Introduction: Account of the Critical Incident
The way the hotel and its staff respond to anyone who is injured on the property will have a significant impact on the total cost of the hotel. In addition to the possible negative publicity from a frustrated guest, the hotel could also be held responsible for the costs of the injury (Buchanan, 2010). One day, I was on my placement duty at the Hilton Hotel banquet in Sydney. While I was busy managing a banquet to ensure the best service to the customers who came to the banquet, I heard a whoop. I saw a man who was holding his leg. He seemed to have slipped while he was going down the stairs. This incident was important to me, as I had never experienced any such situation before during my placement at the Hilton Hotel banquet in Sydney. I wasn’t mentally prepared to face any such situation in the course of my placement, so I was shocked and confused to see this sudden incident. I was most likely going to face similar issues in my future career. It was therefore important for me to understand this incident and to learn how to deal with such situations (Gruicic, 2015).
Initial Responses to the Critical Incident
As I said, I was not mentally prepared to face any such situation during the course of the placement, I was shocked and confused to see this sudden incident. Due to my shock, I was unable to react immediately to the incident. There were other junior employees like me, who were also shocked and could not react quickly to the situation. The person was in serious need of help, but because of inexperience and hesitation in tackling such a situation, we were unable to help the man promptly.
At the same time, the senior staff came to rescue the person. They supported the man and took him to the sofa. The security office was immediately informed by one of the senior staff. I notice that the security supervisor was immediately notified to the duty office. The supervisor told the Front Office Assistant Manager. As the state of the man seems to be serious, the assistant manager called the police to rush. The manager also called the hospital to send out an ambulance for treatment. The manager also searched for the security guards and told them to conveniently park the ambulance and take the rescue personnel to the scene. The manager also asked the staff not to engage in any serious conversation or contact with the injured guest, as this could create problems for the hotel in the investigation of the incident (Buchanan, 2010).
Issues/ Dilemmas Highlighted by Critical Incident
The main issue or dilemma that I thought was highlighted by the incident was the behavior of the people on the scene. As I said above, I wasn’t mentally prepared to face any such situation during the course of the placement, so I was shocked and confused to see this sudden incident. Due to my shock, I was unable to react promptly to the incident. There were other junior employees like me, who were also shocked and could not react quickly to the situation. The person was in serious need of help, but because of inexperience and hesitation in tackling such a situation, we were unable to help the man promptly.
On the other hand, the senior staff were not very concerned about the person’s injury. They were much more concerned about the procedures and did not cause any financial damage to the hotel. They focused mainly on informing the department concerned instead of first helping the guest. Similarly, I found that they had informed the police before they could ask the hospital for an ambulance. From an ethical point of view, the management had to ask the hospital for an ambulance before informing the police (Parker, 2011). In my view, the incident highlights two main issues. The first relates to my professional development and the second relates to an ethical dilemma.
Learning and Meaning
As stated above, for me, the incident raises two main issues. The first relates to my professional development and the second relates to an ethical dilemma. From the point of view of professional development, I have identified serious weaknesses in terms of my emotional abilities. I have not been able to deal with the sudden incident and the shock that my mind has received. I have not been able to control my emotions. Failure to control my emotions has led me to hesitate in taking the right decisions. I think that, if I am unable to make the right decisions within a timeframe, it will create a serious problem for me in my future career and progress dreams (Gruicic, 2015).
The second aspect of this incident is ethical. From an ethical point of view, I blame myself as well as other employees, including senior ones. For me, from the point of view of my placement at the banquet, I was more concerned about the consequences of my actions. I didn’t focus on helping the wounded man out. On the other hand, the other junior and senior staff did not respond to the situation in an ethical manner. As stated above, senior staff were not very concerned about the injury suffered by the person. They were much more concerned about the procedures and about ensuring that no financial damage was caused to the hotel. They focused mainly on informing the department concerned instead of first helping the guest. Similarly, I found that they had informed the police before they could ask the hospital for an ambulance. From an ethical point of view, the management had to ask the hospital for an ambulance before informing the police (Singh, 2011).
From a professional point of view, however, the reaction of the senior staff was in line with the hotel procedures. I have found that they have addressed the situation in a manner that has not only helped them to provide the injured person with the necessary treatment, but has also been able to comply with the rules and regulations of the law enforcement agencies and to control financial damage to the hotel (Buchanan, 2010). It was a great lesson for me from the point of view of my professional development. I learned that I wasn’t supposed to approach such an incident with emotions. Rather, I should focus on developing my emotional skills, which are very important to me to make progress in my professional life in the future. I should therefore be more focused on following the rules and regulations of the state and also of the hotel. It will not only help the injured person, the government, the organization, as well as me (Gruicic, 2015).
Conclusion: Outcomes and Actions
It was a great lesson for me from the point of view of my professional development. I learned that I wasn’t supposed to approach such an incident with emotions. Rather, I should focus on developing my emotional skills, which are very important to me to make progress in my professional life in the future. I should therefore be more focused on following the rules and regulations of the state and also of the hotel. Not only will it help the injured person, the government, the organization, as well as me. I’ve learned that the hotel should always focus on avoiding slips and falls. Take steps to avoid falls and slip of visitors and staff. For example, when the weather is bad, put mattresses on all entries. Salt or sand can also be concentrated in ice build-up areas. In addition, a spill prevention system with staff training may be arranged. This can reduce the threat very effectively. In addition, an action plan and well-trained personnel are important for the organization to protect against such an incident.
References
Buchanan, S. (2010). Occupational injury disparities in the US hotel industry. American journal of industrial medicine, 116-125.
Erdogan, E. (2017). What hotel managers think about guest complaints? Case of Saudi Arabian hospitality industry. In Conference proceedings. 7th Advances in Hospitality & Tourism Marketing & Management (AHTMM) Conference (pp. 414-420). Famagusta, Cyprus: Eastern Mediterranean University and Washington State University.
Gruicic, D. (2015). Development of managers’ emotional competencies: mind-body training implication. European Journal of Training and Development.
Parker, C. (2011). The Queensland Workplace Culture Check: Learning from Reflection on Ethics inside Law Firms. Geo. J. Legal Ethics, 24, 399.
Singh, K. (2011). Developing ethics at the workplace through transformational leadership: A study of business organizations in India. Journal of Knowledge Globalization, 4 (2).