Help the door is locked

[davejones76]

Working hard, inspiring meetings hour after hour and overtime hours. Distracted by political protests, screams of protesters in the streets and Suthep overwhelming the absorbing audiences. I look out of the window. Listen to his untouched words and decide to go into the next meeting. Time flies by and before know my last meeting ends at 8 PM. I thank my guest for his time to come to the office and have the meeting. We walk to the relatively dark entrance hall discussing some minor things. My hand reaches out to the door.

Turned back from the discussion into the alwa. ys amazing reality. What a surprise. The window door is locked. Standing there 2 foreigners who wish to go home after a long day work. The staff has locked up the boss and client in the office. Was it a joke?

After calling to my staff and asking she responded Boss there is no way to get out anymore. You should leave by 7. I asked her. Why is the team not checking before leaving the office and check if all the lights and airconditionings have been properly closed. Without receiving an acceptable answer, her comment was: Boss, sorry but if you cannot get out, you have to stay and sleep in the office tonight until the office opens tomorrow." Is this a joke?", I responded. She said, no boss seriously.

Without coming any further and having a frustrated client standing next to me I wondered how in the world is it possible that 4 reception staff members leave the office without checking if there are any people left behind. There we stand two foreigners no idea how to get out of the office.

Screaming "help" behind the studded window was the only alternative. We were locked ad buffalos in a glass window cage. With somewhere in the building having local security officials, hopefully not sleeping and understanding the meaning of the word "HELP" encouraged us the challenge to harmoniously as a vocal quartet to scream the word throughout the building. Finally after 30 minutes and a painful throat the security discovered that it might be strange to hear the sound of foreign language in a silent building: probably barbecued during the screaming.

After making some phone calls someone showed up with a key. You can imagine how released we looked stepping back into our freedoms. Anyone else experiences like this.

[Thaiberius]

Tell the staff that was a funny joke they played and then tell them you also have a funny joke as you sack them. Job done.

[Totster]

Have you used an online translation service to change your story to English ??

totster

[CharlieH]

No fire alarms in the building ?

[Soutpeel]

Tell the staff that was a funny joke they played and then tell them you also have a funny joke as you sack them. Job done.

And the even funnier joke is when said staff sue you in the labour court for wrongful dismissal and get rather large pay outs

grow up

[somchaismith]

It was davy jones lockin.

[Jack Mountain]

Normally a real boss has his own key, trust is good but control is better ...

Edited May 9, 2014 by Jack Mountain

[Tchooptip]

Have you used an online translation service to change your story to English ??

totster

Being not an English speaker my self I tell you: It sucks!

By the way how many foreign languages are you capable to write in this same way!

OK at least you are a good typical member!

[sdanielmcev]

How long have you worked there? Don't blame anyone else for your failure to know the rules.

[Skint]

Get the pump list out on Monday

[Nautilus05]

You're the boss, and you don't have a key, but your receptionist does?

Hmmmm....

[glegolo]

Have you used an online translation service to change your story to English ??

totster

And this coming from....... I think his english is more than good. Yours are resentful and ugly in it´s words. And this is coming from a non native speaker.... We have also words for people like you BOTH in english as well as in swedish... .

Glegolo

[ezzra]

I'm sure as the day is long, that you were to locked in with say, young and attractive assistant,

you would probably would be that enthusiastic to get out in a hurry would you now? I know

I wouldn't.....

[catweazle]

This is a joke, right? Which BOSS does not have his own set of keys to the office and/or office building, respectively the MASTER key? Un-f#(&ing-believable!!!

Go home to LegoLand... BOSS

Edited May 10, 2014 by catweazle

[Rorri]

Seems to me this is another BS story, the Op seems to be looking for attention or recognition as a story writer. But, even if true, he deserves what he gets.... where are the emergency exit doors, if he called a staff member who refuses to come back, then he could have mentioned, do you still want your job... too much BS for this story to be true.

[Sydebolle]

A word to the wise. Use a proximity card reader system. 1) it runs the attendance control automatically whereby you can see who is ongoingly leaving early/coming late, 2) you can define access individually down to the particular staff (maid 6 - 16), you 24/7 etc. and 3) if staff "leaves" without rendering notice you just cancel the card.

Worked fine for me in a high security environment and does away with mechanical keys. I've been looking into a fingerprint reader which would do away with the cards altogether.

Anyhow, your problem is a 20th century problem and in some places, even in Thailand, we've hit the 21st century!

[gabruce]

You're the boss, and you don't have a key, but your receptionist does?

Hmmmm....

Hey, lesson learned.

It's easy to let staff take care of all of the mundane details here. Open up in the morning and close up at night. Same in other countries.

[LukKrueng]

I once locked my partner in... I left the office very late and was sure no1 else was in the building. As the metal door locks from outside he wasn't able to use his keys to open and get out. He was upset of course but we were joking about that for long time after it happened

[unanimosity]

Tell the staff that was a funny joke they played and then tell them you also have a funny joke as you sack them. Job done.

And the even funnier joke is when said staff sue you in the labour court for wrongful dismissal and get rather large pay outs

grow up

Better to lock them in next time. Payback is a __ ___

[unanimosity]

Clearly, you lost the account because who would do business with a man that doesn't even have a key to his own office?

