Hotel Arizona’s Eneche on labour relations in hospitality industry

What are the causes of high labour turnover in the industry?

THE CAUSES, I CAN SAY, are from both ends, that is the employers and the employees. Most times when the employee does not get the satisfaction he or she wants on the job, because everybody is looking for greener pastures, the employee would want to go where he thinks he would get the satisfaction on the job.

Sometimes, the employee as a human being, you know that human needs are insatiable, his expectations may be high and may not want to be patient and grow with the business. And on the part of employers, from my experience, when the salary is not coming or not coming as at when due or when it can not take care of the needs of the employee, he would want to go to the place where the salary can take care of his or her needs.

What gap is this creating in the industry?

Of course, it creates a lot of gap because a staff that has worked with a particular organisation for many years, who knows very well the mode of operations of the business, then all of a sudden, he tells you that he is leaving for another place, it is not really a good thing to say, [but] a gap has been created. Such a gap will affect the productivity of the business and the employer as well.

Most staff jump from one place to the other and because the owners have this mentality that no staff wants to stay long, as a result the employers are reluctant to bring out money to train the staff. The employers already have the mind that no matter what they do, the staff would have the mind to leave for another hotel. And so they see that a lot of gaps and lapses will be created as the staff leaves suddenly.

Also, when the staff leaves today and you bring in a new person, that staff would want to be acquainted with the business, learn the ins and outs, know some of the regular and reputable customers, and learn how to go about with some issues in the new place.

And so when the workers jump from one place to another, the standard of that hotel will be lowered because any person that comes as a staff member will bring in his or her own idea. And for you as an employer you will go on training and retraining to make the staff fit in properly for the job. In the hospitality outfit where the staff turnover is high, you could see that the quality will be difficult to sustain.

Does it suggest lack of trust in the industry?

Yes, there is that lack of trust and suspicion. I will say that most of the challenges come from the employers because [there’s] nobody that would see a good thing [and] not want to stay and keep it. If he sees a comfortable job, is well remunerated, the working conditions are favourable and he or she is being treated fairly, I think the employee would not need to go to another place because as they say, the devil you know is better than the angel you do not know.

Again, any organisation that is not paying as at when due the staff there has no hope.

When they tell you, I will pay on the first of the month and on that first they do not pay salaries, and in another month, they pay on the 10th and they keep changing, those employers cannot sustain what they do or what they are doing.

Does the industry regard employees as assets?

Some employers do not see the staff as assets; and because they do not look at them as assets to the business, that is why they would say, “If you work, I will pay you, the business is not yours.”

And because of this, the employers will start to treat the staff unfairly. Some of them will not give the staff off-duty days. And when the staff is sick, the employer will deduct the salary, some of them will surcharge their employees arbitrarily and go on to do other things that will not make the staff happy. So, when any of the staff sees any slightest opportunity he or she will leave.

Then on the part of the employee, people do not value the hotel work as a profession, most people see it as a part-time job. Some see it as a job to hold themselves for a moment, so no matter what you do for them, no matter how you train them for the job, their interest is not there because what they are after is the money and not the growth of the business.

Again such staff, when they see a new place opened and the salary is better, they will all run to that new place; they will join hands to kill the establishment and they will leave just like that. What they are after is the money and not for the growth or well-being of that establishment, that is why I said, it is from both the employers and the employees.

However, the employer has more to contribute because if he does not want the employee to leave for another place, he knows what to do.

What is your advice to existing and potential investors in the sector?

Now, my advice to entrepreneurs who invest their money in this sector is that they need to value their staff as assets to the business, because when the workers are happy they will put in their best. The employers should build trust in the staff to enable the business to grow.

If you establish a new place and employ staff with good promises, when they see you are doing according to your promises, they will stay. The staff will treat the customers as kings and queens, but an employer or entrepreneur cannot do that. When the employer treats the employee as a royal person, the staff will in turn treat customers as queens and kings.

My advice to investors and employers is for them to cherish their staff, treat them very well, they are human beings. If you treat them well they will put in their best, they will make the guests and customers happy and in return customers will keep coming, patronage will go high and there will be more returns on your investment and there will be growth.