MexConnect.com Forums: General: Living, Working, Retiring: Labor relations, antigüedad, lawsuits: Page 2

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esperanza

Feb 22, 2007, 6:56 AM

Post #26 of 32 (549 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] Labor relations, antigüedad, lawsuits

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Approximately 18 months ago, a former employee sued her employer (an individually owned business) at Lake Chapala. The dispute revolved around the employee's claim that she had been fired and the employer's claim that the employee quit her job.

The labor board awarded the employee 250,000 pesos. The former employer could not pay that amount. She closed her business and left town.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Georgia

Feb 22, 2007, 7:05 AM

Post #27 of 32 (544 views)

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Re: [Bubba] Observations on Mexican friends' experiences

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We have some very close Mexican friends who own a small hotel and have had to let people go from time to time. Only once did it get dragged out in a court proceeding and my friend prevailed because he had take prior actions to prevent being "taken" by a disgruntled employee. What he does is this: if there are three "offenses" by the employee he terminates their employee paying them the severance the law requires. Each time an employee commits an offense (not showing up for work with no notice, drunk on the job, using the business phone for long distance personal calls to the US, etc. etc.) he writes them up, and has them sign the "complaint" with proper id. His rule is "three strikes and you're out" ... with severance pay. It works for him.

As far as household help is concerned, most NOB residents do not have "live in" help. We do, and it makes a great difference. Not only would our employees risk losing their pay, but their home, electric, gas, Sky, phone, etc. etc. etc. Only once was there what I considered a "major offense" committed by my employees and I sat down and discussed it with them VERY directly. No anger. No offense. No insults. No raised voice. Just calm recitation of why this was a problem (driving my car in my absence). Because the family had so much to lose, there was never a repeat of the difficulty and I hope they respected my direct but cordial response to the situation. They seem to have. That was six years ago, and there has never been even the remotest problem since then. But my point is that when an employee has a lot to lose by screwing up, s/he is less likely to raise any problems. Many of the houses available for purchase here have maid or gardener's quarters. Foreigners rarely use them. But, what an advantage: we can come and go as we please, the pets are well cared for (actually overindulged a bit in our absence!), messages are taken, the property is protected.

Often, as foreigners, we bring foreign ways with us, and the local population is puzzled by our choices. They think we are naive .. and in many respects we are. Advantage is taken ...

ignacio

Feb 22, 2007, 8:50 AM

Post #28 of 32 (522 views)

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Re: [Georgia] Observations on Mexican friends' experiences

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Someone wrote:

When someone doesn't work as expected or does something wrong,
"......he writes them up, and has them sign the "complaint" with proper id."

The problem with some of these workers is that they do not know how to read or write, so this would not hold up on labor court in such cases.

I have asked many Mexican friends what we did wrong in our case, and their answer is:

1) We paid them too much, gave them too many perks.

2) We did NOT maintain the glass wall between employer and employee social levels.

The above two items lead this people to expect too much, and thinking that we were fools, with too much money.

(This post was edited by ignacio on Feb 22, 2007, 9:07 AM)

Gringal

Feb 22, 2007, 9:58 AM

Post #29 of 32 (505 views)

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Re: [ignacio] Observations on Mexican friends' experiences

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I think that second item is important. Perhaps those who have not grown up in circumstances where servants were part of the picture are not comfortable with the glass wall. If we think of the people who work for us as "employees" and treat them with the respect they deserve rather than trying to become part of their personal lives, we may have fewer problems.

On the other hand, there are those who feel that their lives have been enriched by becoming a family's "patron".

(This post was edited by Gringal on Feb 22, 2007, 9:59 AM)

Bubba

Feb 22, 2007, 10:38 AM

Post #30 of 32 (493 views)

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Re: [ignacio] Observations on Mexican friends' experiences

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I have asked many Mexican friends what we did wrong in our case, and their answer is:

1) We paid them too much, gave them too many perks.

2) We did NOT maintain the glass wall between employer and employee social levels.

The above two items lead this people to expect too much, and thinking that we were fools, with too much money.

Those of you just moving here or contemplating moving here had better take Ignacio´s above comments
with the utmost seriousness or you will think you are in Stephen King´s MISERY 11. Your generosity and kindness may backfire on you in ways you have yet to imagine.

By the way, this is true anywhere in the world. In the corporate world, weak bosses who want to be friends with their charges and are too generous without demanding expectations are taken advantage of by their employees. It never fails. Your household help are not your friends. That doesn´t mean you can´t be kind and generous within the context of the employer/employee relationship and prevailing community standards but keep it at that level. And, do not pay your domestic help more than prevailing expectations.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Feb 22, 2007, 10:48 AM)

wendy devlin

Feb 22, 2007, 5:57 PM

Post #31 of 32 (429 views)

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Re: [Bubba] Observations on Mexican friends' experiences

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This thread...if I may be so bold:)

Touches upon some um...er...'cultural differences' between societies.

Un hombre preparando...vale por dos.

Still...after 15 years...am not sure...that a person...can ever be adequately be prepared...for 'what they don't know'.

It seems to be, in so many ways, to be, 'individual'...depending on personality, experience...and perhaps...the sheerest of dumb luck.

ignacio

Feb 23, 2007, 8:00 AM

Post #32 of 32 (382 views)

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Re: [wendy devlin] Observations on Mexican friends' experiences

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It also proves the old saying that :

"Bad things happen to good people"

moral of the story;

be fair, but NOT so good that people think you are a fool that can easily be separated from his/her money.

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