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Q: Is it common for high ranked businessmen in China to have a lot of secretaries?
I noticed my husband, he works as a director in a bank, have a lot of secretaries. When I give him a call at 11am, 2pm or 7pm, it's always a different secretary answering the phone.
He told me it's common to have many assistants in China, as it shows people here you are important. But it seems qualification is not an issue, because some of them are not very professional, borderline rude to me when I tell them who I am, and sometime their english is very limited. There seems to be a lot of turnover rate, because the voices are sometimes different.
My husband told me it's normal in China, because by keeping the same secretaries people might think he is sleeping with them, so he needs to save face by firing them regularly. Also, he told me Chinese women slack a lot at work. Is is true?
It is true that higher level positions (in large companies) normally have a several assistants. Most of them are there just for appearances and also double as general office assistants.
A lot of younger women (not all, but a lot) that are under 30 normally only work these jobs until they can find a husband. Then they quit so they can concentrate on raising the family.
Because of this, the effort they put into their work is sometimes lacking, especially if they are in a position where they know it is high turnover. Why work hard if you know you will be fired soon no matter how well you do? Or why work hard when you don't plan on having a career?
