My previous post talked about the importance of time management. Ironically, I stayed up until 3am writing that particular post even though I had a 6am wake up call the next morning. Hey, I'll be the first to admit that just because I am writing about it doesn't mean I've absolutely perfected it. Like many people, I'm a work in progress! However, I do think it's a skill that needs lots of attention and practice in order to keep your sanity. It also helps prevent something as common as the hostel to-do list: Burnout.
I can't begin to tell you how often I hear "Wow, that sounds like the coolest job ever!" when I tell someone I manage hostels. Or how great it feels to be able to say, "Yea, it pretty much it is!" and mean it. There are a lot of people in this world who are not happy or are simply satisfied with what they do. I am very grateful to have found a profession I am not only doing well in, but extremely passionate about. Well, most days.
Even dream jobs have downsides. A few days ago I had a wonderful conversation about this with a fellow hostel guest. Turns out she was a dolphin trainer for the US Navy. Yes, really. She trained juvenile dolphins to detect underwater mines. Mind. Blown. 'What a flipping cool job!', I thought. However, as I started asking her questions about it I discovered that much like my really cool job, sometimes it sounded more fun than it was. Novelty can wear off, replaced by reality and day-to-day challenges, no matter how interesting the job.
It logically follows that though managing a hostel is interesting, rewarding, and usually a whole lot of fun, some days just don't feel like any of that. Which isn't a problem in itself, until 'some days' slowly turn into 'most days'. And in a job like this, that can happen more easily than you might think. I've read that hospitality has one of the highest career burnout rates. Though hostel managers may not have been specifically included in this, I have no doubt they would be up there as well.
One day I was helping with some work for the site, which involved what will be the Hostel Professionals Library. The topics and subtopics needed ordering to make the most sense. The entire table of contents had been printed out and we then cut it up so that each topic was on an individual strip of paper. We had topics such as marketing, third party bookings, security, staff training, etc. It had already been decided that alphabetically would not be the best logical flow of information, but we had a good laugh when we discovered another reason:
Probably not very good advertising for going into the hostel industry, when an ultimate manual for running a hostel lists 'Burnout' as the first topic…
So why the massive burnout rate if the job is so grand? Well, a lot of reasons. One of the biggest is that the job of a hostel manager is never finished. I explained this in more detail in my last post, while discussing the importance of time management. When there is always something that can be done, even if it doesn't necessarily need to be done, it's easy to just go, go, go. What's more is that the type of person that can and wants to give all that is required to be an excellent hostel manager is usually ambitious, go-getting, and energetic. You almost need to have these qualities to do the job well. Yet these can be the very same culprits that lead to burnout, because they make it hard to slow down. While these issues can happen in any job, they are exacerbated in hostel management since the entire business tends to be 24/7. You may plan to work on just a couple of things in the morning, but somehow end up fixing a toilet seat all afternoon, and suddenly it's 8pm you are still dealing with a booking issue for the next morning. Even if reception has closing hours and business is done for the day, the manager is always on-call for emergencies and problems.
This is especially true if you live on site. Don't get me wrong, I actually love living on site. I get to know my staff like family, I'm more involved with the guests, and my commute is often a flight of stairs. But talk about working all the time! I'm sure many of you understand when I say I couldn't go downstairs into the main part of the hostel even just to grab an apple unless I wanted to be pelted with friendly questions. (Ha, an apple. Let's be real. A cookie and bowl of ice cream). But friendly questions are still questions, and those questions equal work. Especially when you just want your cookie and to retreat back to your horribly cheesy episode of Glee and for a beautiful 42 minutes forget about anything related to backpackers or travel.
