Having extraordinary leadership and initiative is always an imperative thing to build team commitment and engagement, moreover it even plays a significantly role during the crisis. Particularly when you are navigating through the uncertainty and challenging age of coronavirus.
Let us now read, what hospitality experts have to say about true leadership, learnings and employee development in this blog.
One of the most experienced corporate trainer & facilitator from Singapore, states that as a leader, you’ll have people who follow and trust you as their role model in both normal and crisis times.
It can plunge you in a tricky situation when your hotel has to furlough or let go of staff, team members, that’s how where you got to manage the situation very effectively all while remaining the same i.e., compassionate.
To navigate this sensitive situation with the utmost care, the expert suggests to offer an extra support by creating a safest environment to your staff, where they can communicate about their challenges. Feeling heard, getting suggestions and understood helps them move forward.
Doing this is a great thing when you might have to prepare your hotel staff and management for the worst. This allows you to build your team’s trust through seamless communication and ongoing support. Always keep motivating and engaging during a crisis.
An area director of revenue management, outlined that every hotel must stay in touch with their staff via emails or text messages to express them stating they’re still valued. Handwritten notes if sent to those employees who had been laid off, will be a great gesture for which it’s much appreciated.
The director also highlights the importance of hotel staff engagement in reducing the turnover. If you neglect your furloughed employees, they may probably look for other opportunities and may never come back.
Announcing Redundancies
When the time comes to announce that you’ll have to let your staff go, expert emphasises the importance of using empathy and crisp clear communication of everything which led you to make the bitter decision.
After then, start offering as much support as possible to the team members by providing relevant information about job opportunities and government assistance.
For a strong recent instance of how to go about this, do have a look at the open letter by CEO Brian Chesky and Airbnb Founder wrote recently.
Using The Downtime Wisely
The author of the bestselling book ‘Uplifting Service’, advice hoteliers on making the most of this downtime.
He is suggesting that instead of viewing this unprecedented crisis as something you just need to ‘get through tough’, rather focus on transformation and growth.
Use this as a chance to move focused towards what you actually want to see your hotel business in the future. For instance, look at things that eats of your hotel’s productivity and staff time and don’t serve you back. For instance, accounting and bookkeeping.
Now could be the best ever time to drop the sluggish procedures and switch to automated accounting and bookkeeping approaches instead. With many technology advancements, you’ll upskill and become better and stronger than before.
Bring It All Together
You have make these uncertain times of COVID-19 less confusing and overwhelming for yourself and your staff by showing utmost empathy, providing support & communication of new developments honestly and clearly.
Just remember that we all are sailing in the same boat. Now is the time stay focused on what really counts – keep your team close and bring them all together. Because, alone we are strong… together we are stronger.
