Gen Z as the emerging dominant generation, people are really curious about their work attitude in all the industries, including in the hospitality industry. Managers are wondering if Gen Z are professional and capable enough to work in this intense industry? Are they able to handle all the pressure under all kinds of situations? Do they have a positive attitude whilst facing challenges? Do they know the customers’ needs nowadays? In this article, I will try to explain all your questions and doubts about Gen Z from my own experience and a neutral perspective.
Nowadays, most of the Gen Z are still in schools and universities, their school lifestyle is totally different from previous generations. Compare to others, Gen Z are very outgoing, energetic and brave. So are they the ones adapting to the current lifestyle in school or the school is making changes towards Gen Z? Let’s discover it together! As a millennial hospitality student in Hotel Institute Montreux, I am although not a Gen Z, most of people around me and I am getting along with are Gen Z. Plus, I also have a Gen Z family member who I know very well. Therefore, I do have some of my own opinions about Gen Z that I want to share with you. Of course, what I will say the most about Gen Z will be focused on the hospitality field.
According to the article smart hotel brands are already thinking about Gen Z, it tells us many hotels already took Gen Z into consideration in terms of recruitment. It shows the hotel industry nowadays has already begun to find the suitable people who can work and develop hotel industry in the future. During my school life, Gen Z really impressed me very much, because Gen Z are very outgoing, energetic and brave.
First of all, I want to share my stories with my classmates from Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM). HIM is one of the traditional and professional hotel schools in Switzerland, so there are many students come from all of the world who speak different languages. In the very beginning, there were some students, especially Chinese students who were unable to speak English fluently. However, they are not shy to speak out at all!!! As you know, me as a millennial, I am shy to everything. The first time I went aboard, I even couldn’t ask for a coffee on the plane. This scenario cannot be applied to the Gen Z at all, when I was talking to them, I felt they are very outgoing, energetic and brave. Unsurprisingly, they are good at socializing and communicating. I think those personalities are very important characteristics for people who want to work in hotels.
One of the major differences that I noticed over the years between HIM and other schools is that, there are many opportunities for the group work which gives us a lot of chances to talk and communicate with our peers, we are able to share our opinions and thoughts with each other. For example, group projects and assignments which require all of your teammates to work together. I really like this kind of activity, because in the hotels, team spirit is also another condition that to determine if you are a good hospitality person. As one of my observations, I found out actually Gen Z are really good at working with people. They are open minded and would like to share their thoughts and ideas.
When it comes to hospitality, we can’t ignore the internships. What is the most challenging for me is facing the guests’ complaints, I will always be negative and depressed when some of the guests are not satisfied with my service or my manager is not satisfied with my work. On the opposite side, because Gen Z are very outgoing, energetic and brave, they can normally handle this type of situation very well.
When I was doing my internship in Mauritius, I met a French girl who is Gen Z as my co-worker. She was also a trainee and we entered the hotel about the same time. In my memories, she was doing a good job in her position, she always smiles to guests, always handles problems smoothly and she never complains even though the job was challenging. Other than that, she also works very well with me and other co-workers. Obviously, we can once again confirm that Gen Z are very outgoing, energetic and brave, also Gen Z are really good at working with people.
For example, one day she got complained by one guest about her misunderstanding. The guest was very mad about her and told our manager about his dissatisfaction. The situation at that moment was very serious, she was almost crying under the pressure. This is the first time I saw she crying, I was quite shocked, because she is always a very strong and tough girl. In the lunch time, she told me about the whole incident, what actually happened and what was the conflict between her and the customer. It was really unfair to her and I felt truly sorry about her encountering. However, when the meal was finished, she started to work like nothing happened before, it was like she never had troubles. I was very moved, because in comparison to me, as a millennial, I think I am not strong enough when I face that kind of pressure and troubles at work.
As I said from own experiences and perspective, I hope you could get an authentic glimpse of what Gen Z is really like, especially in the hospitality industry. If you agree with my thoughts, leave a like or share this article with friends. Of course, leave a comment below if you also want to share your thoughts about Gen Z!
Author: Ms Rita Ding, Hospitality Bachelor student at Hotel Institute Montreux (China)