Each industry has its own set of unique issues , but hospitality ’ s customer-facing work , latenight hours and smaller staffs can lead to more incidents in the workplace , leaving organizations , such as hotels , more susceptible to persistent problems . For example , in the hotel industry , 53 % of workers have reported sexual harassment while on the job . A further 35 % of women in |
the general workforce have reported being sexually harassed at work , versus 89 % of women working in hospitality .
Building a company culture that values ethics and encourages speaking up with concerns is a must for hospitality companies to protect employees at all levels . A “ speak-up ” culture protects your company , your employees and your customers , helping to ensure your organization remains a compliant and desirable place to work
THE IMPORTANCE OF A SPEAK-UP CULTURE A speak-up culture builds mutual respect and trust between employer and employee and also the customer and company . It is reliant on transparency and
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accountability from all parties . When reporters feel safe and are encouraged to raise issues , everybody wins as employees and customers know that you ’ ll take their concerns seriously , no matter what or who their complaint involves .
However , you cannot build a speak-up culture over night . You need the right tools , supported by the right policies , to help begin to transform how employees , stakeholders and customers think about wrong doing in your establishment .
If you are suffering from a lack of reporting in general or a flawed reporting process , one of the first — and arguably one of the most important — steps is to implement a robust whistleblower hotline to empower employees and customers to report concerns .
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The term whistleblower hotline may still have a negative connotation for some ; however , it essentially refers to a tool for employees ( and , in many cases , external stakeholders , including customers ) to anonymously report any wrongdoing that they do not feel comfortable speaking about directly . Also , in many cases simply called an ethics reporting hotline or reporting hotline .
When employees and customers feel safe making a report , you ’ ll uncover problems before they balloon into widespread , potentially harmful and expensive incidents . Whether it involves sensitive issues , such as harassment or financially damaging scenarios like stealing and fraud , the degree of damages grows exponentially the longer they
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56 hotelsmag . com September 2024 |