Re: How useless are your staff?
 

Thin skinned, but thick-headed...

Re: How useless are your staff?
 

Bit late I realise, but I wouldn't want to leave this without a response. Your assumption that I have a maid sums up the colonialist attitude that many - but NOT all - expats seem to adopt here (and, I must say, elsewhere in the developing world where I have lived and visited). This attitude is also encapsulated in the question that leads this thread.

I have never had a "maid" and (in response to another question) I have lived in the Gulf for most of a decade. A lady from a cleaning service cleans my house twice a week and I pay about 70% of what I paid for a similar service in London. As many have commented, it's amazing how essential a maid seems to be to so many people in this region when they would never have contemplated such a pretentious extravagance back home.

This article captures the phenomenon quite well:
http://www.economist.com/node/21541712

The killer quote comes at the end:
"But sometimes the point of having a servant is simply to be a master."

Pertinent also to a thread that assumes that, as a manager, you would be pompous enough to consider the people for whom you are responsible as "your staff"....

Re: How useless are your staff?
 

If your staff is useless , why you accept to work with them ? your acceptance means that you can make them better or you are probably having the same problem !

Re: How useless are your staff?
 

Sometimes you simply have to put up with the staff you have. Competent expat v incompetent local is a non -starter...

Re: How useless are your staff?
 

Its called DO-BYE for a reason :)

Re: How useless are your staff?
 

You strike me as a bit of a knob.

Re: How useless are your staff?
 

I agree with his last paragraph though.

Re: How useless are your staff?
 

Sorry to buck the trend but i have quite a good bunch saying that some of them have been with me for over 10 years so they know whats expected of them and to what standard they need to be at.

Even in times of mundane boredom they're still capable of an almighty fu** up.

Managing people is one of the biggest challenges here and working with sub standard personnel in a stressful environment can be horrendous.

But that's why they pay us the big money people

Re: How useless are your staff?
 

Considering what they are paid, my work colleagues and subordinates are pretty damned good. No complaints whatsoever.