Month: August 2018

How to Convince Ownership to Install a Hotel Pantry

by

You’ve seen the success other hotels have had with installing a pantry in the lobby, and you want to do the same. But first, you need to get the approval of senior management or ownership. How do you approach them about it? You certainly don’t want to bring it up in passing, so here are the steps to take to help you pitch the idea of installing a hotel pantry for your location.

1. Show Them How It Benefits Your Hotel

It’s easy to get caught up in explaining how other hotels are using pantries as a way to provide guests with food and beverages. But what ownership will hear is a “they’re doing it, so we should too” kind of argument. That’s not a concrete enough reason. Installing a pantry is small investment, so to get buy-in from your boss you need to show them how it will help your hotel. Get as specific as possible. Take a look at your current program and figure out the problems, then show the pantry will provide solutions. For example, if your hotel has vending, are the machines constantly breaking down? Are guests losing money in them? These issues can be a hassle for both guests and staff. A hotel pantry can help eliminate these problems. Pantries are also great for:

  • Greater convenience for guests
  • More variety of products
  • Increasing ancillary revenue

Once you pinpoint the specific benefits of a hotel pantry for your hotel, it’ll make it easier to convince ownership to consider having one installed.

2. Explain What’s Needed to Do It

We’ve written before about the basic needs for installing a pantry. This is a good starting point to help you determine what’s involved with getting started. But your management and/or ownership will want to know specific costs. For example, you’ll need to figure out how much space you have to install a pantry, then determine how much hardware (shelves and cabinets) you’ll need. You’ll also have to decide how you will stock the shelves with products. Will you have an employee purchase the product from local stores? Will you use an online ordering platform like Supply Wizards?

3. Prepare Visual Aids

Once you’ve shown them what’s involved with installing a pantry, create a presentation with proper visual aids to help persuade them. Visual aids help enhance a presentation and overcome barriers where communication has failed to express your thoughts. Visuals you could use include:

  • Images of other hotel pantries
  • Cost analysis
  • Research

4. Prepare to Defend Yourself

Managers are skeptical by nature. If they weren’t, they’d end up making a lot of rash decisions that would have a negative impact. They will likely push back on why a hotel pantry is so necessary. Be sure to prepare yourself for their questions. You can do this in two ways: research as much as you can on the growing demand of hotel pantries, and by practicing your presentation with someone else, either a colleague or a friend.

Why Free Snacks in the Workplace Won’t Improve Employee Engagement

by

The modern workplace can be tough to manage. The varying demographics make it challenging to keep all employees focused and engaged, which requires a sort of acrobatic approach to managing a workplace. One way to help increase engagement that has become popular–specifically among millennials–is offering free snacks for employees. There’s a lot of buzz about how this is the way to win the hearts of employees and how it will lead them to a happier work-life.

Except for one thing: free food won’t suddenly create a work environment that everyone loves. Not on its own.

Snacks are definitely a great perk that employees appreciate, but increasing engagement really boils down to is culture. If your company’s overall culture stifles growth and happiness and the ability for employees to grow, no amount of free anything will prevent employees from leaving.

So it’s not a matter of offering free snacks, but having this perk be a part of your company’s culture.

Where Free Snacks for Employees Fit Into Your Company’s Culture

The mere mention of a company’s culture likely conjures up images of employees at Google or Facebook lounging around playing games in the break room as if they were hanging out with friends instead of at work.

But culture is more than that.

It’s a combination of the work environment and the company’s overall objectives, including its mission and values. Free snacks help create a work environment that employees value and feel valued, and those who feel valued are more likely to be more engaged and happier at work.

How To Improve Your Company’s Culture

Free snacks themselves won’t magically increase engagement among employees, but it is a start. Here are five other ways to help improve your company’s culture.

  1. Embrace Transparency
  2. Recognizing Valuable Contributions
  3. Foster Strong Relationships Among Employees
  4. Encourage Independence
  5. Communicate Passion

If your employees seem unengaged at work, start looking at your company culture and figure out a way to make changes that reflect the type of company employees want to work for.