Shame on Us in Hospitality - Part 2 - Hospitality’s Place in the Service Sector

2011-09-06

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Hospitality Performance We in Hospitality are at a very interesting juncture. Everything has changed - our market, our business model, our guests, employees - really soup to nuts. Let’s take a look at the big picture, where Hospitality currently operates and a new way of thinking about our business.

Hospitality’s Place in the Service Sector

The service sector is where most of us began our career path – maybe the newspaper route, flippin’ burgers, pizza delivery, making fake IDs, baby sitting and the like. This was in our formative years. We had some youthful energy and some cash in our pockets. Perhaps, we learned a few things, as well – be courteous, honest, responsible. We also saw that if we did not like the boss, the job or the deal we could go to a competitor to improve our lot in life. And, if that did not work, go somewhere else – probably same pay, same Management attitude, same dead end. Keep that revolving door spinning.

Some jobs were not very attractive, barely self-sustaining, working for the cruelest, demanding audience out there – the public – always in a rush, rude, cursory. We could not wait to get out of this particular rat race and trap. And, many of us did. But, who will back-fill this void. A new service worker began to emerge – folks from afar – strange languages, cultures and looks. The biggest difference was that they were eager for the chance to improve their lives and willing to start at the lowest rung of the ladder. We tried to absorb and accommodate this new Hospitality worker in our businesses, many times quite successfully. We tried to “enculturate” them. We found that the typical profile was different, though. This group tended to be heavily female, less educated. They also became, quickly, disenfranchised and disillusioned, very open to the promises of organized labor.

During prosperous times, there was not too much noise made, for the Hospitality slots had to be filled – the warm body theory of business. In certain pockets of the country, the immigration clamor began, exacerbated with changing economics – jobs were being taken away from US citizens (although these citizens could not wait to escape these jobs). The downsizing of America for the last twenty years has brought this clash dynamic to the forefront, where service related positions are actually sought, still cursed, but now representing the real need to subsist. Aspirations have adjusted to just getting by.

Hospitality businesses have always been a position to better manage their sector. Some have made real attempts, such as McDonalds and Marriott. Most have not. We accept high turnover as a cost of doing business, just like retail shrinkage and towel theft. It is still common for a new opening hotel to experience over 100% turnover. This is nuts and just does not happen in any other industry.

We are captive to the numbers and those who hammer us for better results – not necessarily pushing to enhance revenue, but rather cut those costs – chop heads, change schedules, short shift, no increases, no continuing training and development – you know the drill. And, call me crazy, but then we expect our doors to open to a flood of guests, awaiting our demoralized service and devalued product. Yeah, right!

We in Hospitality know the score, as do our employees. They follow the news, watch TV, stream the internet and text their friends and family. They also know we and they will never see business as usual.

With apprehension, they watch business intrigue. Closed door meetings, fleeting conversations, body language with all the wrong signals. It is surprising that anything gets done correctly in this environment. Service is robotic, mechanical, almost lifeless; there is no courtesy or attention; there is no passion, energy or care. Your employees go through the motions, barely. Who can really blame them for this behavior and attitude?

A most telling television show has run for over a year, “The Undercover Boss”, where Executives, primarily from the Service sector and in many cases Hospitality businesses, learn, anonymously, about their company. They do find loyal employees, hard workers, creative ideas. They also find that they are so removed that they have little idea what makes their company work.

Management has been part of the problem, not the solution.

Part One of the series is available here.

Part Three of the series is available here.

We would love to hear your opinions. Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

The Author believes that Remarkable Hospitality is the portal to the extraordinary Visitor and Guest Experience. Seek solutions at: www.hospitalityperformance.com