Training during tough times

The Middle East may be full of high-quality hotels and F&B outlets, but can the staff meet up to service expectations? Training professionals from around the region joined Caterer Middle East at Radisson SAS, Dubai Deira Creek to discuss the challenges facing hospitality industry education.

How has the credit crisis affected training programmes across the region?

Steven Ferry: Times are definitely tight, but only the toughest and smartest survive. Finding ways to maintain standards through training is not something one can put on the back burner, especially when guests have more choice and better deals. There is even more need to add quality of service to the mix through ongoing training.

There has definitely been some pull back - so far about 50% of outlets that I know of have postponed training for this year. Some however have not been affected and others have had to move ahead with training because they are opening and have no alternative.

Yvette Nicdao: Now is actually the time to focus more on training, so that when business is back to normal we have well-trained staff in order to meet the demands of our guests. Our staff still partake in a minimum of five hours training each month despite the downturn.

Justine Ormandy: Making a difference during difficult times comes down to the service - we now have to fight to get business, as the customer has plenty of choice. What are you going to do apart from offer better training programmes to your staff in order to give your customers better service?

Kazal Ahmed: Part of what happens in the west during a recession is human resources gets cut, training gets cut and marketing gets cut. I was talking to our company president recently and he has a personal interest in making sure we are continuously developing our services for customers.

If we cannot track the customer benefit back to our staff training programmes and if the customer cannot see and feel the improved service, then it's not worth it.

We have to see some return of investment in the development of our training. If we see that they are delighted when they leave our restaurants, then that's fine.

What are the best ways to encourage potential candidates to train or retrain in the Middle East?

Ferry: If training was followed with internships or even a placement that would be a big draw. For more experienced staff there is the usual need for ongoing education to continue improving one's skills, value and ‘hireability' to their employer.

Nicdao: We have a training and development notice board near the staff cafeteria, which is visible to all the staff. Different training activities are showcased along with photographs taken from actual training sessions.

We also make available a list of books and videos that can be borrowed to further enhance one's knowledge. Experienced employees have the opportunity to acquire new knowledge with the launch of our e-learning courses.

Ormandy: We implemented a whole new performance management system as we found a once-a-year appraisal decided where your staff member wanted to head in their career. Now, through performance management, you can set goals and targets and only if they achieve them will they receive the incentives.

You can make it a year-long process, which is better for their careers. Some talent can get missed and likewise some people can just scrape through and get on the track for failure - especially if someone was overly generous in the once-a-year markings. This system is a lot fairer and certainly encourages training candidates.

Lizelle Gordon: We now have eleven coaches from our management team who have undertaken ICT training and coaching course. We coach staff one-on-one and we have what we call ‘superstars', who we concentrate on; it's one way of retaining good staff as well. We are not just here to explain what they can do for us, but how can we assist them in their learning. We're asking them about their plans and their vision and it works really well for us.

Junaid Malik: You must also be somewhat flexible; when you have members of staff working from 10am to midnight and then returning at 9am for a training session, how many of them will want to get up at 6am to get the bus from their accommodation? It comes down is an understanding between management and trainees; managers need to use a little bit of common sense with their rotas by perhaps sending people home a bit earlier the day before a training session.

How often do staff ask to be retrained in order to take on different roles and what problems does that present?

Nicdeo: I think for our hotel there are many members of staff interested in cross training. I have some staff who want to train in another outlet, for example in different roles on the bars or in the front office.

Ahmed: We have many people who want to move into fashion from F&B and I think a lot of that decision goes back to money. They can earn more working in fashion, but then you've got to have the right look, the right grooming and good English. It's not really to do with working hours though, as they are working similar hours to what they would in F&B.

Gordon: I think I would explain it as perception versus truth. A waiter or a barman will often perceive that a person in the accounts department is better off than they are, because they wear a suit and not a waiting staff uniform.

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