Are you in with the crew?

As I’ve spent more time at my internship, I have noticed that hospitality is very cliquey. I work in the food and beverage department and there is a clear camaraderie with my co-workers that I do not necessarily feel with those who work in the other departments. Now, do not get me wrong, everyone- no matter their position is willing to help each other out because at the end of the day, it is the guest we are trying to please. If we do not please the guest to our full potential, we as a whole have failed. But, there definitely is some chatter amongst the finance department about all the ‘perks’ we receive working F&B like the free food and drinks we are afforded from our 5 star restaurants instead of chowing down at Subs the employee cafeteria. My supervisor and I always make sure to use the entrance to the corporate offices that is closest to the F&B wing when we come bearing food so we can escape the snickers from the other departments about how we “never bring them food”. There is obviously different wings within our office which by geography has separated people and their departments for better or worse.

My boss, the food and beverage director recently just had me hang up seven beautiful photographs displaying the food and drinks we have to offer at our different F&B outlets around our wing. This was to clearly differentiate us from the rest of the departments. My boss then jokingly stated that we ought to get a glass door to separate us from “them”, one that has a one sided view where we can see them but they can’t see us. In addition he added that we should have a glass fogger so that when we’re done looking at the rest of the departments or ‘peasants’ as he jokes, we can fog the glass and be completely by ourselves. While these are definitely just jokes, one can still sense the in-groups and out-groups of our office. The sales team has their own office and they have to pass by our wing to enter their offices however, they never say hi to us, they never ask us how we are, and it is the same vice versa. We are all working for the same goal for sure- to make the guests happy and receive 5 star reviews on trip advisor to bring us back to the #1 hotel in Miami from #2, but… each department has their own budgets to meet and we can be greedy with sharing our clients that are helping us reach those budgets.

When walking to other departments when we need help from them, I definitely feel like an outcast. If I need something from marketing everyone looks up from their desks and watches you walk in. No one is mean or unhelpful but again, there is that clear in-group out-group sentiment that is held amongst every department. I think it is due to pride in a lot of ways, people take a lot of pride in what they are able to contribute to the success of our hotel and it is very rewarding to be recognized by the hotel GM or the VP for your specific work. Sometimes it is hard to share your reward especially if that reward comes in the form of commission or bonuses.

I’ve noticed some transactional leadership within the different departments at the hotel. For example, when we want something from the other departments, we are able to bribe them with food. The other day, my supervisor needed help with invoice processing for F&B and so she went to the finance department and told Bobette one of the finance people that she could get her chicken fingers and fries if she helped her out. While Bobette would have helped us out anyway, its the little carrot and sticks we are able to hold over people to get things done. The banquet department needed our help with this huge event they had for LE Miami which is the biggest hospitality week-long event in America and this year 1 Hotel South Beach was hosting it, which meant all eyes on us and promised us food in exchange for our services to them as well.

I wish that there were more activities and incentives to get all the departments to collaborate and hang out with each other because as seen through various leadership theories, it is vital to work together when attempting at the same overall outcome.

In closing, we’re all just kindergardeners who need our snacks to stay on task and follow our leaders.