'It's not servile to serve' in hotels or restaurants

The hotel and catering industry offers a rewarding not servile career path, as some perceive it to be, according to hotelier Winston Zahra.

Once, the parent of a young man who applied for the job of a waiter had told him she did not want her son to serve people.

"This sort of attitude offends me... A company is as good as all the people who work there," he said, stressing how important it was for firms to invest in ensuring employees across the board were satisfied with their job.

Mr Zahra, CEO of Island Hotel Group Holdings, was speaking during a Quality Management Conference organised by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry.

He outlined how his company went about empowering workers by involving them, offering training and performance appraisals among others. Ultimately, he said, it was the employee who came into direct contact with the client, so it was vital that all workers were trained and projected the company's ideals and brand as part of a team.

"Money makes things possible but people make things happen," he said.

Mr Zahra said the industry faced various challenges, such as the negative perception of being servile rather than offering a service, a shortage of skilled employees and lack of awareness of environmental issues among workers.

Building on Mr Zahra's argument, Johannes Schneider, president of Abertax Quality Ltd, said it was essential that people who worked in a company knew why their job contributed to the firm's success, irrespective of the size of the business.

"Questioning why you are doing your job is the fastest route to demotivation," he said, adding it was important all companies had policies in place to ensure its people knew their role, understood it and felt valued as part of a team.

"Whether it is the top management or those who clean the floors, they need to understand why they are important in the company," he said.