by Alex A. Kecskes
Managing hospitality employees can be a challenge. Treating your employees well and managing them with skill and compassion will reflect how well they treat your customers.
If you notice a morale problem, your first inclination may be to give your employees more money or perks. But many times, employees simply need respect, recognition and feedback to feel challenged and happy. Here are five management tips to help you motivate employees:
- Make Human Contact. Get out of your office and connect with your employees. Don't manage by email or phone. Talk to your employees face to face. And listen.
- Don't Procrastinate. Address important discussions, meetings, or issues as they arise. Employee problems, or conditions that cause employee grief can fester and quickly mushroom out of control, leading to a loss of morale.
- Hire Right. Don't just hire people to fill a spot. Make sure the person you hire will be happy and productive in that position. Unhappy employees can be infectious and a real morale crusher.
- Enroll and Challenge. Create lighthearted and fun competition among employees. Challenge them to excel. Conduct reward-based goal activities.
- Fix the Underlying Problem. Don't just fix mistakes and problems. Seek out their root cause. If it's poor working conditions, listen to your employees and enlist their support. If it's a problem employee, address the underlying cause, don't just blame them and end it with a threat or reprimand.
For an added perspective, check out Rosemary E. Lucas' paperback, "Managing Employee Relations in the Hotel and Catering Industry"
For more information on hospitality jobs, check out: http://www.hospitalityjobsite.com/
Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.
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