Hit by economic crisis, hotel industry tries to boost morale of staff

With the fear of job loss preying on the minds of employees during this economic slowdown, the hotel industry is now chalking out strategies to build their morale.

From confidence-building sessions and counselling to partying and a monthly movie treat, hoteliers are trying every possible tactic to keep their employees happy to ensure that they tender their services well.u00a0

Earlier this month, the management of Le Royal Meridien, Andheri, organised an extravagant bash for associates. The hotel has also opened a gaming zone, table tennis facilities and pool for employees.

"We have decided to help our associates from all departments with a motivational training programme. With the terror attacks and the economic crisis, the year has been stressful. With these measures we are trying to reaffirm our employees' faith in the organisation and demonstrate that they have the support of the organisation." said Anuraag Bhatnagar, general manager, Le Royal Meridien, who believes such initiatives will not only bring visual upliftment in the morale of employees but will also boost their productivity.

Some other hotels have introduced weekly counselling for employees. "The past few months have been the worst days for the hospitality industry, so we decided to counsel our employees if they have any fears regarding their job or personal security," said Sanjeev Shekhar, general manger, Hotel Marine Plaza, Marine Drive.

The hotel has also introduced a day out for its employees. "The head of departments had taken the initiative to work on this to please their associates," added Shekhar.u00a0u00a0

Rishi Puri, group GM, of the Residence Hotel and Ramada Powai has been working on the soft skills of employees. "After we were forced to cut down on staff, we are training employees to multitask," explained Puri.u00a0

The Hotel and Restaurant Association-Western India (HRA-WI) has organised a special session for HR manager's of various hotels later this month to train them on how to handle employees during recession and keep them motivated.

"The need of the hour is to handle the economic recession. We can't avoid it. So, we have to impart knowledge of how to handle the current scenario," said S P Jain, president of HRA-WI.

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