#016 - I'm In - The Institute of Hospitality's Official Podcast - Culture

"I'm In": The Official Institute of Hospitality Podcast

Culture, we all talk about it and try to get it right, but what is it and what can we do to make sure your nailing your culture.

To find out Phil was joined by Libbie Mia AIH, Alan Tang MIH and Zoe Watts FIH to delve deep into this wonderful subject.

And they did not disappoint.

As always, Phil kicked off by asking his guests as to why they said “I’m In” to the IOH. As compelling as ever, they gave some great reasons including: -

• Hospitality has given so much to their career and so wanted to feel more connected than ever
• To give back
• To represent their specific sector within the IOH
• To share information and best practise
• Meeting different people from different countries
• For the events
• Because of the work they are doing to improve reputation of the industry
• The focus on Diversity, inclusion and equality is superb

And then on to the subject at hand. As you can imagine, this is such a vast topic that we couldn’t hope to cover all areas but that didn’t stop an energetic and intelligent conversation about it. It was very clear that all today’s guests placed huge importance in Culture.

They covered:-

• Culture isn’t particularly tangible; it’s about how someone feels while they are at work
• Culture is usually shaped through the leadership of the company and within that it can, at times, be defined by their upbringing and their own belief system
• A great culture is never forced
• Cultures attract like for like, a good culture attracts good people and vice versa
• The message of your culture starts at the beginning of your recruitment process, or whatever the first interaction point is
• Pay and benefits are not the things that define your culture
• Focusing on what makes your teams happy and keeps them engaged is a great place to start
• The risks are many and can be crippling to your business - Increased staff turnover, perceived bad employment reputation, increased costs through recruitment and training
• “Quiet quitting” can become a major problem
• If you neglect culture, you’ll spend your time firefighting problems
• Culture alignment is not just an internal concern, it can aid your business when it comes to partnering with other businesses, clients, and guests
• Geographic location can make a big difference in terms of what is expected from a culture perspective, and you should always come at that from a position of respect
• Culture should be a mutual responsibility between company and individual
• You are duty bound to raise any concerns as even if you feel you can personally take on a bad culture, the knock-on effect to someone else could be bad for them and the business
• We get so much right as an industry around culture, but can also do so much more

A huge thank you to our guests for giving up their time and opinion, such a fascinating discussion.

Enjoy!

To learn more about the Institute of Hospitality visit https://www.instituteofhospitality.org/

For any feedback on the show or to put yourself forward as a future guest, please contact Phil Street directly at [e-mail]