Living on site also becomes a burnout issue when you realize how easy it is to never leave the hostel. Sometimes this is because work is crazy busy and man, where's the time? Eating a sandwich for the 3rd day in a row and passing out in your bed seems a much better option than walking to the supermarket to buy groceries and cook dinner. However, other times it's because of choice, but often without even realizing it. Hostels can become self-sustaining communities that feel like real life, but aren't. At any given time, a hostel can be: a house, a restaurant, a bar, a movie theater, a trivia or board games event, a debate club, a coffee shop, a pool, a spa, a park, a mini UN meeting, a dance club, a poker tournament, a yoga class, or a nearly unlimited number of things. The difference between never leaving your house and never leaving your hostel is that the latter is often filled with an endless stream of interesting people and fun entertainment. These things are great and make you feel like you're enjoying life, but can also make it extra difficult to draw that line between work and play. Though you may be enjoying it at the moment, keeping up a hostel-only lifestyle without much outside of it is simply not sustainable.
Anyone who has worked in the industry- or really, any customer service industry, in my opinion- knows what burnout feels like. If you start thinking "If someone asks me one more time today how to get to the Golden Gate Bridge, I'm telling them to swim.", you may just be having 'one of those days'. However, if you start regularly thinking along the lines of "I really don't care how you get there, just google it.", there's a solid chance you are starting to burnout. It's important to remember, however, that your staff are just as- if not more- susceptible to burnout. It's highly likely that they are actually the ones answering the same questions over and over, and are likely spontaneous travelers who joined on for a temporary fun gig but not a permanent career like many managers. When watching for and working to prevent burnout, remember to keep them in mind as well.
So how do you prevent burnout? Have a life outside of work. We all know that's easier said than done sometimes, but it's really important to have some kind of social life and routine outside of the hostel. This may not seem so necessary when things are going great, but when things start to get rough or you start to burnout (because you will, even if only temporarily), having a routine outside the hostel is like a ready-to-go safety net. There were times when I was hanging out with everyone, laughing and having a good time, and didn't feel like heading to class at the dance studio I had joined. Other times, knowing I had class that night to escape to and have a release was the only thing keeping me going. Without a routine of some sort outside the hostel it can be very difficult to have any perspective or a mental break. Just hanging out and drinking with guests is still working, even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment. By finding time for yourself outside the hostel, you will be able to more fully dedicate yourself to your hostel, your staff, and your guests.
We all know that preventing a problem is often easier than fixing it. However, burnout is not always preventable, no matter how hard you try. Recognizing burnout in your staff is extremely important to keep your business flowing smoothly. I think the biggest way is to first and foremost know your staff. Not just their names or how long they want to stay but really know them. Their personalities, their quirks, their favorite interests. A very obvious sign of burnout is a change in personality while doing the job. Your staff member who is usually bright and cheerful, offering suggestions to you and wanting a say in policies is starting to become a bit ambivalent about how things are going. Another staff member who loves suggesting hole in the wall, off the beaten path food places to new guests is suddenly sending people around the corner to the mediocre kebab take away place. Even those that have been extremely enthusiastic about their role at the hostel can start to burnout over time, for the same reasons a manager can. The hours can be long, the job repetitive and constantly on-going, and the uniqueness novelty wears off.
When you start to recognize burnout in your staff, it's time to have a talk with them. Depending on your situation, come up with a plan that is proactive but leaves you both happy. For example, if you can go without them for a week, let them take a break and travel the region a bit. They can have a nice refresh before returning to the hostel to keep on truckin. However, if your situation does not allow, or if the burnout is too far developed, it may be time for them to move on in their travels. This can be a difficult conversation to have, but if your staff member is the one feeling burnout, they will likely be open to the option of moving on. In fact, many staff are just scared to break a commitment or leave earlier than anticipated, especially if they really respect you and the rest of the hostel staff. By bringing it up to them, you may even be offering them an out. However, even if this isn't the case and they don't want to leave, you may have to go down this road anyway. In the end, you need a hostel staffed by enthusiastic people who see it as an opportunity of a lifetime, not a job they are dragging themselves to. If the latter seems to be showing itself too often, you owe it to the rest of your staff and to your business to cut your losses and move on. Besides, you never know what fantastic, dynamic person is waiting around the corner to impress you and your guests.
What is your experience with burnout? Have you recognized it in your staff, or yourself? There are numerous ways to prevent it and deal with it that I didn't address here- what are your top tips? This is without question an issue every hostel will deal with at some point, so please sign in, comment, and share your knowledge!
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Courtney
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