Peter S.

The first question is just background: what is your name? How old are you? And how long have you been here?

My name is Peter Shenouda. S-H-E-N-O-U-D-A. I’ve been in the building for almost five years.

How did you hear about the doorman position in this building?

In this building? Actually, I was outsourced from another company, another building, and then I worked with the building. And that was for two years, for two years now. I just got transferred here.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Oh, yeah, really, it's all about the packages and assisting residents coming in with luggage. We also have food deliveries, so we call and then send the food upstairs.

And what day of the week is busiest for you?

Thursday. There are more deliveries, more mail, more files. The end of the weekday is usually always busy.

What do you look most forward to in the day?

Most of the day? I just handle packages. I mainly deliver packages to the residents or food deliveries.

Would you say workload or traffic in the lobby is evened out throughout the day, or is it in waves?

Sometimes it's quiet, sometimes it’s a lot. You know, sometimes many things at the same time. So, we handle them one by one. Some people need the keys to go upstairs: the walker, the nanny, or the housekeeper. So yeah, you take one by one, and then you can calm down.

Who are the majority of non-tenants who enter the building?

Yeah, you can say it's mainly food deliveries and packages. And sometimes, like when we have contractors, they come into the building to do maintenance, or they go to the apartment to do some electric stuff or something like that. We call and to make sure that the paperwork is ok, approved by the management. So, we'll make sure everything is ok and then send them upstairs.

And does the job get busy or less busy at different times of the year?

Oh yeah, yeah. Christmas, of course. The deliveries are huge, the number of deliveries. Mainly about packages and, that is, I think, it’s the major thing during Christmas, except maybe for Black Friday. However, with the holidays when people go on vacation, July 4th, it’s quieter because most of the increase in work is Christmas.

Does the increase in workload during the holiday season ever feel overwhelming or like it's too much?

It's ok. Yeah. Same. It's ok. Yeah, and also during the holidays or Christmas time, we try to deliver the packages as much as we can because the package room is small, so if we sometimes have a lot, we don't have room for all the packages. So, we have to do more activities to deliver the packages.

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

It's just to help. Yeah, it's mainly customer service. You help them with issues. Even if it's not about work, it's not just about work. It’s about social life, you know. If anyone has trouble, we talk.

When guests come in, how do you calculate whether to send them or announce them? Is it just frequency?

Yeah, I have to call them and check and see if they are waiting for the guest.

And would you say this job causes a lot of stress?

Yeah, of course. Sometimes, yeah.

How do you combat that during a work day?

Just to try to stay calm and just to...like if something happened, that's it, you know. I have to move forward. Yeah. I just kind of like to keep thinking about the next step, I guess. Or don't dwell on the past, I guess.

And how many times, on average, do you interact with non-tenants who go through the building?

On average each day, between 5-10.

And are they mostly in the morning, afternoon, or evening?

Oh, morning. From 9 to 5 or 6, that’s the busiest time. At night, it’s less busy. Yeah, the busiest time is the morning. At night, it's quiet. Afternoon, sometimes.

How often do you see your co-workers on a normal day?

Co-workers? We’re very good. If there is any issue, we call each other. Very helpful. Yeah, we handle everything. The co-workers are fine. No issues between us.

Um, how many times would you say, on average, tenants walk in and out of the building?

It's non-stop, so...especially on the weekends. The weekends are more. Usually, it's busy from 7 to 9 because everybody is leaving to work. Yeah. The business time. After that, it is slow. Yeah. 9, 9.30. And then when they come back, like, start from three or four, everybody's coming back from work, so.

So, if you had to put a number on it, like 60?

No, not 60, but I’d put it at 40.

When you converse with building residents, how long would you say that is on average?

Let's say maybe 30 minutes in total. Yeah, because some people are in a rush.

Would you say you talk more with them when they enter or leave the building?

When they enter, they usually take the packages when they come. But in the morning, everybody's leaving quickly to go to work, so there is no time to talk.

How did COVID impact your occupation, or did anything really change?

Some of the policies changed during the pandemic. Like before, we sent the deliveries upstairs. During the pandemic, we took all the deliveries, but nobody went upstairs. Now, we don’t send anybody upstairs. Also, during the pandemic, the number of visitors and guests was limited; nobody could visit unless someone from the family had the key, but guests and parties could not.

Would you say any of that has stuck around? Are food deliveries still left here, or are they going back upstairs?

Yes, it’s now happening and keeping it as it is. It is staying. They think it’s safer, you know, you don't want to send anybody upstairs. So, we keep it like this.

Would you say there were more deliveries like food and packages during the pandemic?

Yeah, there were more packages because of online shopping. And food delivery, of course. And we had to wear gloves all the time.

Would you say, because of COVID, you got more distant with building residents or stayed about the same?

Oh no, about the same. About the same.

So, is the post-pandemic connection to tenants the same as the pre-pandemic connection?

Yeah, yeah. Of course, there was no shaking hands. You know, we have to stay away, but now it’s good.

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