Years ago, I was brought into a 5-star hotel to “fix the service issues” and "right the team." I was responsible for the performance of all front-of-house staff. What I soon discovered was that the problem wasn't their motivation; it was the employee journey itself.

Most were temporary staff with no idea where they'd be working the next week, let alone in a month. They had no job security, no training, no support, no one to listen to them, and certainly no recourse if things went wrong. They were treated as disposable resources, and they were, understandably, furious.

When I first arrived, they were angry as hell, rightfully so. They appointed spokespeople who initially just shouted at me and railed against everything. So, I called an all-team meeting. I told them I was there to investigate, to fact-find, and to get to the bottom of the issues to make it better for everyone. I started by speaking to each one individually, privately.

And the issues were grim:

🛑 They were accused of theft with no evidence or chance to defend themselves.

🛑 There were no working lockers or decent changing facilities, toilets, or showers

🛑 No late-night transport home after shifts (it is actually the law in South Africa to provide late night and very early morning transport for staff).

🛑 No one to help them if they had a problem, or listen to their work issues.

🛑 No dedicated uniforms; they were stripped of individual dignity, forced to wear other people's name badges because the hotel wouldn't pay for new ones.

🛑 Management treated them like sub-humans who didn't deserve dignity.

🛑 Their staff meals were disgusting.

🛑 They received no training, even on basic service standards.

🛑 Their wages were often wrong due to faulty clock-in machines.

🛑 They were expected to be loyal and always available, but received no loyalty in return.

🛑 No one listened to them, and they often didn't even understand what was expected because they weren't told.

It broke my heart hearing how these hard-working, eager people were being treated. I vowed to turn it around. Senior management expected me to side with them, to tell the workers to just "get on with it." But I told them the uncomfortable truth: the workers were only treating their guests with the same disdain and lack of care they themselves received.

It was through deep conversation and building trust that we began to improve the culture and behaviours across the teams. I became their sounding board, their voice of reason, and their loyal defender. In return, they would have crossed mountains for that hotel and the guests.  I came to know about their lives, their families, and their challenges, which allowed me to truly support them to be their very best. It's impossible to understand "silver service" when you've never even been able to afford a basic meal out. 

The transformation was remarkable. Within three months, the same "difficult" staff were going above and beyond for guests. They started to make their suggestions of things they would like to see as a guest and adjusted their service accordingly. Absenteeism declined drastically and team in-fighting stopped completely. Guest satisfaction scores jumped 40%, and many became return guests.

But here's what management cared about most: revenue increased 28% that quarter, and staff turnover dropped to nearly zero, saving hundreds of thousands in recruitment costs and lost productivity. Money in employee pockets went through the roof, too in tips from grateful guests.

How? It started with simple dignity. We got them proper uniforms with their own names. Fixed the lockers. Made the staff meals edible. Created proper feedback channels. Gave them training so they understood what excellence looked like.

We have to move ourselves into other people's frames of reference before we can truly change the lens through which they look at the world.