It’s not even 9 o’clock and your front desk manager is already behind. They’ve spent the day answering back-to-back questions from employees. A new team member asks where to find more printer paper. Another says, “A guest requested extra towels but I can’t remember what room they’re in.” A third employee wants to know if they can go home because they are overwhelmed and can’t handle the stress today.
As an executive, you don’t see every interaction, but these everyday challenges are costing you.
You have stressed managers frustrated they cannot get their job done because they feel their team needs more from them than they can offer. We’ve heard front-line managers question, “Why can’t staff just solve this problem by themselves?” and “Why can’t they just leave these personal challenges at the door?”
It’s not just the managers at risk of walking away. You have high performers bombarded with questions the manager can’t answer, wondering why this is falling on them. You have new hires who are quickly looking for greener grass because they don’t feel supported or valued.
To shift culture and make lasting change, we need to interrupt the cycle of falling back on what’s previously worked and try something new. The evolution of the workforce means executives must better equip managers to guide staff to solve problems independently and support staff through personal challenges, because both are impacting their ability to get the job done. These pain points are distinct but connected. Great leaders are now compassionate coaches who listen and provide appropriate flexibility while still holding teams accountable.
In our 12 years of retention-focused work, our team at Magnet Culture has discovered the management approaches that worked for generations are no longer the most effective to attract and retain today’s workforce. What does work? Keep reading!
Pain Point: The Lack of Independent Problem Solving
Leaders today are often perplexed as to why so many people on their teams can’t solve problems quickly and effectively. We’re talking about smart, capable individuals who seemingly become lost when faced with a hiccup in their workflow. Why does it suddenly feel like today’s workforce can’t figure it out?
Well, let’s consider this societal shift and its impact on our workforce. GenX professionals often grew up as “latchkey kids,” coming home to empty houses and learning early on to handle homework, snacks, and safety solo. That independence built critical problem-solving skills at a young age.
Contrast that with Millennials and GenZ, who were raised during a time of increased safety concerns and hyper-structured schedules. Remember the rise of True Crime TV, 24/7 news networks, and milk carton missing children photos? These societal shifts drove parenting norms to become more protective. Instead of “Don’t burn down the house,” it became “Don’t stay home alone.” These younger workers often collaborated in daycare and after-school programs where adult guidance was constant. Instead of learning to “figure it out alone,” they learned to ask for help or work in groups. This shift left a gap in confidence and competence when it comes to troubleshooting and taking initiative.
In one real-world example, Alayna’s younger brother needed help renewing his passport. Instead of completing the task, he simply waited until someone asked if he had renewed it when they knew it was nearing the expiration date. His mindset wasn’t lazy; it was habitual. He was used to teachers and siblings stepping in before the deadline. That newer mindset has carried into the workplace, where some staff wait until help arrives instead of trying to problem-solve on their own.
Strategies to Build Staff’s Problem-Solving Muscles
Are you equipping your team with the tools to grow, or just expecting them to know what to do? Problem-solving is a skill that, like a muscle, we build over time with repeated use and targeted training. Leaders are like trainers, coaching staff on how best to get stronger.
Too many hotels still onboard like it’s 1999. New hires get a quick tour and a checklist, and then it’s, “Let us know if you have questions.” But newer workers often don’t know what questions to ask. Without context or clarity, they freeze. Take Marcus, a new hire at a hotel front desk. He was handed a manual, told to follow the procedures, and left on his own. Within days, he was overwhelmed and embarrassed by repeated mistakes. When HR finally checked in, he had already mentally quit. Marcus didn’t lack potential; he lacked support. The leaders thought they were “empowering” Marcus to handle issues on his own, but he felt they “delegated and abandoned” him. Any chance your team feels that too?
