One of the hardest things about working in the hospitality industry is the lack of respect that everyone seems to have for the workers. You hear things like “the customer is always right” and “be respectful even when they’re not” and honestly – I’m fed up with it all. Respect hospitality workers!
Restaurant
I’ve worked in a fast food restaurant for many years before working in the hotel. This is where I first encountered the problem. People would come in demanding free food, complaining about the prices, and treat us like we were scum. Grant you, there were some lovely customers that came through and they were dearly loved by all. They would make up for all the horrible ones we got. I still remember, to this day, a customer came in, said they wanted a burger (we had many different kinds of burgers) and when my coworker asked them which burger, they got mad. In fact, they said, “no wonder you work here. You don’t have an education.” EXCUSE ME! This coworker was actually working there while they were in University. Please remember to treat restaurant workers, in sit down and fast food, with respect. Trust me, none of them get paid enough to deal with that treatment.
Hotel
Alright, lets talk about hotel guests. Again, I have dealt with a lot of really lovely guests. They help me to love my job. However, we do get those guests that just make your blood boil. Sometimes it feels like we get more of those than the lovely ones. Everyone wants things for free. Do you think it’s free for us to keep the hotel open? We can’t go to our suppliers and say I want free supplies this month. Or can you imagine if the boss came to us and said oh you’re working for free this month because we can’t afford to pay you? There are two ways to ask for a discount. The first is with respect. “Hello. Is there any sort of discount I am eligible for?” I can give you this much off for this. “Thank you so much.” And then there is the way most people ask. “That’s way too much. Give me a better deal.” You know that saying you catch more bees with honey than vinegar? You get better deals with kindness than with insults and verbal abuse.
Respect Doesn’t Cost Anything
It does not cost you anything to treat hospitality workers with respect. Think about how you would feel if the situation was reversed. Would you want people talking down to you all the time? How would you feel if someone threatened you or spent a few minutes just yelling at you and verbally abusing you? I can guarantee that you wouldn’t want that. Neither do the people working in hospitality. There have been many days where I had to drag myself out of bed because I didn’t want to go to work. Not because of the job, or coworkers, but because of the people that would come in and be difficult. And when you’re a regular and difficult, no one wants to deal with you.
Not All Bad
Like I said, not all people are like this. I’ve met some amazing people that bring a smile to your face. They’re kind and funny and respectful. When I worked in fast food we had some regulars that I would joke around with and we were all on a first name basis with each other. Here in the hotel I have regulars like that as well. They come in and you catch up and chat about life, laugh together, and it’s wonderful. I’ve even had a guest who would find out if I was coming in that day and would go get me a coffee for my shift. She even gave me a card on my birthday and a present. These are the people that make my job fulfilling and I want to come to work for them. It’s these people that I want to go the extra mile for; to make their stay as amazing as possible. Respect goes a long way.
I Respect Others Because I Get it
When I go to restaurants now, I treat the staff with respect. If they’re running around and I can see they’re busy, I wait patiently for my turn. When they’re apologising for the wait times I tell them I get it. I put their mind at ease. Because of my experiences I never want to treat anyone with disrespect. If I’m in the grocery store, the bank, paying for car insurance, or anywhere I go – I try to be kind and respectful. I put myself in their shoes. There are videos out there of people giving those in the service industry a hard time and you always see people standing around and watching. Then I saw one video where someone stood up and defended the employee that was being harassed. I applaud you sir and I can only hope that if I would ever see something like that, I would stand up and defend the employee being wrongfully treated.
Please be Kind
Please do not be the kind of people that are rude to others. Treat people with respect and kindness. The golden rule – treat others as you want to be treated. If you’re having a bad day, don’t put yourself in a situation where you could be rude to another person. Respect will go a lot further, with most people, than rudeness. Of course there are people out there that can never be pleased and there is nothing we can do about that. But we can all do our part to make the world a better place. Anything can happen, if we show respect and kindness.
