How Leaders are Fortifying Frontline Workers

Months into what is widely considered a “post-pandemic world,” business leaders continue to re-evaluate what showing up to the office means. But from full time to part time to hybrid time, the stakes discussed have largely revolved around jobs that can be done from a remote location.?

But what of the employees whose work requires them to be physically present? How have their workplaces changed and how have leaders designed systems and processes to accommodate their priorities??

YPO member and Founder of Dunkin’ Lebanon, Semsom and The Catalyst of Growth Christine Assouad and YPO member and Chief Executive Officer of St. Giles Hotel Abigail Tan , have both designed workplaces that go beyond accommodating and focus on accelerating.

The human connection

The hospitality industry is, to quote the Oxford dictionary, “predicated on the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.” In other words, an industry that demands a human presence. If our collective love of visiting our local coffee shop to experience, if only for a fleeting moment, a barista’s smile of recognition before handing over a cup with our name on it was in full effect pre-pandemic, it only grew, post haste.

Most notably, for Assouad, at Dunkin.

“It’s not about the food — people can make what they need to at home — they visit for what we call ‘the one-minute connection.’”?

“It was predicted that in-store purchases would be slow to return, but our team members’ physical presence proved to be very important,” says Assouad. “Of course, it’s not about the food — people can make what they need to at home — they visit for the interaction, for what we call ‘the one-minute connection.’”

?The “one-minute connection,” being the true stress test as Assouad notes, for Dunkin’s long-time policy of hiring for culture first; training second.

“Most of our team members are between the ages of 18-24,” says Assouad. “A generation that cares more about quality of life and company values than anything else. We have always focused on these things, but not everyone has. Now that these concerns are more widely recognized, we are standing out more than ever before and attracting more people who have seen the way we operate.”

The human support system

In London, when the St. Giles Hotel fully reopened after three different lockdowns, Tan and her team decided that if one role demanded being in-person on location, all roles should rally around in support.

?“It was important to us that everybody returned,” says Tan. “For us, if the front of the house had to be there — reception and housekeeping — the back of house should be there as a support team.”

Albeit, a support team with flexibility to accommodate the new topsy-turvy maneuverings of childcare and familial health challenges.

??“To me, the biggest change has been the way people treat each other,” Tan shares. “We communicated more, we became more open about our personal and professional challenges, and that made us more adept at helping each other through the really difficult times.”

The toll that the pandemic took on our collective consciousness has been widely reported to be a kind of reckoning for many companies.?

“There is a greater focus on mental health now, and for organizations to reprioritize their values and rethink their purpose,” Assouad notes. “Quality of life and family spirit has increased tremendously and is driving culture and retention. For us it’s been a continuation, but a continuation for which we’ve witnessed a new appreciation.”

St. Giles is one of the organizations that has stepped up to make mental awareness and well-being part of their culture.?

“Mental challenges can be much more painful than having a bruise,” says Tan. “Internal pain is not immediately evident; you don’t see it, you don't feel it physically, but it manifests itself in so many ways.?Which is why it’s important to keep in regular communication and share when you’re not okay.”

The future of the human condition

Large-scale trauma like a global pandemic has a way of making everything stop, as both Assouad and Tan mention. We segued from going about our daily lives, to hitting the pause button and taking stock of who, how and what we want to be. There is widespread hope leaders everywhere continue forward in this vein, making mental health and all that comes with it a permanent part of their company’s cores.?

While Assouad continues to “spread happiness and put a smile on people's faces every single day when they come in and order coffee and a donut,” she is also finding ways to build on that personal connection through both retail and the exponential demand for delivery.?

“People want more and more experiences and more and more convenience,” says Assouad. “Now when we're entering new markets, we're opening larger stores and less of them to create better experiences. With delivery, we’re figuring out how to offer convenience and experience by doing things like writing handwritten notes on the coffee cups. That way, even if you don't have an actual human interaction, you can still feel it.”

For Tan, refining the job of hospitality calls for radical transparency.?

“Being radically transparent helps us remember why we should care about the wellbeing of our colleagues and our company. If we can do that for our guests, we should be able to do that for each other.”?

“We’ve been curating a series of 10-person workshops designed for every staff member to tell their story, for me to tell my story and for us to tell our story as a team,” Tan explains. ?“I think that being radically transparent helps us remember why we should care about the well-being of our colleagues and our company. If we can do that for our guests, we should be able to do that for each other.”

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About the Author

Deborah Stoll’s first book, Unvarnished, was published by Harper Collins, June 2020. Her second book, Drop In, is forthcoming from Harper Collins, Spring 2024. Stoll’s work as a journalist has appeared in the LA Times, The Economist, LA Weekly, SF Chronicle and Punch Drink; as a musician, her songs have been featured on American Idol, Glee, Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars and in Ralph Lauren campaigns. Connect with Deborah?here.