Business hospitality
Discussion
No, not another thread about expenses, but something more philosophical based on my recent experiences. I was wondering if others had noticed a downturn in the level of hospitality when visiting other businesses?
I do a few days a month of external specialist training, usually full or two half days which involve me travelling to a business location and being ready to start at 9am, finish at 5pm and then travel home. As it is national I often stay locally the night before to be sure of being there at 8.30am to set up.
The support and hospitality I receive varies considerably. Usually the organisation will have someone to meet me in reception on the morning, show me the training room, show me where the toilets are, and tell me about arrangements for tea/coffee/lunch. The rest is up to me; greeting delegates, doing the fire regs, keeping a list of delegates who attend, dealing with any delegates who need to leave early/arrive late and reporting back any problems, finding a photocopier, and eevn answering questions and making pleas on bejalf of the organistion etc. Occassionally (rarely) I arrive to find a reserved parking space for me to unload my equipment and some will recommend local hotels and sometimes someone will come down to collect me at lunchtime if everyone isn't eating at the same location.
Of late I have arrived to the following:
Nobody meets me, the receptionist has a note of the room I am in and I find the room, upload and set up myself/move the furniture. The room is a mess (papers, cups etc) and double booked which I have to sort out myself or find a cleaner/administrator. There is nobody about to sort out technical issues (like having the white projection screen I had requested or, in one case any power at all). On Thursday this week they back-to-backed half day courses 9-1 and 1-5 so I got no time for lunch or they make no arrangemnets for lunch and leave it up to delegates to show me the restaurant/canteen. Yesterday I got no lunch again because the delegates all brought sandwiches as usual and my vistors card wouldn't let me move around the building and they also had numlocked doors everywhere. At the end of the day nobody pitches up to help clear up (e.g. taking confidential waste generated during the day, making sure there have ben no problems and get/give feedback on the day) and a few weeks ago I then found that they had all gone home Including reception) as it was a Friday before the bank holiday and I was locked in the building with no swipe card to get out!
Now as a paid external trainer I realise that acting like a prima donna won't wash, but why are the basic courtesies extended to visitors apparently on the decline? I could send them a checklist of my needs, but again that sounds far too demanding for an external paid trainer.
Are they now too busy, or is it just plain rude and disorganised people that get jobs? Perhaps I should be more demanding on the day, but I am guessing that won't enhance the reputation?
This isn't any worse than ever it was.
I've been in the business of supplying business services (IT and software in my case) all my life. Including giving training courses, installing systems and so on.
Some places you go you are treated really well. Other places they don't give a shit.
I have found that the more secure the location the worse you are treated. Simple practicalities like being able to get to the fecking toilet often require a swipe card and as a visitor you don't get one.
It is very usual for access problems to make it logistically impossible for me to get lunch...and, of course, only some of the places I go remember that not everyone has a little plastic card that makes it simple to go in and out of the building and get a sandwich.
Mostly it isn't wilful. Its just that the idea that you might not be quite as free to roam as they are just doesn't occur to them.
And, of course, complaining is a no no. After all. They pay the bills. And, boy, how they pay. The worse the place I have to go? The more I charge. Oh...not at first because these are the very places that hammer you for discount...but later...once they're hooked...oh yes..
I've been in the business of supplying business services (IT and software in my case) all my life. Including giving training courses, installing systems and so on.
Some places you go you are treated really well. Other places they don't give a shit.
I have found that the more secure the location the worse you are treated. Simple practicalities like being able to get to the fecking toilet often require a swipe card and as a visitor you don't get one.
It is very usual for access problems to make it logistically impossible for me to get lunch...and, of course, only some of the places I go remember that not everyone has a little plastic card that makes it simple to go in and out of the building and get a sandwich.
Mostly it isn't wilful. Its just that the idea that you might not be quite as free to roam as they are just doesn't occur to them.
And, of course, complaining is a no no. After all. They pay the bills. And, boy, how they pay. The worse the place I have to go? The more I charge. Oh...not at first because these are the very places that hammer you for discount...but later...once they're hooked...oh yes..
Don said:
This isn't any worse than ever it was.
I've been in the business of supplying business services (IT and software in my case) all my life. Including giving training courses, installing systems and so on.
Some places you go you are treated really well. Other places they don't give a shit.
I have found that the more secure the location the worse you are treated. Simple practicalities like being able to get to the fecking toilet often require a swipe card and as a visitor you don't get one.
It is very usual for access problems to make it logistically impossible for me to get lunch...and, of course, only some of the places I go remember that not everyone has a little plastic card that makes it simple to go in and out of the building and get a sandwich.
Mostly it isn't wilful. Its just that the idea that you might not be quite as free to roam as they are just doesn't occur to them.
And, of course, complaining is a no no. After all. They pay the bills. And, boy, how they pay. The worse the place I have to go? The more I charge. Oh...not at first because these are the very places that hammer you for discount...but later...once they're hooked...oh yes..
