The premises is great but unfortunately, the building management team needs serious evaluating. Particularly the woman with a tattoo on her elbow who was odd, condescending and inappropriate.
After sitting outside vaping, she took it upon herself to walk to my vehicle and inspect it after I had parked there (she apparently needed additional confirmation that I was a blue badge holder presumably, because she must think people park in the designated bay for fun ?). Given the fact that not all disabilities are visible, her additional scrutiny came across ignorant.
While we were waiting outside the building, she asked whether we were "here for somebody". My understanding is that this is a public workspace, so there is no requirement to be “there for somebody” to access the premises. The question and the tone in which it was asked felt unnecessarily interrogatory rather than welcoming.
Later, when we entered the cafeteria, she approached us again and commented that my partner was the "spitting image" of one of her colleagues, “Kimberly”. She then called another colleague over specifically to compare her with my partner. This made my partner feel extremely uncomfortable and was inappropriate, particularly as we had no context for the comparison other than my partner being East Asian. The exchange appeared to be an inside joke between them, as they smiled and laughed afterwards, which left my partner feeling awkward and singled out.
While we can’t know for certain what motivated their behaviour (and they are free to explain in their response), we were left with the impression that their management team treat customers differently based on appearance.
I'd advise others to be prepared for interactions with management that may feel more questioning, & inappropriate than welcoming; which is a shame because it detracts from the nice premises.