[oneday]

If it were me I would be having another meeting the next morning with the reception staff and let them know if it happens again they are fired...assuming you have that authority. As for the person you called to tell you that you had to sleep there; she would automatically be fired. I wouldn't care how far she had to drive to get there to open the door, she should have come immediately to unlock the door or another staff member closer to the office. Thai people can be extremely insensitive and just plain stupid. Maybe getting fired would wake them up, but I doubt it.

[oneday]

Clearly, you lost the account because who would do business with a man that doesn't even have a key to his own office?

A very good point. Pay attention OP, get a key, unless the door can't be unlocked from the inside...555.

[ggt]

The office staff...is having a good laugh...at your expense...the Thais love this kind of drama...

[Beetlejuice]

It depends who you are locked in with.

[samjaidee]

Have you used an online translation service to change your story to English ??

totster

And this coming from....... I think his english is more than good. Yours are resentful and ugly in it´s words. And this is coming from a non native speaker.... We have also words for people like you BOTH in english as well as in swedish... .

Glegolo

I think it's a reasonable question. It's neither resentful nor ugly.

I often come across Vietnamese and Korean (I work with Koreans in Vietnam) pieces of writing that I want to translate but using Google translate usually produces a result that is more gibberish than English. However, translating from a European language to English usually produces a result that may not be grammatically or lexically perfect but is easily understood.

I'd be interested to know what the poster's first language is and whether or not he speaks English as a second language or used a translator. If he's Korean or Vietnamese and used a translator I want to know which one because it's obviously better than the ones I've seen. :-)

Your reply to Totster is much more resentful and ugly than his original question. His question was not accusatory or critical, it was observational.

You are accusing him of something that is coming from the deep recesses of your mind not from what he wrote.

[personchester]

Tell the staff that was a funny joke they played and then tell them you also have a funny joke as you sack them. Job done.

That would be normal in our home countries, but in Thailand certain Thai men act forcefully against farang's.

Should those men be sacked due to the inside treatment against their boss, then due to being sacked they might well decide to attack him forceful somewhere outside.

[arminbkk]

"...her comment was: Boss, sorry but if you cannot get out, you have to stay and sleep in the office tonight until the office opens tomorrow." Is this a joke?", I responded. She said, no boss seriously."

OP, you should promote her....she's got balls (maybe she actually does, I don't know OP's staff 555).

I cannot imagine any Thai staff at my office telling my boss that in a similar situation. Then again he is Thai.

I even have keys to the office.

So tell us OP, how did you handle it with the staff the following morning?

[Totster]

Have you used an online translation service to change your story to English ??

totster

Being not an English speaker my self I tell you: It sucks!

By the way how many foreign languages are you capable to write in this same way!

OK at least you are a good typical member!

And this coming from....... I think his english is more than good. Yours are resentful and ugly in it´s words. And this is coming from a non native speaker.... We have also words for people like you BOTH in english as well as in swedish... .

Glegolo

Well, struck a nerve there eh?

I ask you both to read my question again, It was a simple question, not criticising his English, or using 'resentful or ugly' words so I can't see why you object so vehemently..

Taking into account the OP's username DaveJones, I think you'll agree that this is a typical and common British name (think Welsh) and the words and style, although perfectly fine and readable, are not what I would expect from a native speaker. So I wondered if it was someone trying to hard to sound fancy, or whether it had been written in a different language and pushed through a translation service like Google Translate which is consistent with the sound and feel of the text that has been posted.

Glegolo - I think you post demonstrates your own insecurities with using the English language, I hope you get over this as I really do appreciate non native English speakers using English to communicate with us English speakers, if you didn't then my life would certainly be a very quiet life (considering my friends are mainly non native English speakers)

Below I have used Google Translate to change the first part of my post into Swedish, I hope this demonstrates what I have been talking about.

Tja, slog en nerv där va?

Jag ber er båda att läsa min fråga igen, det var en enkel fråga, inte kritisera sin engelska, eller med hjälp av "förbittrade eller fula" ord så att jag inte kan se varför du protes så häftigt ..

Med hänsyn till OP användarnamn DaveJones, jag tror att du kommer överens om att detta är en typisk och vanlig brittisk namn (tror walesiska) och de ord och stil, men helt bra och lättläst, inte vad jag skulle förvänta sig från en infödd talare. Så jag undrade om det var någon som försöker hårt för att låta fantasi, eller om det hade skrivits på ett annat språk och drev igenom en översättningstjänst som Google Translate, vilket är förenligt med ljudet och känslan av texten som har postats.

totster

[lucjoker]

How long can it take to take a window out in thailand?

If you can not do this ,just throw a chair through the window

and claim insurance money (those bl333dy thieves)

[taqila]

yes it happened to me a few years ago in downtown Los Angeles in an old Apparel Manufacuring building while working too late preparing for red eye flight to NYC. I dragged gaent bags to basement door that I could open to an electric underground garage door to open for freedom, but i heard many heavy footsteps and thought the garage could be occupied by vagrants! so i waited and listened for voices for a couple hours! After opening the door, made a dash for my Porsche dropped in the bags and pushed emergency door open button setting off enough flashing red lights to attract police then drove out to freedom! The garage vagrants were only XXXL size Rats!! 555!!!