EI in Hospitality

What does the end of year look like for you? Is it a time of joy and happiness or does this time of year spark feelings of stress and sadness.

In the final episode of EI at Work for the year, we’re joined by Leadership Coach Christine Rumble, owner of Dawn Consulting Services and Denmark Chocolate Company. We dive deep into the challenges and opportunities the festive season brings, especially for those in the retail and hospitality space.

Christine shares insight on the importance of exercising emotional intelligence on a personal and professional level to navigate the end of year chaos. She reveals the significance of taking adequate breaks to manage stress during busy periods and being more self-aware when interacting with others.

The end of year bustle sees an increase in emotional, physical, and mental labour of workers, the need for employees to always be ‘on’ is one of the major challenges the customer service industry face. Christine speaks to the importance of flexing emotional intelligence from the first interaction with a customer, understanding different customer types, regulating emotions, and maintaining authenticity to be the key factors to ensuring successful interactions with customers.

It gets personal, too. If your dreading things like sitting across from your brother at Christmas lunch, this episode will show you how to use the holiday season as opportunity to confront difficult situations like dealing with family conflict, consoling grief and loneliness. It is a time for healing, initiating authentic dialogue, being future-focused and action-oriented.

Join us, along with industry experts Dr Ben Palmer, CEO, Genos International and Marie El Daghl, Managing Director, Chasing Albert, in approaching the festive season with a renewed sense of emotional intelligence.

In this episode, learn: 

[00:01:28] About the different experiences people encounter over the festive period and the struggles some individuals may face during this time.

[00:02:07] More on the levels of abuse, both physical and psychological, in retail during the holiday season.

[00:05:04] The importance of small interactions and behaviours, such as greetings and employee relationships, that can reduce conflict and improve the customer experience.

[00:09:40] How the themes of wealth and privilege, and their impact on marginalised groups and the working class.

[00:10:53] About the high levels of emotional labour and regulation required in the retail and hospitality industries.

[00:14:30] About the importance of checking in with staff during the busy periods and providing training on emotional intelligence, particularly for those in casual roles in smaller business where training is more informal.

[00:20:18] How being more self-aware and improving daily interactions with those in your community can positively impacts well-being, happiness, and longevity.

[00:23:23] How using the Net Promoter Score, social reviews, and pulse surveys can help gauge emotional intelligence levels in hospitality and retail businesses.

[00:27:21] More on being mindful, resting, and focusing on improving interactions with family and friends to make the holiday season more enjoyable.

[00:29:17] How to have discussions on addressing and navigating differences with family members during the holiday season.

[00:30:01] The importance of leaning into the opportunity for healing and using authentic dialogue to address past conflicts.

[00:31:08] More on taking the first step in resolving conflicts, and the importance of small gestures and gifts to show appreciation and kindness during the holiday season.