My
name is Poppy Lury, I am currently a level 2 BA (Hons) Creative Event
Management student at the University College Falmouth. As part of my course we
have been asked to write a case study on any organisation related to the
creative events sector. I have thought about various organisations to write
about but I came to the conclusion that it would be valuable to choose a company
that I am interested in and have worked with.
I
have chosen to write my case study on the catering industries in London and the
treatment of hospitality staff within the industry. I will look further into
how staff well-being can have an impact on the long term success or failure of
a company.
I
have chosen to investigate the management styles of both The Recipe and Rhubarb
which are both respectable catering companies in London. I am very interested
in the catering industry and hope that this research will give me insight into
the dynamics of working in this industry.
I
have worked as a member of staff at various catering and hospitality companies
and have paid close attention the different management’s styles. My experience
has taught me that people management and staff wellbeing are crucial factors
when looking at the value of a company. Usually the ‘lowest’ level of staff is
often the face of the company and therefore need to be enthusiastic and have a
clear understanding of the company direction and ethos. The managers must be
able to influence staff to buy in to their organisational culture.
Throughout
my experience working in the service industry I have noted that very few
managers have the ability to make employees feel excited about working for their
company. I have also detected the difference in the employee productivity level
of the companies that do. Organisations such as Rhubarb believe that strict
rules and regulations result in high levels of respect and productivity. In my
experience this is not entirely correct.
Blog 2 The way of the brand
I
have worked for Rhubarb and The Recipe on many occasions and I can now state
that my experience with each company was completely different. I had been
humiliated and shouted at within the first 5 minutes of arriving at my shift
with Rhubarb (about not having clipped my hair back) and was threatened to be
sent home. I then felt very insecure and found it difficult to deal with customers
because the incident had changed my frame of mind.
Throughout
the shift I had noticed that there was a lot of disrespect towards the
hospitality staff. At first I thought it was just the managers and supervisors
but after a while I noticed that the chefs and kitchen porters had the same
attitude. After observing this I decided to question my fellow members of staff
and the majority of them said that this was ‘the way of the brand.”
I
then began working for a smaller company called The Recipe and had the complete
opposite experience. The managers and supervisors had a balance between being
friendly and strict, they made staff feel important. A couple of days after my
shift, my hospitality broker AYS had phoned me to see check my availability, I
initially had plans on that day but when I heard the client was The Recipe, I
agreed to work.
This
has brought me to my case study topic - I want to figure how a leading catering
company (Rhubarb) can uphold their reputation whilst disrespecting their
hospitality staff, why doesn’t this reflect back on the company as a whole? And
if it does, why doesn’t the public and their clients know about it? I will be
using The Recipe as a direct comparison; this will hopefully enable me to
gather a more accurate analysis.
I
will be investigating The Recipe and Rhubarb on their treatment of staff by
questioning the managers, supervisors and employees. I am very aware of my own
personal judgements whilst writing this case study and will do my best in not
letting these views alter any information.
Throughout
my case study I hope to define The Recipes company ethos and figure out how
they have manufactured this. I am also aiming to figure out ways in which Rhubarb
can enhance their company ethos through various approaches to employee
management.
Blog
3 Methodology
I
have devised questionnaires on management styles and staff wellbeing for the
employees of both Rhubarb and The Recipe. I have also started to look at
previous client case studies and have begun to identify a pattern in the way
clients view Rhubarb; many of the comments are directed to the high standard of
food and not the level of service. From looking at client reviews for The
Recipe I have noted the comments are balanced between the standard of food and
service. This information is leading me to believe that Rhubarb has established
their reputation already and that their treatment of staff is not in any way
hindering it. During my third shift with Rhubarb I found out (from in internal
source) that many members of staff would refuse to work for Rhubarb again after
having being mistreated. Several members of staff have phoned their brokers to
refuse any potential shifts for Rhubarb; I managed to confirm this statement by
having a phone call interview with an AYS broker. This
does not seem to impact Rhubarb’s staff turnover because through
research I have found that the hospitality industry attracts young
undergraduates needing part time jobs.
Through
working with both companies I have noticed how effective company and employee
branding is. The Recipe uses their staff to project their brand through their
client service whereas Rhubarb favours a more impersonal approach. In my
experience of and working in customer service I can conclude that employees are
a representation of the organisation. People remember the experience, the
intangible elements and are far more effective when employees adopt the company
ethos rather than remain neutral.
During
my experience with working at The Recipe I noticed that they had the capacity
to make employees feel privileged to be working for them. They made everyone
aware of their brand and ethos, this was done by simply watching the way
managers interacted with each other and how they treated staff. In contrast,
Rhubarb dressed employees in long black cloaks, there to serve and do the job
efficiently. Through reading lots around
employee well being I have found that giving people a voice and making them feel
worthwhile is key to employee productivity. These are two factors that Rhubarb
has no interest in and The Recipe has applied successfully.
Blog
4 – Project Over view & Conclusion
Throughout
my research I have found it difficult to translate my qualitative research into
valid data, through reading books on how to write a case study I have managed
to understand how to interpret information effectively. In the beginning of my
research, I found it extremely difficult to get people to fill out
questionnaires and agree to let me interview them.
Another
difficult aspect of this module was the lack of structure; I generally find it
easier to work with a contents page outlining exactly what I have to do along with
the word count for each section. I found that I doubted whether what I was
doing was right; this occasionally made it difficult for me to work
consistently.
I
have learnt the following during this case study:
·To trust my own
ability to conduct a valid research
·To conduct
primary& secondary research using
various methodologies
·To interpret
data and devise graphs/pie charts – managing to calculate on Excel
·To manage large
amounts of information, taking out ONLY what is relevant
·To observe
andanalyse in a live working
environment
·The ability to
find re occurring patterns and then find the root of the issues
·The ability to
remove my personal judgements and sentiments
·To become a
neutral investigator
What
would I do different next time?
Most importantly I will be prepared for a a large amount of over whelming data!
·Import graphs
from excel into the word document instead of copy and pasting it as an image.
This will allow me to edit the excel document and automatically update the
graph in word
·Save time by
using survey websites instead of creating my own questionnaires
·Use a larger
sample size for all of my research
·Conduct more
face to face interviews- this would
have assisted a more truthful response
The
research I undertook during this case study has taught me the importance of
staff well-being and how it is a crucial factor in determining the success of a
company. It has taught me the significance in having an external observer and how
important it is for companies to re-evaluate their organisational culture. I can conclude that this case study has given
me the ability to investigate using different methods effectively. It has also
taught me that in order to gain valid research you need a lot of patience, time
and effort. I can guarantee that the skills I have learnt through this study
will assist me in the working environment.
