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This is the letter I am giving to my general manager and assistant general manager tomorrow, taking it home for editing tonight. I'm leaving names and the hotel name out though.
"I am writing this letter due to some concerns I have about this work environment. It is my belief that this hotel has become a very unprofessional and inappropriate work place and some things should change. For one thing; the way employees are interacting with guests. It is inappropriate and borders sexual harassment for employees to entice guests, on behalf of themselves or other co workers here at this hotel in a sexual manner. It is unprofessional and gives the staff a bad appearance. Due to the sexual advances toward the guests it is leading them the wrong direction and making them believe that it is ok to approach other staff members in the same way. Encouraging others in ways to “hit on” or make advances at employees is exploitation and should not be going on in the work place.
Another thing to mention is the high rate of drugs that come in through this hotel. It is known and spoken loudly by employees at times, that drugs have become a natural thing for this hotel with employees going outside to use or even using in the hotel. The drug use has interfered with work and has caused many employees to not be able to perform their jobs in an appropriate manner.
A third thing to mention is the continuous sexual content in general that occurs at this work place. Nudity as well as profane language, jokes and talk of sexual activities and all should not be allowed in the work place at all. These things are very unprofessional and cause much discomfort while at work. It causes distractions when employees need to be focusing on the work at hand.
There seems to be no support from management in the job, when we are told to feel “empowered” and stand in to make decisions but are reprimanded for doing just that. It is impossible to increase our scores when we have no backup, no help from management. When we take action and try to increase the scores by putting forth great customer service skills, we are quickly shut down and become a target from management.
It is well known throughout the hotel that the way to get a raise and the way to obtain a promotion is your status not your job quality. How close you are with management as opposed to how good you do your job. Without hope for moving up in the department, it leaves little for employees to work toward, gives them no reason to go above and beyond in their job knowing that they will be stuck in a low paying job without possible advancement.
It has also been highly talked about the use of the restaurant and the use of the banquet room for personal profit. That the kitchen has opened and used full staff for employees gatherings in the banquet room with no charge to the hotel. That the restaurant has opened and served full meals charging customers and the money has been pocketed as opposed to going to the hotel. These may be false accusations but they would not occur if this hotel was being run in a more professional manner.
I myself have gone in the manager hallway looking for help and have seen no one back there, but have heard the managers sharing the single use restroom in what appeared to be using drugs and after returning from the restrooms, the managers seemed to be intoxicated by something. How can a hotel be properly run and how is an employee expected to show respect when so many things are completely unprofessional and even illegal?
I have been at this hotel for almost two years, I have witnessed it running with great strength, the way you expect to see a ***** Hotel run. But I have also watched as it slowly crumbled and have listened to employee after employee speaking of the downfall and expecting it to come at any time. I can not count the times I have heard an employee state “This is NOT the way a ****** should be run”. I can not count the times I have heard an employee state “This hotel is going to fall apart any time now”. But the employees, as well as myself know the repercussions from coming forward and voicing our concerns. Ridicule, harassment and eventually termination.
Also, listening to management and coworkers speak of other employees in their absence, joking and making fun of, is extremely unprofessional and is not expected nor should be tolerated in the work place. Especially during meetings where it is being done in front of the rest of that department.
It is a known fact that in order to move up in the work place, that you must become “friends” with management on a personal and often inappropriate level for that to happen. Employees have been promoted to jobs that they have no knowledge or experience with. They were promoted, and it is known, because of their relationship with management. While being a “family” in the work place could be beneficial, in a family you do not pick and choose favorites, you encourage the family and you reward the ones who have shown the most promise, dedication and hard work.
I used to come in to work whenever needed. I used to not mind working long shifts, back to back or even getting over time if needed. I used to enjoy my job. But the work place and the unprofessional demeanor that is carried throughout the employees has made it unbearable and needs a drastic change. This hotel will fail, everyone can see that, even guests have stated that we are no more than a “Motel 6”. Without drastic change, without “smoothing out the rough edges” (as I was ridiculed for stating when new management took over and I was speaking with a co worker regarding), this hotel will fail.
For the harassment and sexual issues, they are becoming unbearable as well and have given the employees a bad appearance. The advances have caused a very uncomfortable work environment and have made the guests feel that they can communicate with other employees the same way. There is a reason for sexual harassment laws, there is a reason that ALL things of a sexual nature should be left out of this environment. Even playing jokes and pulling up pornographic images on others computers while on the clock, it hurts the hotel, hurts the employees and our reputation.
Everything deemed as “small” and “irrelevant” while happening on the clock is just the opposite. If this is the way employees want to be in their lives out side of work, so be it, but this should not be happening in the work place on work time. Time that could be spent working toward making this hotel run more smoothly.
Our scores are bad because not enough attention is going into meeting the guests needs in a hotel way. Attention is being directed to fun and games, often in a sexual nature, when there are many problems that occur on a daily basis that could be handled immediately and effectively but instead they are looked at as a “pain” to management, which causes management to act more rash and less understanding. We are in customer service, we attend to the guests and do what we can to make their stay enjoyable, when there is a problem we should be quick to fix that problem, not delete their email so they do not report us. We averaged back in October 2010 with a salt score of 85, and were among the top 3 ******, in 2010 we were about the right kind of customer service. We were professional. We did not make sexual advances or indications towards guests. This should NOT be happening. Nor should we be exploiting our own team members to gain the approval of the male guests.
I am writing this in hopes that things will change, many employees sit around and wait for someone to step in, many of us feel that this can not go on much longer the way it is, it’s a ***** hotel, we have much higher standards than what is being met right now. But change does not happen without action. This is my attempt to move us in the direction of change. Being ashamed of one’s work place is not the way to live, nor the way a work place should be viewed as. We should take pride in our work but currently that is not possible.
All the best"
__________________
I'd lock my hands behind my head, I'd cover my heart and hit the deck, I'd brace myself for the impact if I were you.
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