Lockdowns have proved how much people love going out, to eat, drink, to explore. However one of the hardest hit industries is hospitality. How can business owners ensure there is an industry left for customers to enjoy?
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These are difficult times. Every business has in some way been impacted by the global pandemic. Understandably individuals; from the most inexperienced employee, fresh into the workforce, to the most tried tested CEO is under pressure, many extremely worried about the future. Difficult decisions are being made in every household not just across a nation but the world. The “unreal” feeling of the pandemic when it first hit has faded. The giddiness of the unexpected, sudden and unheard of changes to life has disappeared and the reality of the situation is becoming clear. What is also clear is what people missed during the first lockdowns, what they are missing now and what they will be looking forward to when “life goes back to normal”- going out!
Going for a coffee. Celebrating with friends and family over meals. Getting dressed up for cocktails at a bar. Meeting mates for the footy at the pub. Long walks and long lunches. Lockdown reignited our lust for hospitality in all its wonderful shapes and forms. Hospitality in hotels, bars, pubs, coffee shops, theatres, playhouses, cinemas and music festivals, local attractions and cafés. But we also realised that in shops and department stores, libraries and many other places we were being hosted! Sadly the reality is, as our love for these establishments burns ever more brightly, their futures are not. The uncertainty which surrounds us impacts most cruelly hospitality in all its wonderful shapes and forms.
Many hospitality businesses are staring at a future that is bleakly uncertain. This despite the creativity and effort that many have put into keeping them going. Despite the need, love and support of loyal customers. Despite the jobs which these businesses provide which extend deep into every community they service. Many of us didn’t even realise how far reaching the negative impact on the hospitality industry is. These venues to which we all turn to for escape and enjoyment, to gather and meet, to relax and be inspired, do not just provide jobs to their employees, but to their suppliers. These venues can be at the centre of economic “eco systems”.
The respective suppliers are often the lifeblood of local communities large and small. Occasionally farmers, fishmongers, butchers have survived as local businesses themselves thanks to the steady and reliable demand from these establishments. This all before we consider uniform suppliers, stationers, printers, delivery drivers, maintenance teams, gardeners, artists; from DJs to performers, technical crew, set designers and costumiers, depending on what venues we have in mind.
For Hospitality “on-line” is not an option.
.Some of us have been able to take our livelihoods “on-line”. Some of us have not been able to and as essential workers have bravely tried to continue as close to normal as safely as possible. Some businesses and retailers have risen to the challenge and made lockdown life much more comfortable and “do-able”. Sadly for our hospitality industry in the main this is simply not an option.
For many the first lockdown will have been somewhat of a novelty and will have been a unusual and rare opportunity for the hard working to reset. However for many in The US and The UK the latest measures will prove difficult. Unlike the sudden and unprecedented nature of the first lockdown, the reality of the pandemic has now set in.
Now, while chefs will no doubt continue to hone their skills and dream up dishes with which to delight us, this won’t keep them “match-fit” like being in situ. Sadly for front of house staff practice will be all but impossible and for all affected the empty time may well have negative consequences. Universally the uncertainty and impact on income will be a concern. A concern from which it will be difficult to hide. This will in turn put pressure on line managers to work closely with the business owners and teams to keep teams well informed.
What now then?
At this point business owners and teams will need to work closely to keep morale up. Unprecedented times may offer unprecedented opportunities. It is a great idea to set up “support groups” to keep in contact and check in on each other. So many excellent ways to keep teams communicating and evolving have sprung out of the darkness of the pandemic. Coworkers hosting virtual quiz nights and race meetings via Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Keeping morale up and forging bonds of care and concern in myriad ways. Harness this to benefit your businesses positively. Also safe guard future profitability for all involved?
How?
In hospitality the asset of your team is often (not always) under serviced and over looked. This time offers businesses an opportunity to invest time and energy into their most important commodity – their people! Talking with hotel managers about vital teams such as housekeeping and kitchen portering, it became clear that unless there were incidents that required remedying, these teams could work years without any supportive input or supplementary training. Busy shifts, turn into weeks which turn into months which turn into years and apart from the occasional operational team meeting many members on these teams never get any business insights, support or enrichment training.
Team building, training, care and concern can be fun and enriching! Perhaps this is a statement you feel only a trainer may say! However consider the opportunity you have right now to come up with ways to keep your team involved. Get your team’s input to improve methods of executing day to day functions. There are so many benefits to giving your team an opportunity to progress the business. Looking forward and planning can surely only install positivity in your team at a time when they may be feeling anything but positive.
Over many years of striving to help to increase individual performance, whether it is a porters or a chief executive, I know there is a guaranteed way for everyone to progress. Everyone can do this. Every business should do this. It is neither difficult nor time consuming if you nurture a business culture which supports personal development. Simply assess to progress.
Reset for success.
If everyday, every team member assesses with a view to progressing their own performance. Allowing a small parcel of time in each shift each day for a short debrief will pay dividends very quickly. Although ideally I personally would like to encourage and asses this in person with the technology at our disposal these days it has also never been easier. As an example, team members could send short videos or messages debriefing the highs and lows of a shift with their line managers at the end of each shift, or even as they go. In turn managers can then feedback proactively and either identify an specific area for attention or input immediately an appropriate remedy. All input must be delivered and received in the spirit of growth. This way your individuals and teams can only grow.
When teams operate in a business culture that supports and celebrates personal progress and achieves this through encouraging assessment teams and businesses flourish. This will identify training needs. Better operational practices will be conceived and implemented. In businesses where everyone is working to progress and supporting each other in that endeavour, failures are no longer failures but attempts at improvement which highlight what to avoid and hopefully point us in the direction we want to go to progress.
These “failures” are inevitable but, viewed as part of an evolution, these processes project businesses to best practices. In this supportive evolutionary culture teams bond beneficially. Careful training is essential encourage this collaborative culture. Training is also fundamental to foster critical thinking as a proactive way to operate. Actively encouraging individuals to accept responsibility and giving them opportunities to exercise this, their confidence will grow. As individuals hold themselves accountable, teams grow stronger and more agile.
Unique time.
This time may be an opportunity to develop this culture and foster these practices for when teams return to work. At this time there may be an opportunity for a fresh stronger start.Having hit the rest button and nurturing your teams at this time will hopefully keep their spirits up and give you an opportunity to identify business needs and training that could update and upgrade your team while you have the time to implement these. This in turn will hopefully be an sound investment for your business which will hopefully see an invigorated demand when the lockdown eases. Make no mistake as never before businesses will need to return to operate in new and more efficient, more effective ways to ensure they are viable longterm. Right now I believe there is a golden opportunity to foster a more supportive and progressive culture within your business.
As ever my message is simple looking after your people, is looking after your is customer, and that is how you take care of business.