(1271)Keeping workers

Six years ago I found a temporary job in Sabah. My son and I would eat lunch in a Chinese coffee shop on Saturdays. For five Malaysian Dollars, we get two meat dishes and one vegetable in single portion on a plate of white rice. Ice Chinese tea and a small bowl of hot soup would come along with the plate. We call it economy or mix rice, a common offering for the poor in this part of the world.

There were three native servers in this shop, two boys and one girl. Today, only two boys remain. The more skilled boy makes and serves drinks; the other collects used crockery, wipes the tables and generally helps the customers.

One morning, a man asked where the girl went. It was about 6:15am. The sun rises early in Sabah as we follow Kuala Lumpur time which is closer to Thai time zone. At that time of the morning, the shop was more or less empty. The lady boss said that it was just too bad that a well trained worker could not in real life be kept too long. Apparently two weeks ago during one lunch time, the rush was just about over. The lady boss was busy collecting money from a table of four. The well trained boy was engaged making drinks. The other boy was in the kitchen assisting the cook. Two customers walked in and stood in front of the food waiting to be served. The girl was holding a drink she made for herself, seated down behind the counter. She was not willing to stand up, put down the cold drink to serve. In the end the lady boss quickly detached herself from answering the customers, passed the change over and hurried to pack lunches. So did the drinks boy, he quickly served the last drink ordered and hurried to pack for the second customer.

After the episode was over, the lady boss chided the girl server. She said next time do put down the drink and serve the waiting customers because everyone at the shop front was busy. The girl kept quiet but did not look happy. The next day she didn't turn up for work. As the girl was monthly paid, she called up at nine am to say she was sick. Then she absented herself for three more days with no further call. By then the male boss took her off the employment list, assuming she left without resigning.

A week later the drinks person asked if the lady boss would take the girl back. The answer was the earlier work contract was broken, should the applicant want the job back, she need to turn up in person to apply. At this point, boss lady sighed. When the girl was in her teens, the boss' family used to house her until she was of age and found friends to rent a house with. The boss' mother used to cook dinners and treat the girl as a family member. That meant free lodging, free transport and free dinners. It seemed that as it goes, the girl has forgotten and was no longer grateful for past deeds and the on going relationship for more than ten years.