Ex-Hospitality Workers Input Sought
The Bermuda Hospitality Institute [BHI] announced its plan to implement an Industry Exodus Project.
“The BHI recognizes that at one point in time the frontline of the Island’s Hospitality Industry was mainly staffed by Bermudians. Over a period of time, Bermudians exited these positions and we want to know why”, said BHI CEO Karla Lacey.
If you were employed in the Hospitality Industry but are no longer, the BHI is requesting your participation. The primary focus will be on interviewing individuals from the hotel and restaurant sectors who worked in the industry from 1990-2000 and left the industry voluntarily.
“With BHI’s mission to ensure the development, growth and sustainability of Bermudians in the industry, all efforts in this regard must be paired with sustainability and retention objectives to prevent attrition.”, said Ms. Lacey. “If you were employed in the industry from 1990 – 2000 we want to hear from you.”
Designed to capture qualitative industry exit data, the results will be combined with quantitative data to create a true picture of the factors influencing the sustainability of Bermudians in the industry.
The BHI said: “The results of this study will enable the Bermuda Hospitality Institute, the Hospitality Industry and the public sector to create meaningful policies and programs to ensure that the roadblocks impacting the sustainability of Bermudians are addressed and removed.”
Interested parties are encouraged to contact the Bermuda Hospitality Institute at 295-5049 or email info@bhi.bm by February 15th 2011.
Is this really rocket science? low wages, unsociable hours, and the high expectations to give your best…….not a great motivator…….
More discussions to be documented and filed away. Until there is a real, meaningful committment from foreign owners to advance the careers of qualified and or experienced Bermudians in this industry, the results will continue to be as is. Woeful and depressing.
Foreign senior managers were allowed in the late nineties and under this government to slice, dice and discard Bermudians. In turn, giddy politicians got to enjoy the residuals from GM’s and so the carnage began in earnest.
Wyndham Hotels is the only management group over the past 30 years to embrace, train and promote bermudians and they were very, very close to having an all Bermudian, black male, senior management team. The profits during that 2-3 year period are the best that property had seen for generations and as a result of some intriguing misinformation and self serving power play by influential advisors, the absentee landlords from Saudi Arabia were convinced to replace Wyndham with the prestigious Rafael Group and very quickly that senior team was replaced by managers from afar. The brilliant minds from Europe introduced all sorts of new ideas / promised a 5 STAR product that would entice the rich and famous and the results were disastrous. They were replaced by Mandarin and not much has changed..
Finally – The Fairmont ( and Immigration ) have to come clean on their personality assessment that has resulted in many, proven hoteliers being considered unsuitable for that chain. It is the most interesting exclusionary tactic and no matter how many accolades / excellent references/ outstanding appraisals you have, if you don’t survive their non transparent test you loose and they get to hire the person they want which is often a person that really enjoys maple…
No upward mobility, I mean how many “bermudians” are General Managers of “Major” properties? A bus boy who becomes a Captain in 20 years (not the Dining room manager) when you can give the same effort in the states and be a F&B Director in 10 Years. Low Pay, unsociable shifts, I mean who really wants to work every christmas, cupmatch etc.
Unfortunately working on weekends is part and parcel of the industry and has to be done. Bermudians need to embrace this industry and the govt must ensure that there is an industry left to embrace. Failing by both will lead to the eventual end of this other world that we falsely live in..
Get rid of the Foreign General Managers that know next to nothing about Bermuda and yet they insist that they and only they are right in everything they say or implement in the Hotels on this Island.
Any new Hotel being built should ONLY be allowed IF the General Manager is a BERMUDIAN.
We have some very good Bermudian Resident Managers working in the Hotels already.
Pay??? DON’T get me started on that subject!!
everyone knows the pay is far too low.
Understand that total compensation is the issue. Many foreign hotel workers, including managers get to live in. Their base salary is slightly less than a live out employee which in turn makes their total compensation significantly better than their live out/ predominantly Bermudian counterpart. This is further amplified when the hotel is in lay off ( which is most of the year )and the live out employee is faced with the normal bills and those that live in get to go home, find temp jobs, and are not saddled with significant expenses upon their return.
This industry is not designed for Bermudians. Just isn’t.
Pandering to the masses like something is actually getting done or is going to be done on the tourism front. And you want input from unemployed hotel workers!? That’s all this is. Karla Lacey…get a real job.
Until such time as we can have a mature conversation; without getting personal, without being xenophobic, without blaming everyone else, and without presenting as fact pure conjecture based on second-hand rumours, we will never get this issue sorted out.
I have read the comments presented here and can confirm as fact that what was presented by Tony is indeed 100% spot on. Again, 100% correct!! Xenophobia plays no part in this. Bermudians have to be the most accepting people in the world. We have approached a non-Bermudian workforce reaching approximately 26% under this government. They would be rioting in the streets if this was the case in many other countries!
The problem, Just Fishin, is that when we attempt to have mature conversation, the term xenophobic enters. That’s just plain weak and those of us that have spent any real time in the hotel industry know that to be the case.