During the pandemic, we had the life-changing silver lining that was remote working. And although we are in a much better place today pandemic-wise, working remotely has become one of the most requested elements in any job these days.
As soon as the façade of “the office is essential” was lifted from the corporate world, it also exposed the hospitality industry’s executive corporate structure. And while it is common for tech companies, customer service representatives and journalists to be offered remote working opportunities, people have the misconception that those who work in hospitality need to physically be on the property to get their jobs done. To a certain extent, that is true. I don’t think a chef or a housekeeper can complete their daily tasks remotely, but what many do not realise is that it’s more than possible for plenty of other hospitality roles to get their work done from home.
I urge hotels to embrace remote and hybrid work so that we can stop putting geographical restrictions on hiring the best talent. Almost every day I will overhear some young entrepreneur closing a deal on the phone from the comfort of a sun lounger or club area sofa. And although I wish I had such freedom, I understand that fully working from home may not be possible.
It’s not a case of me wanting to take things easy, but having one or two days a week at home gives me a real chance to be in a more relaxed environment and actually tick things off my to-do list. It will free my mind, it will help me be more creative, it will make me more human to the person on the other end of the phone. Although I work in a glamorous hotel, our offices are anything but. They are typically windowless rooms, dark carpets and blue light emitting out of computer screens. Despite that, I don’t want to work from home permanently and every day, but being allowed one day a week could actually change my life as well as my mental health.
Remote work is possible
The rise of remote work is a revolution that hospitality needs to really embrace. We’ve suddenly discovered a new way to interact and collaborate. When communication technologies such as the telephone and the internet came on the market, they revolutionised how we lived and worked, yet we stayed in this Ford-era 45-hour working week that never really allowed flexibility for centuries. As the world evolves, hospitality needs to evolve too.
I have read plenty of studies proving that people working on laptops at home are still producing the same results – or sometimes better results – in terms of overall productivity and mental health. Cutting down the commute and office culture time has boosted workers’ productivity. This phenomenon was outlined in several studies way before 2020. But it took a pandemic to force companies to really test out the work-from-home system.
I hope one-day hospitality can start being a bit more flexible.