Christopher

So, the first part is mostly just background, such as your name, age, and how long you've been a doorman.

All right, so my full name is Christopher Brown. I am 21 years old and started working as a doorman in April of 2021.

How did you hear about the position in the building?

Okay, so the way it started off was I had a friend who was already in the same business, not the same building, but the same business. He gave me the email of the person he reached out to, and I emailed him, and he just accepted me. I started off as a temp, so I was kind of in every position to start.

Would you say it was a quick turnaround between your first day of applying or the first email and then your first day?

Oh yeah, for sure. It was definitely not what I expected, you know. You kind of picture the movies, how doormen are portrayed, and understand they’re more formal. It's more of keeping it casual, just trying to make the day go by. You're not really doing too much, so that's a good thing.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day for me starts off with heavy traffic. My day starts around 3 pm, so kids are coming back from school, people come back from work, and then towards the end of the night, it gets quieter when everyone’s in and doing their last-minute things. So, it starts off hectic and ends pretty calmly.

So, you'd say the afternoon has the most foot traffic in the lobby?

Yeah, for sure. It's definitely between 12 and 3. That is when it gets the hectic-est.

Is there a specific day of the week, or is there a weekday or a weekend that's busiest? For example, on a Monday?

For sure, I would say the best days are Tuesdays. Because that’s the day after Monday, most work gets done throughout the week anyway, so yeah, definitely Tuesday.

And what would you say contributes most to the non-resident traffic? Food deliveries, packages, etc.?

Yeah, definitely packages. Packages can make it build up. On top of that, I guess you could put vendors and people who work in the building. Sometimes, they can get in the way. But yeah, definitely packages and vendors.

You mentioned something about the night shift earlier. When it quiets down, is there anything you specifically observe a lot, or is it mostly just waiting for anyone to come by and come in?

It's a little bit of both. It's a good mix because you're going to have those times when nobody comes by, and it's really quiet, but then, at the same time, you always have to be alert and aware of anything that can happen.

What do you most look forward to in the day?

I would say either my break or maybe leaving, honestly. To be 100% honest.

Is there any part you don’t look forward to in the day?

I would say if there are any big deliveries. So, let's say, like a couch or bed, you know, those are pretty tough to handle. Um, but yeah, that's what I would say, like big heavy deliveries.

Would you say the workload during a shift comes in waves, or is it pretty evenly distributed over a shift?

Oh, waves. Waves, for sure, yeah. Every day is different. You never know when somebody could be coming in, so it's definitely waves.

And per shift, how many waves would you say you'd average?

I would say per day, maybe like 4 to 5 waves of different traffic. It’s mostly packages and food deliveries. Those are the two.

Would you say there are parts of the year you get busier or less busy? Christmas would probably be busier, right?

Oh, yeah. Definitely, those holidays are the busiest. We get the most packages. The slowest time would be summer. A lot of families are out, so holidays are definitely the busiest times.

And does the increase in work during holidays ever feel like it's too much or too overwhelming?

No, I can't say it's overwhelming. It's definitely, it can be a lot, but never to the point where it is overwhelming.

And what do you feel is the most crucial aspect of your job?

I would say having a good personality and being able to connect and develop a relationship with the residents. If you're able to do that, then you're good.

How would you prioritize if you have a food delivery coming in, tenants coming in, or packages coming in? How do you prioritize which one to manage first?

Yeah, you know, at that point, it's kind of like whichever came first. And on top of that, how urgent something is. So, let's say if I had a food delivery coming in over a package, I'd have to send that food delivery up. Because that's food, and it could get cold. So, I would say maybe whatever's perishable first and then anything else afterward.

Obviously, you have to announce the guests before sending them up. But if someone's more frequent, like a babysitter, do you still send them up, or do they just know the time and issue? Do you make a calculation on when to announce?

Yeah, I know what you mean. In that sense, we have a building link. So that's a log where we keep all our information about the residents. So, we know who's a babysitter, who's allowed to just go up compared to the people that are saying, I'm visiting. So, that's the barrier that we have between us.

Would you describe this job as one that causes a lot of stress?

Definitely not. I would say it’s the complete opposite, if anything. It’s a job where you’re breaking your back every day, every day is different, and on top of that, you get to deal with people that you see every day, you know, you're not dealing with someone new.

How many times would you say you see non-residents on average through the lobby?

Non-residents? I would say maybe like a good handful. Maybe ten to twenty people who are not residents. A lot of people work in the building, like babysitters— you know all of them.

And would you say most of the time afternoons are full with deliveries coming in?

Oh yeah, especially the food deliveries. For example, after 7 o'clock, that's the delivery time.

How many times do you interact with coworkers on average?

It's not as much as you would think. I would say maybe five times, depending on the situation.

Do you have a group chat? Today, you said you had to cover someone earlier. Do they let you know through there?

Yeah, yeah, we got a group chat, and you know, if anybody needs to call out, anything happens, we always have each other covered.

And you probably see them most when you're switching shifts, right?

Yes, definitely. That's when I get to see everybody, pretty much.

And what would you say is the average time you would see the tenants walk in and out of the building?

So, it’s definitely the busiest around 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning, and then again around 3 to 5. And then, after that, it's pretty much normal.

So, would you say around 20 people in and out per day?

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Depending on how many people, yeah. I would say 20 is an accurate number.

How long would you say you converse with residents on average?

Well, I talk to them every day. There’s always small talk when they come in, and usually, small talk is no more than a minute. But I talk to them pretty much every day.

And would you say you converse longer when they exit or enter the building?

More when they enter because when they’re exiting, I don’t know where they’re going, and I don’t want to waste their time.

How would you say COVID-19 impacted the occupation?

So, when I started, COVID was a little bit after. But what I got from the information from my coworkers was that everything kind of changed in the sense that they couldn't be as helpful as they wanted to be. They kind of had to do everything from a distance, obviously. A lot of the things they did during COVID transitioned into what they do now. Now, we don’t send the delivery people up. We sent the delivery into the elevator. So that's something that kind of stuck in the residents' lives.

And would you say you got closer post-pandemic or during the pandemic?

I would say post-pandemic. I wasn’t really there, but you could just tell the things that the residents and doormen went through at times.

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