The Future of Work in Hospitality: Embracing Remote and Flexible Workforces
If we had to rank the importance of any workforce, hospitality would be one of the few at the top. No matter what’s going on in the world, this industry demands adaptability and “ready to serve” action 24/7, 365 days a year.. Post-COVID, the landscape of work within the industry has changed. New technologies, new social norms, and more have shifted preferences to be more flexible when it comes to working arrangements. Today we’ll chat about the future of work in hospitality as businesses and employees look for changes with work from home.
The Rise of Remote Work in Hospitality
We’ve always known the hospitality industry to be reliant on in-person work. Front desk staff, concierge services, housekeeping, and restaurants services all have to be face-to-face, right? You can’t fluff pillows or serve a cocktail from your living room. However, since the global pandemic, there has been a heavier acceptance and adoption of remote work across different departments. While it may seem challenging to envision certain hospitality roles being performed remotely, plenty within this industry can thrive from a flexible work arrangement.
Customer Service and Support: Traditionally, the on-site manager fielded complaint calls and resolved issues. Now, many hotels and hospitality companies are allowing their customer service roles to go remote. The manager can focus more directly on managing and those who fill the role just answer and resolve issues when they appear.
Communication tools such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems help those workers manage reservations, inquiries, and provide the needed support from their homes.
Sales and Marketing: This is pretty much a given, but remember the days when the sales rep was sitting next to the front desk crew? Now, the hospitality industry has the majority of their sales and marketing workers working remotely. Digital marketing campaigns, social media management, and virtual sales meetings can be hosted from anywhere, allowing for a more diverse talent pool.
Administrative and Back-Office Functions: The HR team, the finance team, and IT support are all working remotely now. No doubt these will never go back to on-site, except for IT, who may need to troubleshoot issues at the physical location.
The Benefits of Embracing Flexibility
Taking the leap and shifting to a remote work environment not only benefits the employee, but the employer as well. Some shared benefits include:
- Expanded Talent Pool
- Improved Employee Satisfaction and Retention
- Cost Savings
- Enhanced Productivity
Challenges and Solutions with Remote Workforces
Yes, the upgrade to remote work is promising and provides a ton of benefits, but as with any good thing in the world, there are potential drawbacks:
Maintaining Team Cohesion: This is a worry shared across almost any industry promoting remote work. It’s the disconnect which may occur between team members who are working from home, in different time zones, at different paces. It can be a nightmare for control freaks. To work with this, companies can leverage technologies to help provide a more collaborative environment such as Zoom, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and more. Another thing to consider is to host weekly standup meetings.
Ensuring Security and Compliance: Remote work can have its fair share of security risks, especially when you’re working on the data side of things. You have access to customer information such as names, addresses, credit card numbers, and more. With cyber attacks becoming more and more common, implementing security measures and making sure all team members follow certain guidelines will cover face further down the road.
Looking Ahead
Regardless of whether it’s in the hospitality space or any other industry, the future of work is leaning towards a more flexible and remote approach. Not only does the shift align with changing preferences of individuals and society, but when you weigh it all out, there’s a ton of benefits for businesses when they’re looking to remain competitive. As the industry takes on this new era of work, it’s important to understand that it isn’t a temporary wave of people wanting to work from home, but it’s a strategic move toward a more sustainable and innovative future.