Language training for the hospitality industry can really set businesses apart from their competition. Prior to Covid it was a common for hotels, cruise liners and restaurants at tourist attractions to employ a designated guest representative or manager who speaks English; referring all English-speaking guest inquiries to them. As these businesses in the hospitality industry are experiencing the highest employee turnover during The Great Resignation, is it truly worth it to rely on one person for all your English speaking customer needs? In 2020, hospitality businesses experienced the one of the greatest hardships as a result of Covid-19. Fast forward 9 months later: not only are businesses like hotels, restaurants and cruise liners still dealing with longterm effects of Covid-19 and travel restrictions; but they also have the most American employees quitting in what is now being called "The Great Resignation."
When one-third of hospitality workers reported being very dissatisfied with their jobs, and 58% stated they are planning to quit before 2022, compared to the 68% who reported job satisfaction pre-pandemic; you have to look at the problems with a wider lens. What we continue to see amid the ongoing coronavirus health crisis, is the pandemics' abrasive way of highlighting issues- that already existed, but were long ignored before anyone heard of Coronavirus- but were suddenly forced into the spotlight. Although most hospitality workers usually worked part-time, they have always expressed the desire for these companies to offer retirement planning, expanded mental health coverage, flexible schedules, vacation time, subsidized education and a clear path for career growth. Of the former hospitality workers surveyed, workers in the industry primarily quit due to low pay and cited a lack of the aforementioned benefits as their reasons for doing so.
Language Training for The Hospitality Industry: Can it Offset Negative Effects of Covid-19?
One clear way to mitigate these problems is by providing online English training for hotel staff. If implemented correctly, the desired minimum level of English can be achieved in a quick time-frame for every employee. Ensuring hospitality personnel have some level of English comprehension can create a lasting impression with guests; while also investing in your staff when used during onboarding. Corporate English training online for hospitality workers be further implemented as an incentive for employees to continue English training and grow in their respective careers. When employees are reporting that they want a more clear path to a higher paying position and more comprehensive benefits, employers would be wise to utilize corporate English training as metric to determine eligibility for internal promotions- especially for a field with a majority of international customers. Managers could then easily determine who is succeeding in language training, and whether that success translates to a promotion in a more customer facing position.
When it comes to the hospitality sector, of the workers surveyed most stated they would consider staying with their jobs if some of their grievances were addressed. Although providing English training to your workers cannot guarantee they won't quit, it clearly has its benefits. If the cost of providing language training can outweigh the cost of finding and onboarding new employees it seems foolish not to try it out. Especially when the global health crisis has been overwhelming and financially devastating for so many. It has now been almost a year dealing with Covid and there is no end in sight. At the end of the day, every business in the industry has had to be flexible and extending that to workers could mitigate some of the problem.
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For more information contact our Language Training Department:
Phone: (617) 731-3700
Email: training@languageconnections.com