Communicate with suppliers

It always amazes me that for a so-called people industry we seem to lose all our people skills when it comes to dealing with major stakeholders in our business, ie, the suppliers.

Regarding the question of building refurbishment in last week's Strategy Clinic (Caterer, 27 July, page 60), none of the responses to the question of "How can I ensure that the work has the least impact possible?" dealt with the relationship between the hotel's operational team and that of the contractors, usually led by a site foreman.

In my experience of major renovations, the relationship with the site foreman was key.

Help the foreman to understand your business, and in turn make every effort to understand his business and the cost of delays. Encourage your duty managers to do the same, even throwing the occasional round of bacon butties into the mix mid-morning for the workers, and I can guarantee that issues will be minimised.

The key is communication, as it is with most things. Why do we still so often forget that fact with our suppliers?

Kenneth Sharp
Director, Triage Hospitality

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