In a surprising turn of events, a doorman was recently fired from his job at a Long Island City luxury building for – get this – being too nice to the residents, proving yet again, that nice guys do seem to finish last!
41-year-old Ralph Body had been working at the building, called ‘27 on 27th’, a few blocks away from the East River, ever since it opened two years ago. He wasn’t just a regular doorman there, he went above and beyond his duties to make sure the residents were looked after. In his own words, he “gave his life” to the job.
Ralph would do anything the residents asked him to, without hesitation – right from checking on pets, to cleaning litter boxes, to watering plants. He even acted as a real-estate agent at times and showed some of the $4,200/month apartments to new tenants. “Everything I did, somebody asked me to do, or there was a need for it,” he explained.
Photo: Angel Chevrestt/New York Post
While Ralph sounds like the dream employee, it turns out that the staffing company that had hired him wasn’t too happy with his over-zealous attitude. They fired him for being too nice to the residents, and taking on jobs that he wasn’t supposed be doing. “They said, ‘We know you did it for the right reasons, but unfortunately… you’re too nice to the tenants,’” he said.
“I told them, ‘When the tenants ask me to do something, I’m going to say yes.’ But they said, ‘You do things for them which you shouldn’t be doing. And unfortunately, in this case, nice guys finish last,’” he added.
Photo: ipetitions
Ralph said that he was shocked by the management’s decision, as were many of the building’s tenants. They are now rallying to bring him back and have all signed a petition explaining their point of view to the company. “Going above and beyond your work duties shouldn’t be punished — it should be praised,” the petition reads. “We stand with Ralph.”
“Most tenants . . . can attest to Ralph’s kindness and eagerness to make people feel safe and welcome. In a transient city where most people are from other states and countries, 27 on 27th was a unique building that truly felt like ‘home’ from the moment you stepped through the front doors.”
Photo: Midwest Curtainwalls
In fact, some of the residents told the press that Ralph is one of the main reasons they chose to live at the building. “Ralph made this different than other luxury buildings,” said the tenant who had started the petition. Unfortunately, the paper petition that he had left in the building’s lobby mysteriously disappeared the next day. The residents blame building management Heatherwood Communities for the incident, instead of staffing company PBS Facility Services.
“Heatherwood wants impartial professionalism,” said tenant Dr. Michael Dardano. “I don’t want to live in an environment like that — where there are robots at the front desk.” Heatherwood has refused to comment on this, and PBS have issued assurances that Ralph will soon be placed elsewhere.
Source: New York Post
