Working in Hospitality is Paradies!
For forty years I have lived and worked in a parallel universe - it seems to me!
Bad salaries, arrogant managers and owners, unpaid overtime where I felt ashamed not to do enough. That was normal for me! And then I read this now:
“Our main product in this hotel,” says Manager X, “is service, nothing else. For this I do not need a recipient of orders, but people who put their heart and soul into it and are rewarded accordingly. "
11/27/2021 Handelsblatt
I already have tears in my eyes!
“Luxury means investing in quality,” says Manager XY - also in that of the employees. During the pandemic-related short-time work, they invested in employee loyalty, increased salaries to 100 percent from the start and offered training.
“He practices this“ leadership at eye level ”, which is still not very widespread in the industry. In his dealings with employees, it is a matter of taking them more into their own responsibility, of jointly developing products and processes, of freedom. Only the bond with the employees can also create bond with the guests. "
The numbers that are published confirm what?.
The figures (Germany) so far are clear: in April 2021 there were still a good 266,000 employees subject to social insurance contributions in the accommodation industry, two years earlier there were 307,000. There was also a drastic decline in the number of apprentices: in 2010 just under 37,000 young people decided to take up an apprenticeship, in 2020 it was only a little more than 17,000. The number of chefs has almost halved within a decade: Compared to 2010, 45.3 percent fewer people were trained in this profession in 2020.
Where I was we were supposedly never in the low-wage sector. so what corner does this guy wants to get out?
"We want to get out of the corner of the supposedly low-wage industry." The additional personnel costs for employers - manager XYZ speaks of 25 to 30 percent - are to be compensated, among other things, through price increases for the guests.
That will work for sure. With the inflation at the moment, the further reduced pensions, the people who have a lot less money because of Corona or the rules that forbid many guests to visit restaurants, everyone is sure to be willing to pay at least 30% more. In which universe was I living?
“In return, this should go hand in hand with appreciation, balanced remuneration and the possibility of self-realization. Our industry still has a lot of wood to chop. "
11/27/2021 Handelsblatt
Yes, he is right to chop some wood!
On this November evening, Manager X also checks the performance of his employees in terms of service excellence using a roasted rooster that is served to him.
11/27/2021 Handelsblatt
This is my universe. The director, who lives with us at eye level, has the roasted bird served. When we're on eye level with him as he says - and he's sitting at the table - are we on our knees again?
Stephan Busch has an invaluable and diverse experience in the hospitality industry ranging from senior management positions with the most renowned hotel and resort companies to the project development - launch of operations, business development- for hotel and cruise companies in Asia, Europe, Canada and Russia.
His expertise includes not only planning, opening and operating of hotels, international golf clubs, airports, resorts and cruise ships, but also successful restructuring and repositioning of businesses during the financial crisis in Asia.
Stephan Busch earned his Master Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, USA and served many years as Academic Director / Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism at the State University for Humanities RGGU Moscow as well as the Swiss International University St. Petersburg.