THE LAST WORD

Business survival advice for the industry

There are few industries that offer more opportunity for talented individuals to rise through the ranks quickly without requiring formal qualifications than the hospitality industry.

By Robyn Christie, consultant to the industry and Agility Hospitality advisor.

Most TripAdvisor reviews begin with accolades about the staff they have encountered before they review the venue or the food, and usually the skills most required in hospitality are not ones that are learnt through formal qualifications.

The Tourism Equity Fund’s (TEF) aim of prioritising rural areas to help spread economic prosperity within local communities provides a golden opportunity for developing individuals and increasing their employability. South African hospitality is internationally renowned for the warmth of the staff. An affinity for people is among the most desirable traits in this industry, and people without tertiary education can be very successfully developed on the job while earning a salary.

With no increase in direct taxes announced in Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s Budget speech, it is hoped that families’ comfort levels will improve and lead to more people indulging in local holidays and dining out in greater numbers.

Perhaps driven by an association with perceived health benefits of ‘fresh country air’, many people are seeking out destinations that are off the beaten track and this could herald future successes for invigorating rural economies. Supporting and sustaining hospitality has wider national significance because it is such a labour-intensive sector, with exciting prospects for job creation, stimulating economic activity and developing grassroots talent into highly marketable hospitality professionals.

Although the industry shed many jobs last year, prior to the pandemic, tourism and hospitality were performing well and it is expected that many establishments will rebuild, with or without TEF backing, to thrive once more. Driven by competition, the businesses that remain open have put a real emphasis on Covid-19 safety and compliance because this is a major selling point. By this stage, any teething issues have been ironed out because any whisper of dubious C-19 precautions could be a death knell for any business in this space.

Supporting local has been very much embraced by those who can afford to, as people turned to activities that they perhaps would not have sought out previously. While the beaches were closed, South Africans had more time to

explore other parts of our country and perhaps have a renewed appreciation of how richly diverse our range of local tourism options are.

The Covid-19 vaccine is coming, and in the countries where many of our international tourists come from it is already well underway. This economically crucial industry needs public support more than ever until international travel returns. If you are patriotic, go for a meal out and book your next local holiday to help keep the lights on in the meantime.

In this climate, where every opportunity must be taken to refine operating and staff costs, there is a danger that some employers may be tempted to cull expenses at the expense of well-being. For hospitality businesses to be sustainable, it is not enough to provide facemasks and hand sanitiser to employees. The market has evolved, particularly when it comes to access to health benefits. Agility Hospitality has more than a decade of experience and has designed highly specialised solutions to suit this sector in particular. Affordability – one of the most relevant considerations at the moment – is a cornerstone of the solution’s value proposition, as is comprehensive and quality benefits.

This end-to-end employee health, risk and wellbeing solution caters specifically for the needs of employers in the hospitality industry to safeguard valued employees and enhance productivity. All levels of employees are provided for with health cover from Health Squared Medical Scheme, and primary healthcare services for lower-income employees, employee wellbeing programmes and a flexible healthcare savings solution to ensure even casual staff can access private health services.

In the past, benefits such as retirement, life and disability cover were frequently reserved for high-earning staff only, but these are fast becoming part of the expected standard package. Now more than ever, employee assistance programmes are going to become essential across the board.

The employee assistance services, available via the free Agility Employee Wellbeing programme, include telephonic support services, including multilingual, confidential and unlimited access to personal support and psycho-social counselling available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staff also have access to HIV/AIDS counselling, mental health support and life management services including legal, financial and family care services for all-round wellness that really does shine through in work performance.

In hospitality, a sincere smile touches the hearts of customers and makes an establishment so much more memorable. Equipping staff with coping mechanisms and meaningful support to navigate these challenging times will go a long way to ensuring their ultimate wellbeing and effective contribution to the business.

My survival advice for employers in the hospitality space right now is to recognise the value of the talent you have, if for no other reason than that your star team members are the first thing your customers refer to in their reviews of your establishment. Finding, nurturing and developing those employees who have the intuition that truly understands customer service and who know how to anticipate customer needs are key to any hospitality business’ survival and ultimate success.

Who is Robyn Christie?

Robyn Christie is a consultant to the tourism and hospitality industry and advisor to Agility Hospitality. Robyn has spent the past twenty years in various leadership roles within the travel and tourism sectors and is passionate about unlocking the industry’s potential for job creation and skills development in South Africa.