line cook

commis 1

guest service agent

bartender

lounge attendant

Plaza Premium Lounge

I started working at plaza premium when I was still in high school, it was a good experience as I didn't have much work experience prior to working here. I was paid minimum wage for the most part but didn't think much of it since I was young. The work was very straight forward and mostly consisted of collecting dirty cups and plates, dish washing and preparing food for the buffet, pretty good summer job for a student right? My co-workers were way older than I was (I was the youngest at the time) however they were extremely nice and fun to talk to and work with. I got promoted to an assistant cook there and was having fun in the kitchen and cooking the menu which changes weekly, its a lot of work but once you get used to it its not so bad. The job security and and hours don't get any better than this because it is the airport and you're able to work the hours of 4am-2am as they have many lounges that are always busy so you're able to work the hours you prefer and still have a life after work. You get to eat from the buffet on your break time which is great because you do not have to pack a lunch and the menu changes every week so you don't get sick of the food. The downside of this place would be the management. I almost never saw my managers as they would spend all day in the office, and when they do visit, they micromanage and nitpick at any and all little issues they see which gets really annoying. The supervisors who do their daily visits have their own "cliques" of workers so they spend most of the time at their lounge talking to them and not getting any work done. The gossip between the staff is insane, I would always hear about new gossip and drama happening throughout the company. Overall as a STUDENT this is a fun summer job and can give you opportunities to work elsewhere in the airport as you will have security clearance which all companies in the airport require. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Fixed hours and union protection.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Lack of manpower due to understaffing and keeping the bare minimum number of staffs to operate leading to huge amount of stress whenever someone doesn’t come on duty. That and the staffs that underperform their duties resulting on other staffs overperforming just to compensate. Managers doesnt do anything  about staffs being lax. Performing well doesn’t get acknowledged, considered nor appreciated. If they see you performing well, they will give you more work.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Toxic. If you do well, other staffs give you more work, if you dont do well or if you match their work ethic, they’ll say things behind your back. Managers wont address anything and will find a reason to blame you or assign the supposed task to you

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Unmotivated and demoralized. Lounge is always full yet understaffed, forced to do jobs for multiple role yet no appreciation nor incentivized.

Plaza Premium Lounges has potential, but the promotion process lacks transparency and fairness. Hard work often goes unrecognized, while advancement seems based on favoritism rather than merit. Pay does not reflect responsibilities or workload, leaving many employees feeling undervalued and overlooked.

My 8hr day consists of being behind a desk, and greeting guests, answering phones, questions, accommodating to the guests needs during the duration of their stay with us. Everyone's needs are different, and I go above and beyond to try and meet those needs.
Teamwork is very important and the best service one can give is only as strong as ones team is. I work frequently with interns and the difficult part is seeing them go. I enjoy meeting new people and I have learned everyone has a story or a point to get across, they are just looking to find that someone who will take the time to listen. This position is not challenging enough for someone like myself who is energetic, motivated, and ambitious to excel in success.

Many people are very pleasant to work with. The work itself is very easy, but certain individuals have no emotional control which makes the workplace toxic. Last-minute scheduling is being normalized for some reason, and expect to be mandated to work at last minute regardless of your personal matters. 
Leaders are either lazy or extremely emotional which makes them ineffective against issues stated above. Also, they keep asking for sick notes despite it being illegal in British Columbia (with some exception).
These are the reasons why you see them constantly posting jobs, the turnover is extremely high, even the HR person doesn't last 3 months LOL.

I think the work is educational and fun as you get to interact with guests who are excited to go on their trip, as well as with pilots or flight attendents, who we built up our relationship with. 

Management, however, is a different story. Hopefully, they changed the way of managing because when I was there, it was not good at all. They were barely there to support you, in fact you hardly get any recognition from them. Only if you did something bad like a guest complains about you, then do they show up and talk to you. Otherwise, they are off eating somewhere. 

If you are someone who wants to learn or take a step into the airport environment, this is somewhere where you can take your first step. However, I do not see it as a long term job unless you gain the favour of the higher ups.

I sincerely advise not to work here. 

The management and communication of this company is extremely poor, there is a lot of workload for very little pay wage, and the training is almost non-existant. The Assistant Manager of the lounges will try to intimidate you and scare you to becomimg compliant. The turnover of employees is extremely high as the management does not know how to properly train nor provide support for new employees. When faced with difficult sitiutions the management team becomes a group of clowns that put a smile on their faces but do nothing to better the situation. They themselves lack leadership training and instead of trying to resolve problems within the company, they blame Hong Kong Headquaters for their lack of action.

Where do I even begin... 

1. This company does not care about their employees. They will never back their own employees up if anything happens.
2. $10.25, are you serious?!
3. Hours are stupid
4. They are not afraid to threaten you or make you cry, seen countless employees cry.
5. Superiors are very power hungry and will talk behind your back.
6. You do more than what you are paid for. (I think McDonalds treats you better, it's 10.25 with a bigger chance of advancement)
7. They do not notice the things you do for the company
8. Countless complains from customer about the company

All in all, they need to re-hire all of management, seek smarter people to lead, instead of going by who worked the longest.

I would not recommend working for this company. It’s a business model that is based on exploitation & they don’t have alot of respect for their employees. You don’t get appreciated for the hard work that you do & they have a terrible work/life balance. Do not expect a big salary from a company not doing financially well. To save money, they will make one employee do a 3 person job. 

Run don’t walk the other way! If you have just even a little amount of self respect, don’t work here. It’s a very toxic work environment. Red flags, bright as the flag of China! I am convinced that some of the higher ups are psychopaths or at the very least there is something wrong with them. 

It’s an okay job. The schedule is flexible and you will get free food. If you’re looking for a first job or you’re a presently a student, this will be a job for you guys only in my opinion. If you’re not a student, depending on what you’re looking for, it can be beneficial or not depending on what you’re looking for in terms of a career. It’s a lounge so therefore it’s gonna be busy especially during the summer and winter seasons. The staff are nice and sweet to talk to. Management is alright although they are not organized or precise to what they are looking for to some extent. Overall, it’s a great place to work in terms of getting experience but I would not expect anyone to stay there permanently.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Line cook 20 salaries reported	$54,000 per year
Commis 1 20 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour
Guest service agent 11 salaries reported	$19.60 per hour
Bartender 1 salary reported	$24.00 per hour
Lounge attendant 2 salaries reported	$18.25 per hour

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