Living in must be worth it – for staff

Last month saw a substantial influx of new staff, partly due to the hotel beginning to operate at full capacity and requiring extra hands, and partly due to the arrival of some students who had requested placements.

The arrival of extra help has benefits and weaknesses. They must first be trained to the standards required; then, and only then, can they help repay the investment in their training.

With a seemingly constant changeover of junior staff, it always appears that training is endless. Indeed, it has always been my belief that this was the case. However, we must not confuse constant training with repetitive reintroduction of staff to their roles.

We employ more than 35 staff at the height of the season, of whom 15 are here on a long-term basis. Of the rest, about 10 places will be filled by temporary staff who stay as little as two months.

While this is no aid to consistency, it does allow us to try new ideas, and indeed such staff bring enthusiasm and interest to the work.

Location is always cited as the main reason for our staff turnover. Though it must be a factor, we are fooling ourselves if we believe it is the only one.

Scotland has some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, an opinion supported by the numbers of foreign visitors who travel to see it. We, therefore, must focus on the work environments and conditions offered.

Before we opened all-year, we changed our staff accommodation and built new facilities. What was a temporary home for our summer workers has become a full-time home for our employees. We have had to adapt, not only to the changing environment expected by our clients, but also the changing world of those who work alongside us.

The next stage is now under way, and we are building further housing away from the business. This allows those who are here on a long-term basis to have accommodation linked to the hotel in name but geographically separate.

Live-in accommodation, while a necessity due to both the job and the local situation, must be made to be a positive advantage and must be used to help improve staff stability and morale. We must not forget that the 20 staff who live and work here form a substantial community.

Beppo Buchanan-Smith is director of the Isle of Eriska, a privately owned hotel on the west coast of Scotland