I've been in the business of supplying business services (IT and software in my case) all my life. Including giving training courses, installing systems and so on.
Some places you go you are treated really well. Other places they don't give a shit.
I have found that the more secure the location the worse you are treated. Simple practicalities like being able to get to the fecking toilet often require a swipe card and as a visitor you don't get one.
It is very usual for access problems to make it logistically impossible for me to get lunch...and, of course, only some of the places I go remember that not everyone has a little plastic card that makes it simple to go in and out of the building and get a sandwich.
Mostly it isn't wilful. Its just that the idea that you might not be quite as free to roam as they are just doesn't occur to them.
And, of course, complaining is a no no. After all. They pay the bills. And, boy, how they pay. The worse the place I have to go? The more I charge. Oh...not at first because these are the very places that hammer you for discount...but later...once they're hooked...oh yes..
Phew, I was thinking it was me.
I used to work for a company that had lots of branch offices, and even head office was spread over several buildings. We frequently had people turning up to do training that had been organised by someone from another location so there was nobody locally who ‘owned’ the trainer. We don’t have receptionists or other ‘general’ staff so the trainer was on their own.
I’d say we were a very friendly and helpful bunch, and if we were asked then we’d provide whatever assistance was needed – but if we didn’t get asked then we'd assume the trainer could cope. (Lunch was generally laid on for all).
I’d say we were a very friendly and helpful bunch, and if we were asked then we’d provide whatever assistance was needed – but if we didn’t get asked then we'd assume the trainer could cope. (Lunch was generally laid on for all).
deva link said:
I used to work for a company that had lots of branch offices, and even head office was spread over several buildings. We frequently had people turning up to do training that had been organised by someone from another location so there was nobody locally who ‘owned’ the trainer. We don’t have receptionists or other ‘general’ staff so the trainer was on their own.
I’d say we were a very friendly and helpful bunch, and if we were asked then we’d provide whatever assistance was needed – but if we didn’t get asked then we'd assume the trainer could cope. (Lunch was generally laid on for all).
I’d say we were a very friendly and helpful bunch, and if we were asked then we’d provide whatever assistance was needed – but if we didn’t get asked then we'd assume the trainer could cope. (Lunch was generally laid on for all).
Usually my bookers are in HR, but either work part time and may/may not be there (and thus delegate my meet and greet to someone who has no real interest) or are away from the office on the day I arrive. My business partner is an ex PA to a CEO and finds it shocking that visitors to quite large organisations are treated this way. She used to deal with any maps, taxis, hotels, arivals, lunches, evening entertainment and even a bit of shopping for visitors from around the world. I went to one place a few weeks ago and although they had my name scrolling past on a screen welcoming me, they were the ones who locked me in at the end of the day! 'Walk-the-talk' folks.
I have relied heavily on cleaners and people in adjacent offices to help, but they must know it doesn't make them look professional? I arrived at one military base to find they had no overnight accomodation arranged on a Sunday evening. They did find me a room but it had no bed linen at all. I did find a duvet cover in a cleaners cupboard and slept in that and had a towel in my sports kit in the boot, but now insist on using an external hotel if I go there.
Leftie said:
My business partner is an ex PA to a CEO and finds it shocking that visitors to quite large organisations are treated this way. She used to deal with any maps, taxis, hotels, arivals, lunches, evening entertainment and even a bit of shopping for visitors from around the world.
In my old organisation that would work *if* the CEO was involved in the training or if it was taking place in the boardroom (or possibly somewhere else within the ivory tower that housed the CEO etc, his PA).
I guess otherwise then it's an 'out of sight, out of mind' thing.
deva link said:
Leftie said:
My business partner is an ex PA to a CEO and finds it shocking that visitors to quite large organisations are treated this way. She used to deal with any maps, taxis, hotels, arivals, lunches, evening entertainment and even a bit of shopping for visitors from around the world.
In my old organisation that would work *if* the CEO was involved in the training or if it was taking place in the boardroom (or possibly somewhere else within the ivory tower that housed the CEO etc, his PA).
I guess otherwise then it's an 'out of sight, out of mind' thing.
The worst is arriving late at night to a hotel or facility they should have booked, and finding it hasn't been done. I did it recently in London when my car was laden with materials that couldn't be left in the boot and I was supposed to off load at their site,leave the car in a secure area and then get the tube to my hotel. But security knew nothing. Eventually they accepted my email copies and inside knowledge of the site and people as identification and let me park.
I turned up at a site once and security said they didn't know I was coming and wouldn't let me in - they let all the delgates in as their names were on a list - I was the presenter and not allowed in. Luckily I knew a director on site who came and shouted at them. The same site security staff were confronted some weeks later with a bloke with a tote box containing explosive, detonators, timing devices and what appeared to be a hand grenade. He claimed to be running a security imcidents course - but no-one checked...they just let him in! I understand the staff involved are now pursuing interests elsewhere in the industry...
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