It is a well-reported fact that the Singapore hospitality industry has taken a beating from COVID-19, with hotels bearing the brunt of the situation.
Many were forced to take cost-cutting measures to survive, resulting in undesirable outcomes like wage cuts and putting workers on unpaid leave.
Some, however, chose to adopt a people-centric approach — safeguard jobs and protect livelihoods. One such hotel is Furama RiverFront Singapore, which received the Plaque of Commendation Award at May Day Awards 2021 for this and other efforts.
“Whatever initiatives that we need to take during this difficult period, our top consideration has been to keep jobs and only resort to drastic measures such as wage adjustments as the last resort,” shared Andre Cheong, the hotel’s Operations Manager.
One of the things the hotel initiated to retain staff was cross-departmental training, said Andre.
“For sections that are hit hardest, we sought and created opportunities for the employees to upgrade their skills or be cross-trained in other departments so that they can continue to contribute to the hotel,” he explained.
For example, during the circuit breaker in 2020 when all their restaurants were closed, Furama RiverFront took the opportunity to introduce F&B staff to other functions within the department as well as explore new roles in the front office. As a result, the hotel was able to set up food delivery e-stores and tap into new revenue streams.
“We have taken a very open approach to engaging our employees by listening and empathising with their unique situations. We have open dialogues with staff and they can provide honest feedback via our regular employee satisfaction surveys. We take their feedback seriously and respond to them promptly,” Andre added.
Pandemic aside, Furama RiverFront has always maintained a people-oriented management policy and enjoys strong labour relations with its union – the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU).
Both parties have always been open and frank with each other — no worker and employment issues are off the table when they have their discussions.
“The union has been a valuable partner in cultivating and maintaining [a] conducive, fair and progressive workplace. FDAWU has always been steadfast in advising organisations on Government and industry recommendations so that the HR policies implemented are in line with the laws and industry standards.
“We share and discuss labour relation matters openly, and so far, there [has been] no need to seek conciliation. Frank information sharing allows us to have a meaningful and harmonious platform for all discussions,” Andre said.
The relationship is so good that the company regularly contributes to fundraising activities for its members and attends union events to connect with them more informally.
“This helps to build the mutual trust and facilitate purposeful collaborations,” Andre noted.
Over the years, the hotel and union have worked together on several skills upgrading and wage restructuring programmes. Currently, they are looking at redesigning the jobs for employees in the housekeeping, front office and F&B departments. The plan is to send staff to attend relevant Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications courses and review the remuneration packages once they have completed the necessary training.
Next up, the progressive employer will be engaging the union to help their workforce adopt and adapt to technology at the workplace for better efficiency.
The hotel takes its people-oriented policy so seriously that it has adopted several tripartite standards to stand out from the crowd with good HR practices.
For instance, it strives to foster an age-friendly work environment that treats mature workers fairly and gives them ample opportunities to contribute to the organisation.
“Over the course of employment with our organisation, we encourage and support them in courses or training that help them upgrade and upskill. We see this as mutually beneficial since these employees can continue to contribute to the organisation by sharing knowledge and experience with the younger staff,” Andre explained.
Furama RiverFront also recognises the need to attract the younger generation to join the industry and are planning to roll out initiatives such as hybrid-work arrangements.
