Terrorism in tourism is the new norm
Earlier this year, my son returned from India and remarked that he had observed hotels checking all bags of ‘arriving’ guests. I recall telling him that this was after the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that included the Taj Mahal Hotel where a total 166 people were left dead. Obviously, the Indian hospitality industry had in the immediate aftermath of those attacks recognised that terrorism in tourism is the new norm.
Prior to 21st April this year, almost every hotel manager I spoke to lamented how difficult it was to hire new staff. HR managers described attracting and retaining people was the biggest challenge in their work. Over 75% of the jobs in the hospitality industry are unskilled jobs in operational areas. Unsurprisingly, the most difficult vacancies to fill were the operational jobs. Whilst all acknowledged this problem, the majority of them could not say which specific actions they undertook to solve it.
Post-21st April, with very few customers coming thru the front door whilst hotel staff are been shown the door, the need to find staff, has by default, suddenly ceased.
Our industry leaders are confident that this country’s tourism recovery will occur within the next 12 to 13 months, and, once normalcy returns - sooner or later, the recurring problems of finding staff will return with full force. By then, two additional factors will emerge in the struggle to find staff, namely, the “fear’ factor and the ‘trust’ factor.
The horrific incidents on 21st April made tourists fearful of coming to Sri Lanka. It has also scared those working in the industry. Overtime, the tourists will return…but will it be the same for staff? Moving forward, the perception that our industry is now a risky workplace will add to the challenges HR people will face. Seeing staff being laid-off / retrenched has also created a huge deficit of trust. Now, more than before, fear of being the first to lose their jobs at the earliest hint of business disruption will make people even more reluctant to join the industry.
We all know how difficult it is to attract young school leavers to join the industry. The hospitality industry has the image of ‘hard work, irregular hours and poor pay’. For most of the school leavers, joining the hospitality industry is by no means their preferred choice of profession; instead, it is a ‘stop-gap’ solution to ‘eke’ out an existence - after other options had failed.
Many people do not see the differences between the types of hospitality businesses. 5-star hotels are part of the hospitality industry - so is the snack bar around the corner. Hence to attract and retain employees for the industry, it is important that the hospitality industry should seriously consider setting up strategies to improve its image. The responsibility of doing this is not only a matter for the whole industry but is the business of the government as well.
The launch of a Disaster Relief Fund DRF) for vulnerable employees, similar to the Tourism Development Levy (TDL) may be worth considering in the long term. The fund could be used to ensure that the welfare of vulnerable employees is taken care of until the good times return. How it is managed is to be determined. This will also ensure that we do not lose those we retrench to other professions. Yes, some will go… but the majority of those who joined our industry for whatever reason - did make a statement ‘let us try out the hospitality industry’.
Let’s therefore not give up on them!
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex- Hotelier
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