Social responsibility

When working in hospitality you have a very responsible job. We work with people and we have the obligation to take care of people. This can be done in a variety of ways and some need it more than others. Mainly there are 3 problem areas to cover and for us to look out for:

• Alcohol; usage, intake and cutting off

• Drugs; recognizing and legal issues

• Gambling; irresponsible spending

All of these might become problematic when people are compulsive and usage is excessive. It will cause situations which are undesirable and we want to be ahead of them.
How do we prevent things from getting out of hand?

• Recognize a person has a problem, there are many tells

• Address them correctly, this is very delicate(!)

• Stop and stand your ground, continuation is not an option

This is a very difficult part of our job. Compulsive behavior is unpredictable and you have to be aware of this.
Of course every state and/or country has different rules and standards so stay up-to-date which legislation applies to you.

Please also note taking action is not something anyone can do. Please discuss with colleagues and/or manager how to fix it.

Personal note:
Everyone has problems sure, but when their problems become yours unfortunately it is up to you to solve it. I had many moments where it was time for my guest to either stop drinking alcohol. Or remove them from the establishment for doing drugs in the bathroom. How about the gambler begging to other guests if they have a few spare coins to ‘win back what he had lost’.
I was always torn between two sides. On one hand I thought it was not my problem and let them be, the other hand feeling responsible for the safety of my guests, colleagues and myself.
Once I realized this is part of the job, I decided the safety is more important. I now feel by putting the employee in a difficult position, they lose the right to stay. It remains a fragile subject and I am always curious how my hospitality-family handles it.

Sincerely,

Den The Man