Work-life Balance Improves Hospitality

Continuous contact with customers and long hours make working in the hospitality industry strenuous. Employees have to be on their toes, charming and fresh, irrespective of whether the employee has just reported for duty or is continuing in the double shift. In this industry, service with a smile is the maxim, irrespective of whether she/he is overworked or tired. The problem does not end there.

Many a time due to work related fatigue, a great many of the employees in India’s hotel industry couldn’t give adequate time to family and social life. Ashok Malkani takes a look at how the hospitality industry can help in tackling the work-life balance issues.

- Ashok Malkani

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” is what Confucius is believed to have said. But does this hold true when your work-life balance goes for a toss? According to the latest statistics available, about one-third of full time workers struggle to keep their professional lives from dominating their personal lives.

This is nothing new for India’s hospitality industry but it is not good news either. According to some statistics, two of the top five reasons why people quit their jobs is because of lack of work-life balance. But if you can promote work-life balance within your team, you will have achieved a milestone. Not only will you receive more applicants for jobs, but those you have been already hired will stay in their positions longer.

One of the reasons for the employees not being able to maintain work-life balance in the hotel industry is because the industry has 24/7 operations. The workforce thus has to be on its toes 24 hours. many workers in the hospitality industry work not just through the night, but on the weekends and holidays as well.

It is rightly said that the hotel industry never sleeps. In such a scenario it is imperative that the employees work in varied shifts. Work shifts may change on daily or weekly basis. Often the employee is never sure of his/her shift for the following day, and thus he/she cannot plan for any personal commitments.

Moreover, sometimes the shifts are abnormal like the evening, break and graveyard shifts when the employees are expected to travel back home at odd hours. Although, hotels in India provide home drops for ladies working in late shifts, such service is generally not available for men, in India’s hospitality industry. Therefore sometimes employees staying far prefer to wait back in the hotel till early morning which further reduces their break timings.

Tackling Work-life Problems