It is bad enough when co-workers cannot get along or when a member of staff upsets a guest, but what if one is unable to be understood altogether? I have noticed this issue time and time again within the UK hospitality sector, where many people are unable to hold a basic conversation in English, let alone commit to an entire service where solid communication is paramount. In fact, poor communication can seriously hinder the level of service at an establishment.
I would like to begin by saying that some of the most successful people I know speak English as a second, third or even fourth language; I will not be discussing these people in my article. Here, I will be focused on those who are unable to communicate in English, and who work in the UK.
Surprisingly, I do not believe these people to be the issue, rather I think that the people who hire them are at fault. If somebody is not somewhat proficient in the English language, why hire them in a place that requires them to communicate with guests for the majority of their shift? Why do the people in charge of on-boarding and recruitment take these people on without even considering the negative impact of these decisions on the business? Is it possible that some senior members of staff are not adequately trained/prepared to handle the hefty responsibility of hiring and firing members of staff when appropriate?
I vividly remember witnessing a very agitated guest in one of the food and beverage outlets of a hotel. Why was this you ask? Well, a member of staff who approached the guest’s table could not understand the guest at all. What was worse was the fact that the staff member did not even consider calling a co-worker over for help so that they can correctly handle the situation and appease the guest. Thus, the guest was livid. I then personally witnessed the same member of staff servicing and communicating with guests at the establishment the next day and subsequent days as if nothing happened. Upon the realisation that a member of staff is unable to properly communicate with guests, why would management still entrust them with such a responsibility without sufficient training? This is just one example of many that I have had the displeasure of observing.
Nevertheless, the problems do not stop here. No. In fact, it turns out that communication becomes equally difficult when interacting with their co-workers. Not only does this slow down the service immensely, especially when it is busy, it also becomes increasingly confusing. If a staff member misinterprets what another co-worker has said regarding, say, how to service a particular table, it may well be to the detriment of the entire service. This will be especially disadvantageous for the business in question if they are established, well respected and possibly even somewhat famous within the industry. In the case of the business I was referring to above, they are rather well known and renowned, so they are very lucky that this blunder did not negatively affect them.
When the highest-level senior staff of hospitality businesses are itching and scratching their heads looking for potential solutions to improve the establishments in which they work, how could they have missed this? The least they could do is ensure that the staff members incapable of interacting in English do not interact with guests until their level of English improves. Also, if an organisation decides to hire an employee with a low level of English, they must bear the responsibility of ensuring that their level improves (e.g. through intensive English classes) before they allow them to interact with guests.
This clearly highlights the lack of care and attention on the part of higher-level staff at many organisations. Not only do some not seem to care at all about the issues facing their employees, it also seems that they are incapable when it comes to hiring adequate talent. Thus, it appears that the members of staff with poor levels of English are not the only ones in need of further training…
This seems to raise an even bigger question. Why is it that when trying to improve the business they are a part of, senior staff never look at themselves? Why do they not even consider the possibility that they may be playing a significant part in the stagnation or, in some cases, the downfall of specific businesses?
As I have previously mentioned, success will be the result of just as much introspection as there is extrospection.
