Alan Stutts On General Industry Working Conditions
General Industry Working Conditions
Alan Stutts writes that restaurants and hotels come in all sizes. Small cafes may have fewer than five employees, while large chain restaurants can even several dozen at each location. A boarding house or bed and breakfast may be run entirely by an owner/manager, while a large resort hotel has hundreds of staff people, some of whom live on the grounds. This is an industry where most people spend long hours on their feet and spend each day making complete strangers feel welcome and happy. Regardless of size, all establishments are governed by local, state, and federal regulations that affect the minimum working conditions your work under. What makes the big difference in how much you like working someplace is what the owners and managers of the establishment do above and beyond the legal requirements. For example, in a large, chain restaurant you may have an employee break room and lockers for stowing personal belongings. But working for a small café owner who works side-by-side with you and takes a personal interest in your well-being can make up for having to take breaks in an alley or stash your handbag under the counter.
Alan Stutts says that food service and lodging establishments can be hectic work places. The lunch rush, the arrival of the tour bus, the unexpected arrival of the 50-person group wanting a late dinner, the power outage that shuts down the elevators and the kitchen - these are some of the regular and irregular events that can tax the skills and patience not just of a manager, but an entire staff. You can plan for the lunch rush, but a power outage takes you by surprise.
Typical Hours of work
Many establishments in the hospitality industry are open 24-hours day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Employees work in shifts, work weekends, and work holidays. Some establishments have rotating shifts, where you may work days one week, nights the next, and a split shift the following week. The days of the week you work can also not be change frequently. In a smaller establishment, there may enough staff to still in for illnesses or emergencies, so you may have to work extra days or extra shifts when these contingencies arise. Resort and vacation businesses may be open year-round, but nearly empty during the off-season. They experience dramatic shifts in the size of the workforce and the hours of operations when seasons change. In such a seasonal establishment, you may even be laid-off for several weeks or months a year. If you are a resident manager, whether of a small motel or at a large resort, you may be on-call 24-hours a day and expected to fill-in on short-notice. Managers must be on-site whenever employees are working and customers are present. Early in their careers, food service and lodging managers often work the less desirable shifts, weekends, and holidays. It is not unusual for managers in restaurants to work 50-60 hours per week.
Earnings.
Author Alan Stutts