The new Food and Beverage Director
at a 5-Star hotel had met with his
staff to share his vision and become
acquainted with current employees.
His goal was to receive candid
feedback from his new employees
on management and culture.
Cooks, dishwashers, servers, busers,
bartenders and managers all aired a
variety of grievances. Their concerns
included: worries about a lack of
supplies, unassigned tasks, confusion
and lack of back up at peak hours,
faulty communication between the
kitchen and restaurant staff, and
overtime pay and tipping that were
not equitable, among others.
The Food and Beverage Director
responded by sharing personal stories
from his previous job at a similar
hotel.
STORY #1: ‘When I worked at
Hotel X, the restaurant staff was
disgruntled and their poor attitude
negatively affected the guests.
Business declined and ultimately the
restaurant closed. The entire staff
was now out of work. Many of them
call me frequently looking for work.’
Message: Beware. This could happen
to you.
This story uses scare tactics in
order to get employees back in line,
threatening that they might lose
their jobs if they don’t perform well.
STORY #2: ‘When I worked at Hotel
X, I told my staff that they should
look up to you. You’re doing great
work and should be proud of yourself
and co-workers. YOU provide
excellent guest service, and are
the model and standard for 5-Star
properties.’ Message: You’re the best.
Be happy with that.
This story uses compliments: You’re
so wonderful!
Both stories are designed to shut
down discussion and eliminate
complaints. This management
strategy is both inauthentic and
ineffective. It is inauthentic because
‘honest feedback’ was elicited but
clearly not welcome. It is ineffective,
because employees are not so easily
fooled. They will determine that their
restaurant is not in danger of failing
and they see right through gratuitous
flattery.
The overall strategy behind both
stories uses gratitude. ‘You should
be grateful to have this job, there
are many people in your profession
who are out of work. You should be
grateful to be a member of such a
great team.’ Gratitude effectively
shuts down discussion and eliminates
complaints by instilling shame.
Employees feel uncomfortable asking
for more when they are told that
they have so much. Workers are
dismissed along with their thoughts,
ideas and feedback. Trust is broken
when feedback is received negatively
and complaints go underground and
fester. Thus attitude and behavior
decline.
Managers who truly want to resolve
problems and conflict among staff
need to hear and consider ALL
feedback. Here’s how:
1. START WITH FACTS
Complaints are fraught with
emotion so you need to sift
out the facts and pertinent
information to determine
what the problem entails. Ask
employees questions to get to
specific details: ‘When did you
request X? What exactly were
you told?’
2. CONTINUE WITH MORE
FACTS
Once you have a clear picture of
the problem, you can share with
staff what specific options are
possible. Here the facts are also
crucial: Some policies are non-
negotiable, and employees need
to know that. Those problems
will have to be treated as: How
can we cope with that policy?
Other policies (the hotel and
employer’s) may be adapted.
Those problems should be
treated as: How can we change
and improve this?
3. COLLABORATE AND
RESOLVE: Lead a productive
discussion that addresses the
problems effectively. Keep
workers on track by continuing
to reinforce the facts and
goals of the group. Be clear
about expectations and time.
After hearing and evaluating
possibilities, you will be making
final decisions. Time is limited
(everyone needs to get back to
work!)
Resolving problems allows workers to
feel heard, supported and respected.
Attitude and behavior improve
because employees are empowered
and invested. Problem solving can
be time consuming, but it is well
worth it. Shutting down complaints
is a quick fix, but it doesn’t last. The
noise will be back, and next time even
louder. Take the time to honestly
listen to what your staff has to say.
This way you’ll resolve issues and
eliminate the noise for the long haul.
About the author
LMSW Laura MacLeod created “From
The Inside Out Project®,” based on two
decades of experience as a union worker
and with all levels of employment in mind
to assist in maintaining a harmonious
workplace. She is an adjunct professor in
graduate studies at the Hunter College
Silberman School of Social Work.
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