THE BULLETIN
The pandemic didn ’ t create remote working . It exposed it .
Years ago , I lived in Trumbull , Conn ., which , beyond the fact that it won the Little League World Series in 1989 , is a nice hike from New York City and if you hit the Merritt Parkway at the wrong time of day , can be a three-hour commute — one way . I should know . I ’ ve driven it .
Ever since the Dutch sailed upon Manhattan in the 1600s , real estate and apartment rental prices on the island have risen . The expense is real , forcing many who aren ’ t Rockefellers to flee to the ‘ burbs . Or , at least , Queens . For many , it made commuting to jobs a temporal ordeal — whether by car , subway , ferry , bus or bike .
According to U . S . Census Bureau data , the average commute time in the U . S . is 53.8 minutes roundtrip — or 4.5 hours per five-day work week . For those commuting to New York City , it ’ s 82.8 minutes roundtrip and based on average commute times , those working five days a week spend 6.9 hours a week and about 15 days a year commuting .
That ’ s a ton of lost time . It ’ s always been eminently clear that some people can perform their duties at home or at least some days per week at home . Ergo , remote working has always made sense ; it just took a pandemic to put it in motion .
Remote working as it is has been a boon for the hotel industry , allowing people with a laptop to literally work from anywhere they want , like a hotel pool or hotel lobby . It ’ s also allowed families to relocate to locations farther outside major gateway markets , reshuffling the disbursement of population , and opening up new business to hotels and resorts across the country . This new norm is a lift for the industry , whereby weekly demand patterns have not just shifted but stayed more constant , where historically weakened Thursday to Sunday business is now more robust . As one hotel management executive told me , weekends are no longer on discount .
Of course , those who work at hotels don ' t have the luxury of working from home . That would be weird and difficult , though check-in via Zoom isn ’ t so bad an idea . The pandemic wiped away numerous jobs in hospitality that have yet to be refilled . According to data from the U . S . Bureau of Labor , more than 1.5 million hospitality and leisure jobs remain unfilled . And though hotel workers don ’ t have the ability to work from home , it ’ s up to employers to make sure their work experience is fruitful .
Wages have gone up , which helps , but job employment doesn ’ t always equate to job enjoyment , which goes well beyond financial gain . Management theorist Chester Barnard proposed a series of incentives , both tangible and intangible , in order to nurture employees . These inducements included money , but Barnard put a higher premium on things such as desirable physical working conditions , pride in workmanship , the opportunity for the feeling of enlarged participation and the condition of communing with others , or comradeship .
Throwing money at the labor void is a start , but it won ’ t fix retention . That comes with ensuring that the job is not a transaction , but the start of a career . The track record is real : men and women who started by holding doors are now sitting in the C-suite .
COVID is still around but the pandemic is over . Remote working remains and enticing hotel employees has never been more necessary and challenging . Workers have never had more choice : from Uber to Target , there is a long list of employers . What those don ’ t have is on-thejob training that can be the starting line that leads to a productive and worthwhile career .
EDITORIAL David Eisen Editor In Chief
Kathakali Nandi Editorial Writer
Tatiana Valenzuela Editorial Coordinator
Juan Cruz del Val Designer
Contributing Writers Derek Herscovici , Stefani C . O ' Connor and Micah Solomon
PUBLISHING Ali Jahangiri CEO
Brian Levine Publisher
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
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Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton , McLean , Virginia
Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta
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June 2023 hotelsmag . com 5