Overview

By now you are probably aware that working in the hospitality industry is a challenging job. You are responsible for maintaining good working relations with your colleagues as well as meeting the needs of customers.

Work environments in the hospitality industry can be volatile due to a wide range of factors.

• Customers often become impatient when kept waiting for food and drink.
• High product turnover means that customers’ expectations are not always met.
• High staff turnover raises group dynamic issues and customer relation problems.
• Market unpredictability means that a restaurant may serve 120 customers one day and 20 the next.
• The industry never closes. An operation can be open for business morning, noon and night.

All of these factors can cause daily conflict.

The consequences of mishandling conflict are obvious: customers do not return and their complaints damage your reputation.

The ability to appropriately handle conflict is one of the most important skills you can offer your establishment.

In this unit you will learn how to:

• Identify conflict situations
• Resolve conflict situations
• Evaluate conflict situations.