Employee Relations for Hospitality
Two routes — one for complaints, one for conduct — kept separate.
What this looks like in hospitality
The parts of employee relations that are specific to this sector, rather than general.
Relations in a 24-Hour Property
Guests, night shifts and a fast-changing frontline.
What this coversHide
Relations in a 24-Hour Property
Guests, night shifts and a fast-changing frontline.
What this coversHideA property's relations issues arrive at all hours and frequently involve guests. The route has to work on a night shift and has to protect staff without ignoring the guest.
- Grievance route reachable on any shift, including nights
- Guest-originated complaints handled through a fair process
- Protection of staff from guest behaviour, stated explicitly
- Tip and service charge disputes handled transparently
- Roster and split-shift disagreements resolved consistently
- Department head capability in early resolution
- Harassment concerns routed formally and immediately
- Central record across departments and shifts
Stating explicitly that staff will be supported against unacceptable guest behaviour is both a relations position and a retention one, and properties that leave it unstated lose people over it.
The general method — what employee relations covers, the questions it answers and what an engagement produces — is the same whatever the sector, and is set out on the grievance and disciplinary process page. What is above is the part that differs for hospitality.
Other HR topics for hospitality
Where to start
Most engagements begin with a review of how this runs in your business today, then a written process and the sequence to implement it.