What Does it Take to Create a Resilient Hospitality Team?

While demand has surged in the hotel industry, employment levels have not. In understaffed teams, employees face increasingly challenging situations, work longer hours and wear multiple hats. This can quickly break down a team’s ability to bounce back from rough shifts or difficult customers. We have discussed the power of personal resiliency in our blog before, but how do you help your hospitality team find resiliency?

Create a Team Environment


Hospitality companies are are always dealing with people, so it is easy to forget that many roles are often lonely. For example, housekeeping staff usually works in small teams or alone. Night shift workers are also prone to long stretches alone. This creates roadblocks to building a shared sense of purpose that can guide people through challenging moments. And since many hospitality companies, especially hotels, must always have someone on staff, it is tough to have all-staff meetings or social events.

Things like social media groups, file sharing apps, or WhatsApp are great interactive ways for teams to communicate and receive information. Regularly hold team meetings that incorporate social interaction, not just company updates.

The Customer Isn’t Always Right


One of the most stressful parts of hospitality is dealing with unruly guests. While hospitality is about creating outstanding experiences for guests, it should not come at the cost of throwing an employee under the bus. Let your employees know that managers will back them up if a guest becomes disrespectful or rude. This emotionally equips them to better approach, and rebound from, difficult guest interactions.

Use Overtime Carefully


As hotels and restaurants struggle to meet the surge in demand, teams will be working overtime until they can hire more hands. Make sure teams are equally taking on the extra work and management is keeping an eye out for burnout. Just because someone is a team player does not mean they can handle taking on an extra shift again.

Provide Mental Health Resources


If you can provide insurance that covers mental health care, great! Make sure employees are aware of their coverage and know how to find in-network providers. If it is not part of company insurance, locate and share free local resources. Here is a great place to start.

Encourage Physical Wellness


Studies show that mental health is closely tied to physical wellness. Encourage stationary roles to get up and take walks. Create wellness challenges to promote eating well, drinking water, and getting enough sleep. Be understanding when employees need to take a sick day.

Find Supportive Hospitality Leadership


In an industry with frequent ups and downs, the right leadership makes all the difference in a teams’ resiliency. Make sure your management staff is willing to contribute to a healthy work environment. Learn how our hospitality recruiters can help you find those leaders for your staff. Contact us today.

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