Saturday,September 26th, 2009Since I published my first article on the Boston Hyatt Hotels debacle on Tuesday many new developments and details have emerged. Sadly, it is now certain that aspects of the action taken by Hyatt at the three Boston hotels were inappropriate at the very least! As an ex-Hyatt employee and a historically loyal fan of the Hyatt Hotels Enterprise I am sincerely disappointed.
This morning, over coffee, I was reflecting on this situation. If nothing else this incident has demonstrated the power of the Internet as a communication forum. Once the news of this event broke on September 17, it spread like wildfire the past week across the social media world.
It would be interesting to see some statistics of how many comments have been posted on this subject, how many bloggers have expressed their opinions, and subsequently how much business Hyatt will eventually lose over this mistake as a result of those communications. It is heartbreaking!
An equally important lesson is the value of transparency in communications with a workforce. Without question Hyatt should have fully disclosed its intentions (to layoff its housekeepers) openly and honestly. While the reaction would not have been pleasant, that simple act of candor would have demonstrated integrity, preserving the dignity of all concerned.
To sneak in the backdoor with this news, regardless of intent, was hurtful to the affected employees and damaging to Hyatt’s reputation. I am sure if the clock could be turned back, Hyatt would do some things differently.
One thing is for certain… the damage is done, and who knows what the complete fallout will be. I sincerely hope Hyatt is successful in making things right! Clearly, they have some work to do …
Good article.thanks excellent content.
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