THE LAST WORD

The wellness quotient

In any industry – but particularly hospitality – people are one of the most important assets, as they are the ones that engage with guests and create memorable experiences. In the current economic environment, it is even more important to put hospitality staff at the forefront of decision-making and wellness strategies because a culture of community and connected employees is one that keeps people, including seasonal staff, coming back.

By Jeremy Clayton, executive director at The President Hotel.

A recent survey by the International Journal of Hospitality Management found that the main concerns and stresses impacting hospitality employees are unstable work environments and unethical labour practices. An article in The Economist identified that environments are so stressful and exhausting that people are rather leaving their jobs than staying where their value and contributions aren’t recognised. While this Great Resignation is not exclusive to the hospitality sector, it’s the one with the highest (and fastest) quit rate.

In order to create a hospitality workplace that recognises the importance of employees and that gives them the tools, support and environments they need to thrive, there are very real issues that need to be addressed. This is a challenging, emotionally intense and dynamic industry, so leadership within the sector has to create a workplace that inspires.

Connect, listen, engage

It’s a good idea to invest in a wellness programme that recognises every individual within the company — one that supports employees and frontline staff as they navigate the constantly changing circumstances we find ourselves in. The first step would be to instil empathy.

People have all been affected by the pandemic. They’ve lost people, been ill, experienced financial challenges, and had to deal with unexpectedly difficult lifestyle complications. Leaders should listen, respect people’s problems and collaborate with them to create solutions. This may transform the entire ethos of the workplace and how employees engage with leadership.

With an empathic approach, employees are more likely to collaborate to find smart ways around complex problems. This connects to the next important step — listen to employees by implementing a feedback loop. This means taking the time to actually read feedback provided by employees and using these insights to make measurable changes to their working environments, especially if common problems keep popping up. Employees will feel heard and valued and it may help the business make rapid changes to problems that may have crept in throughout the pandemic and its constantly changing rules and regulations.

Another really important step is to empower people. This goes beyond listening to feedback and implementing ideas; it’s about giving them the tools they need to make decisions and handle situations using their own initiative. When combined with hands-on training that helps them to de-escalate conflict, improve service and manage their own wellbeing, this makes people feel like the company genuinely cares about them and their careers.

Training may include, for example, skills training for career advancement, critical thinking, conflict resolution and communication and each is a step towards a company that consistently invests in its people. The training should also align with specific employee strengths and ambitions — then they will remain with the company long-term, making them an invaluable asset.

Finally, make your recognition of achievements and hard work public. People appreciate being seen, and they love their hard work being recognised. Companies are able to make such a difference to morale and engagement if they praise people’s efforts and reward them.

These steps are not hard to implement, nor do they have to be expensive. They just require leadership to constantly and consistently recognise the immense value that their people bring to the business.

Who is Jeremy Clayton?

Jeremy Clayton is the chairman of the Federated Hospitality Association of SA, Cape (FEDHASA); the executive director of The President Hotel and chief executive officer and founder of Turnkey Hospitality, who has worked in hospitality in North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Eastern and Western Cape as well as regionally in Africa. His professional experience includes over two decades in executive leadership at leading hotels around the world. Jeremy is involved in the daily management of multiple companies and associations and primarily works on implementation of the medium- and long-term strategic projects. He works closely with local and national government and tourism associations for the betterment of tourism. He is passionate about the future of tourism as an enabler for a better South Africa.