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PaperclipPerfector  7mo ago (text post)   24923 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 30, 2023

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a lot of the hospitality industry laid off staff

But why would they do that? Genuine question.

Money saving measures. Understandable, if you're a pub or restaurant that now can't have more than X number of people inside and they have to be Y feet apart, and on top of that the public is being cautioned to stay at home and not go out in public. The custom isn't there, so the work isn't there and the money to keep people paid isn't there.

But some places instead of telling people "it's a temporary shut-down, there's a job for you when we re-open", just got rid of people (presumably expecting they could just hire new staff back when re-opening) in preference to temporary lay-off, then had trouble recruiting back post-pandemic. Because some workers had gone abroad, and some had gone into better jobs:

“It is estimated that around 20pc of the workforce in the travel and tourism industry left the sector permanently during the pandemic. Some left the country as they were laid off, and many sought employment in other sectors like construction which resumed trade earlier and some cases offered better remuneration.

“The sizeable gap in staffing has already caused substantial disruption for some businesses who have been forced to adjust their operating models and this could delay their recovery,” he said.

This has resulted in situations such as:

-Rooms in most hotels are only cleaned when requested by the customer
-Some hotels had to close down some bedrooms or lost on revenue because room could not be serviced
-Bars and restaurants reviewing their opening/closing times as allowed by staffing levels
-Reduced menu items

“In order to retain/maintain or secure new staff many hospitality businesses have resorted to increasing remuneration, which may have a longer-term impact on the sector unless businesses are able to pass the increased cost of business to their customers. The increase may also have to reflect the impact of inflation on food and beverage costs and utility expenses among others.

The hospitality industry is a long time situation of long and unsociable hours, low pay, being expected to do extra work, etc. Most places are good, but there are always the smaller, owner-run ones which do exploit staff (there's one such hotel in my home town which is notorious for this). This leads to constant turnover, poor service, etc. (hilariously, years back when one of my siblings got a summer job in a local hotel, they arrived in to work one morning to find the manager cooking the breakfast for guests because the chef had walked out).

It's a misunderstanding on my part then. I thought the original comment was about retirement home employees and hospital staff in general.

I think the way titles are used is also confusing; there's nursing staff and registered nurses and practical nurses, and different countries describe the jobs differently:

There are five levels of nursing: Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Registered Nurse (RN), Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Each level has different requirements, educational qualifications, and salary rates.

So a speech or a newspaper article about "we need more nurses" could mean RNs or they could mean CNAs. Pretty much you are going to need more of everyone, but the ones helping patients bathe etc. aren't the RNs:

CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT (CNA) Position description: Although a CNA is not an actual nurse, they’re the main line of communication between the patients and the nurses. CNAs typically take care of the patients’ hygiene, feeding, and mobility needs. With the help of CNAs, patients can bathe, eat, transfer from beds to wheelchairs, and perform other necessary daily activities.

Requirements: To become a CNA, the first thing you need is a high school diploma. Next, you’ll have to undergo a state-approved education program that lasts up to 8 weeks, with specific numbers of hours in the classroom or clinical practice. Last but not least, you’ll need to pass a CNA exam that tests all that you’ve learned and gives you the opportunity to start your life as a nurse.

Over here that would be a healthcare assistant or the likes, not a nurse, but Americans like fancy titles and steps up the salary ladder in an orderly progression 😁

What’s the Difference Between a Nurse and a Healthcare Assistant? While Nurses and Healthcare Assistants both care for patients, there are important differences in their roles. A Nurse is responsible for a patient’s medical care and has greater freedom when it comes to assessing and observing their health and condition. A Healthcare Assistant is involved in a patient’s basic, daily and personal care.

In Ireland, Nursing is a graduate career so involves extensive study. You don’t need to earn a degree to be a Healthcare Assistant – a QQI Level 5 qualification allows you to work in the role.

People still have the old-fashioned image of nurses in mind when they did change bedsheets and the rest of it, but now it's a much more technical role.

But why would they do that?

Because it was illegal for the vast majority of hospitality businesses to operate in anything resembling their normal form?

Can you elaborate please?

As you undoubtedly recall, operation of the vast majority of hospitality businesses was outright prohibited over the 2 years weeks to flatten the curve.

That means that those businesses no longer required the services of their staff. So they were (temporarily to permanently) fired without cause, which is what "laid off" means.

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