All the government complexes I’ve ever worked in were guarded by a commissionaire. Commissionaires seem to have the monopoly on these jobs. They usually sit behind a large desk, wearing a dark blue or black uniform with a white shirt and some sort of strange hat. They are usually old and not in great shape. Certainly not in any shape to prevent someone from getting past them to say – me.
If there isn’t an electrical device to block people from entering the building or places where the workers are, they are supposed to ask to see your identification card. In a flash of the card, they take in all that is necessary before letting people pass through.
Before we had electronic devised and ID cards, the commissionaires would simply nod and let you in. I guess they were there to help visitors find their way. In one building I worked in, the commissionaire would send all the visitors to me. I worked at the reception desk for my office, so meeting and greeting visitors wasn’t new to me but I did start to wonder why so many were asking for directions to people or offices I did not know. Some people would complain to me, saying I was incompetent or useless since I could not help them. When I asked who sent them to me, I discovered it was our commissionaire. The person who should have been helping them. I put an end to that after speaking to my manager and his supervisor.
I must admit, the commissionaires for that building had a lot to cover. There were a number of entrances as it was built like a big X. A lot of the employees came and went by the back or side doors or even the loading docks, avoiding the commissionaire all together. Many doord were locked from the outside but they were often propped open for easy access for the lunch hour crowd and smokers. The commissionaires were only seated at the main front door and the main back door. Sufficient enough, thought Public Works, until the computers and all other portable devices were stolen from the building one fine weekend.
The thieves weren’t stupid. They knew these devices would be quickly replaced. Since the windows and doors were now locked and checked on a regular basis, the thieves simply walked in during the day to remove the new equipment. What with all the suppliers coming a going, I am sure the commissionaire had no idea who was who. No ID, no signing in – just a nod and the occasional hello. Who knows, they may even have held the door open for our wily thieves. One will never know.
Colette54's Blog 