Employee stress rising in the hospitality industry
Employee stress is significantly rising in the hospitality industry (Post Covid), and it is costly for employers and employees alike. Although addressing and reducing stress are both noble goals and are capable of resulting in expense reductions for employers, the nature and quantity of hospitality employee stress are not fully understood. This is the bitter truth about Hotel Employees regarding which nobody has paid attention till now. It’s just not about the hotel employees; the most affected ones are Hotel Managers. Hotel Managers are pulverized by the Expectations of Stakeholders, Guests, Operators & of course, employees. The current scenario is that the hospitality business is back on track with huge demands, but hotel managers are deeply stressed – leading to unsustainably high working hours & high attrition. GMs and HODs spend all their time troubleshooting & work several notches below their authority & responsibility levels, seriously compromising focus on strategy. Sadly, millions who lost their jobs to COVID have migrated to other industries on a one-way ticket & hospitality has lost its attractively.
Employee stress is not just about the regular stress; it’s all about high and higher expectations in post COVID scenario:
- Stakeholders’ expectations for zero deficits and even more than zero deficit expectations are more about the high GOP even in the lockdown of almost one quarter.
- Guest Expectations are on another level; they expect everything hygienically and while maintaining high standards. Some of them are screaming at hotel employees. It seems like they are releasing their stress on hotel employees.
- Online ranking & reviews now become guns on the head; its threatening 24X7.
Another aspect which I feel needs to be looked into is “Restoring the Pride” in the Hospitality Managers, which incidentally has gone missing. The Employers probably worried about the figures, and the P&L are not being able to pay the much-needed attention to this. People might be holding on to their jobs, but the inner feeling of being a Hospitality Manager has now given way to more negativities leading to looking at different options & avenues.
Although this wave has been coming for many years, COVID played a catalyst in escalating the issue….
There is a lot of work that requires to be done to attract people to join hospitality. The way people are treated around Hotels & the stories college students hear before joining the industry are the primary factors that have caused the wave of good employees leaving or not joining the industry. Time has come to improve the conditions of staff in Hotels – economically & the way staff is treated!!
Hospitality has a broadened shape now, but the major Component of it, Hoteliering, has narrowed down as the “Opportunism” is strengthening its Grip.
Hotel owners play a very crucial part in it, and the Management companies need to keep an upper hand when it comes to getting things done for employees. The old model of minimum wages and extended work hours might not work for the upcoming generation! In a world where Stand-Alone Restaurants, Facility Management & Housekeeping Companies are paying more with larger benefits, BRAND HOTELS will need to game up!
The situation is alarming; hopefully, a few Good Seasons of Business Expansion along with better Tourism favoring conditions arising out of Strong Governance & Better Control should bring it all back in the Shape it needs to be in.
Employee stress