Today’s workforce, particularly GenZ, thrives with support. Create clear onboarding paths, shadowing opportunities, and go-to resources. Walk employees through common challenges and talk about how you approach decisions. Share not only what you decided but how you got there. Use opportunities like pre-shift meetings, one-on-ones, and even debriefs to continue to build this muscle. Instead of saying, “Here’s what went wrong,” ask, “How could we have solved that differently?”
This isn’t hand-holding; it’s taking time to build the confidence and competence in staff so they are less reliant on their leaders over time. No employee arrives fully equipped to do their job and you didn’t gain your leadership skills overnight. Someone likely taught you, guided you, and gave you the space to fail safely. Now it’s your turn to pay it forward. It’s an investment in time that pays off in future efficiency, morale, and retention. Replacing employees costs far more than helping them succeed.
Pain Point: Personal Challenges Disrupting the Workplace
If the lack of problem-solving wasn’t enough, leaders are also navigating new challenges where personal and mental health challenges are showing up at work more than ever before. Most managers were never trained on how to handle these unprecedented conversations. What shifted?
Every generation wants to provide “a better life” for their kids. But what that “better life” looks like has evolved. For Traditionalists, who grew up during the Great Depression, “better” meant providing stability and the necessary resources to live. For Boomers and GenXers, “better” meant financial security through career growth, even if it meant sacrificing time or well-being. For Millennials, “better” meant finding work/life balance to protect their health, even if it means pushing back on traditional work norms. Now, it’s not just a few parents of GenZers, but our entire society that’s becoming more aware and accepting of once off-limits conversations about stress, anxiety, burnout, and more, in the workplace.
Previous generations were raised that it’s unprofessional to talk about personal life at work. When you asked, “How are you?” the correct answer was “I’m fine.” Today’s workforce might say, “I have a lot going on and I’m not sure I can handle this task,” which can be frustrating to seasoned leaders who were told to “suck it up, buttercup.”
This new mindset to prioritize self before work can clash with leaders who still expect employees to prioritize work before self, and show up no matter what’s going on. Neither approach is inherently wrong, but they’re fundamentally different. Left unmanaged, these widening gaps will continue to cause more division and turnover in your organization.
Strategies to Balance Empathy and Accountability
Are your team members truly supported – or are they just expected to power through? Have you found that balance?
Just like problem-solving, resilience is a skill that grows with the right environment and guidance. Leaders have to be part coach and part advocate, helping staff manage real-life stress while still meeting expectations.
Consider Brianna, a housekeeping lead who’s been with your property for three years. She shows up, works hard, and carries the weight of training new team members on top of her already full plate. But lately, she’s been arriving late and missing team huddles. When her manager finally pulled her aside, Brianna opened up: she’s working a second job at night, her son’s school schedule changed unexpectedly, and she’s been too embarrassed to ask for help. I’m trying, she said, but I’m barely keeping up. There might be more to the story of a disengaged employee.
Moments like these reveal the need for both empathy and accountability. Staff shouldn’t be allowed to underperform without consequences, but they also shouldn’t be left to struggle in silence. Leaders must understand their team’s reality. In a recent leadership training class, we discussed strategies ranging from asking deeper questions, conducting regular check-ins, and offering flexibility when possible.
Empathy shouldn’t be seen as a burden. It’s a smart business strategy that reduces burnout and keeps good people in place. Your policies should make it easier to thrive, not harder to survive.
Why Executives Must Lead the Charge
Every organization wants productive, long-term employees. But, who’s hiring? Everyone! In today’s market, your competition isn’t just the hotel next door — it’s every organization that’s hiring. If your work environment doesn’t meet the needs of employees of all ages, they can and will leave. It’s that simple.
Your unwanted employee turnover is avoidable. Attracting and retaining today’s workforce requires organizations to rethink “the way it’s always been done,” because what organizations are doing right now isn’t working.
It is your responsibility as an executive to equip leaders with the tools they need and to establish a mutually beneficial environment where the company, the customer, and the employee can thrive.
Reprinted from the Hotel Business Review with permission from www.HotelExecutive.com.
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