H : Do you think we ’ ll revert to the old norms of business ? Is it changed for good ? DM : I don ’ t believe we ’ re going to be the same anymore . If we believe we ’ re going to be the same , we ’ re missing the 18 months of hard-core lessons in sustainability , a better planet , travel not to accumulate more air miles , but travel because it means something .
How do we make them learn how to engage with their staff ? How do you add training modules that make their lives more interesting ? How do you bring a bit more spice into their work lives with training , engagement tools , giving them diplomas and certificates on certain training modules ?
The initial feedback was fantastic , teaching owners how to engage closer and more with staff . If you ask me , just the pay raise doesn ’ t cut it anymore .
H : How are you working with your teams differently ? DM : In the past , we never had appreciation or wellbeing days or wellbeing exercises . We ’ ve done more webinars on wellbeing than we ’ ve done in the past . In the past , we never had a webinar where I sat in a room and talked about mental health and psychological support . Not that people necessarily needed it . But at the same time , we wanted to ensure that somebody who is cramped in a small apartment in , say , London , with another three roommates and working from home for nine to five is getting our support .
H : What ’ s your biggest opportunity and challenge ? DM : My biggest challenge is to keep up with the pace of change , while at the same time focus on business principles and values .
My biggest opportunity is everything we learned in the last 18 months . It has made us a better company , built a better future and made the team more resilient and focused in a face-to-face world .
We ’ re going back to our offices in October and it ’ s going to be strange . How do we keep up the same pace ? If my team and company is in good shape , and we are focused on our values and what we need to achieve , then the opportunities are endless . A lot depends on us . That , for me , is the biggest opportunity .
H : What are you passionate about ? DM : I ’ m passionate about the new generation and diversity in hospitality . Wyndham is doing an enormous amount of work to get women and diverse cultures into hospitality . We need to bring in new talent while retaining the existing ones . That , for me , is the foundation of the future of hospitality . We need to make hospitality an interesting industry for people to work in .
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