift and then put as much distance between us and the offending building as possible. Even the top management of my hotels always had big grins on their faces as they made their way out the door at 5 PM, fiercely reiterating that they are not to be called at home unless the building were on fire. And even then, wait till the fire is already out before waking them up.

However, this poor guy was living on property. He had nowhere to run at the end of the day. Sure, it's probably a great treat to be able to order Room Service any day of the week that you don't feel like cooking. Especially if, as is the common General Manager's perks go, you can sign off that Room Service for free. But that also means that any time you have a Night Auditor (like myself) who refuses to handle the third blood-covered, cocaine-addled Foreign Dignitary that year by himself, you will get that phone call. After all, he knows that you live only an elevator ride away rather than a two hour drive like all the other General Managers in town.

I bring this up because I recently had the opportunity to visit a real live Chinese Factory. That's right, I got to bear witness a sample of the great Economic Equalizer that has the whole world a-buzzin'.

The factory in question made office furniture. The first floor was a wide-open space where the workers did their thing. The second floor held the business offices for the factory. The third floor was the Dorm. The entire staff of the factory, save for a couple of members of higher management, lived at the factory.

Now, when you look at this at an economic standpoint, this is gracious as all get out of the company to pay for the housing of their employees. A suggestion that would be met with guffaws and knee slaps by American business managers. And, while it would not be desirable by American workers, Chinese laborers who commonly work outside their home town to send money back home, this is an ideal set-up. It's like going off to college, except you're earning money and you don't learn anything other than "don't go barefoot over by the big blue machine with all the dials on it."

But to the outside observer (me), it was a living nightmare. To be forced to spend every moment of your free time on the same property as your work time sounds like a good reason to start getting my fingers just a little too close to the buzz saw.

I get why it works for the Chinese. I also get how it's contributed to China's suddenly pubescent economy. But it's one of those little moments that make me glad to be a guelo.

TTFN