Need Advice On Dealing With Thai Management Or Thai Owners Of Properties

[livinthailandos]

I'm not going to go into all details, but I've found myself in a very hard position in dealing with current thai owners and their skills of management. Keep in mind I've not had this issue with all thai's. Anyone who's work for thai owners of properties or thai companies knows like everywhere in the world you get good and bad. along with cultural differences.

I had tried to explain about the need for renovation, I realize this sole issue is about money, but the property has not be renovated in 10 years and you can see cracks, mold, and other damage. I went on to explain about presenting image of the property and how competitors have been renovating.

Pay - the same pay rate for the last 5 years has not changed. reception pay starts 6,000 baht. working in restaurant as waiter pay 5,500 baht. Housekeeping pay is only 5,200.

I had put together areas that any place should have in place

a. the need and importance of training

b. Having backup plans

c. english lessons

d. paying competitive salaries

From what I know the goal from the thai owners is to push the property into 4 - 5 star property and atmosphere. but unwilling to move pretty much on anything. I have no idea how to handle or deal with this people. Most of my points where ignored or said they think about or were not interested.

Any of you have any comments or advice

[PatOngo]

An old Chinese saying to remember-"An ant cannot shake a tree"

[PattayaParent]

Advice - quit and go work for someone who pays more and fits in with your ideas if good business practice.

[bdw]

your ideas if good business practice.

that's a pretty big IF

from my experience, you are better looking to get hired elsewhere or just shut up & go with the flow.

I worked for Julalongkorn (Chula) graduates who were so stubborn & old-fashioned that they were only holding themselves back.

One particular guy was so darn old-fashioned that when he got an eMail that he wished to forward to me, he would print it (using ink & paper), then copy it (more ink & paper), file the copy, then fax the message (thermal fax paper + telephone charges). On our end the administrative secretary would copy it twice (more paper & ink), file it, and then I would get the message on paper, adding to the clutter on my desk which would so much more easily have been handled in an eMail.

When I suggested we buy things to supplement inventory, he declined & instead cut the amount of items we were already buying for our standard inventory.

This made us lose clients when they called to ask for items which we'd sold out of.

In the end he's still operating, but I can tell by the look on my successor's faces that they are not happy working for him & it seems he got some sort of bail-out from his foreign partners to keep operating.

I would imagine the foreign partners are now dictating what he will stock, so that's a lot of the problem solved.

It's not only human nature, but also what they consider Thai culture, to want something for nothing.

Your employer wants to be rated 5-star, but they aren't willing to do the things that get a 5-star rating.

I'm sure if they could bribe someone into rating them as such it would make them quiver in ecstacy. It's Thai style & human nature to want shortcuts.

Too bad the Thais embrace their human nature & call it culture.

Edited June 18, 2011 by bdw

[Heng]

Sounds like you landed butter side down. Find one of the 'good' employers.

[PattayaParent]

your ideas if good business practice.

that's a pretty big IF

It was a typo, shoud have been 'of''