Hotel, catering and tourism is an ever-changing landscape and is the largest, fastest-growing service sector, with an average female contingent of over 55% at global level. The progress women have made in recent years in the male-weighted hospitality industry is impressive but the continued recruitment, retention and promotion of women is crucial to their long-term success in this industry.
My team is predominently woment but it was not a conscious decision to employ women – ultimately, the BON recipe of hiring successfully comes down to a combination of attitude, qualifications, experience, chemistry and a desire to uphold the BON ethos, that of Good people. Good thinking. Good feeling. Without exception the women I have employed show a great attention to detail and display strength in their individuality – AND they can multi-task!
Typically there seems to be a paradigm that women operate better within the rooms division and “frilly” departments such as sales, marketing, reception, reservations and revenue. Whilst this may be true, I think that women operate equally well if not better in high-pressure operations like food & beverage and management. Being a young company, they get to experience different aspects of the business, and an added plus is that there is enourmouse scope for promotion as we take on more clients.
A very real issue in any corporate environment is flexibility within the workplace with regard to juggling family and work. Global trends are changing significantly as the corporate world realizes that they need to keep their moms happy. Businesses are incorporating nurseries and childcare facilities into their employment offering and flexible working hours are becoming a norm thanks to technology. As a family man myself, I understand the dynamic and am open to increased flexibility provided the team is meeting and exceeding goals and still “gets the job done”.
I think women have an extraordinary opportunity to shape the future of hospitality and tourism, and am glad I have made a head start in surrounding myself with these talented, good people!
