Death by Excel. Of Hospitality, Automation, Boredom (and Lord of the Rings)

Langeweile

"Is life not a thousand times too short for us to bore ourselves?" Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche famously addressed the negative consequences of boredom, and, I must say, I agree. In the German language, specifically, the term "boredom" is perfectly represented by the word "Langeweile," which can be loosely translated as "long while." This linguistic construction, composed of "lange" (long) and "Weile" (while), reflects the assumption that boredom is characterized by a perception of time passing slowly. Let me show you this empirically. Remember when your nerdy friend invited you to sit through Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings director's cut edition*? That's langeweile.

(*Sorry, but someone had to say it).

I was looking for a job, and then I found a job (and Heaven knows I'm miserable now)

It is common to believe that langeweile should be an inherent part of any job. But should it? Sure, it may be inevitable to some extent, but it does not have to be a constant or overwhelming experience, especially if there's no added value in being miserable. Let me tell you a story: an intern working for a major global hotel chain recently admitted, in a one to one conversation during a recent hospitality conference, that he spends a significant portion of his workday compiling custom Excel reports for his general manager. This tedious and time-consuming task is not only demotivating for the intern, but it's also degrading (gee, I am sure putting all of the money and time invested in hotel school to good use!) . Sure, we all get an ego boost when our employees worship us through Excel Druidic sacrifices. Still, it's worth remembering that (most of us) are "just" hoteliers, not Norse Gods, and our main goal should be profitability and the well-being of our team/guests. Satire aside, this story serves as a reminder of the challenges many hospitality employees face every single day.

Every day is exactly the same

The intern's experience highlights the need for hotels to streamline and automate their processes, particularly those that are repetitive and time-consuming. In addition, hotels need to find ways, in an industry where employee retention can be challenging (we wrote an entire article on the topic: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4111169.html), to engage and motivate their staff. Not to mention that bored employees tend to be less productive, more likely to experience stress or disengage from their work, and more prone to errors. For example, during a recent off-the-records conversation with the General Manager of a major four-star property, I was told that his hotel experiences a six-figure financial loss per year solely due to data entry mistakes related to rates. This highlights the importance of accurate data entry in the hospitality industry, where even minor errors can have significant financial consequences. It also underscores the need for hotels to implement effective systems and processes to ensure that data is entered correctly and consistently.

We want to enable our people to spend more time with guests and focus on critical tasks. It is important to find the right balance between technology and the human touch, and we are leveraging the power of available APIs in combination with robotic process automation to make this happen. It is a great journey with enormous potential for our industry to do more with fewer team members and, at the very same time, improve the guest experience. We also firmly believe that automation will long term assist with staff retention, as removing the redundant, manual tasks leads to higher job satisfaction. Wietse Bijzeit, Group Director Technology & Business Solutions at Sircle Collection

Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate

In 1980, Steve Jobs stated in an interview for a documentary film that the computer is "the most remarkable tool that we've ever come up with" and "the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds." This analogy suggests that computers (if Jobs were still alive today, he would have likely preferred the term "AI") can enhance and expand the human mind's capabilities in a similar way that bicycles facilitate the movement of the human body. This idea has become increasingly relevant in the decades since he made this statement, as technology has become an integral part of modern society and has transformed many aspects of how we work, communicate, and access information. The bicycle analogy emphasizes technology's ability to amplify the human brain's capabilities and highlights the potential for humans to interact with machines in powerful ways. That is precisely why automation has become increasingly prevalent in so many different fields. Business owners should consider the potential applications of automation in their operations and how it can improve their performance and free human staff from the monotony of tedious, repetitive tasks. Artificial and biological teams should work in symbiosis, not in rivalry.

It's not only hotel employees that would be happy to offload repetitive tasks to computer automation - guests also expect it. Guests increasingly expect mundane interactions with their reservations or stays to be self-service and completely automated, which leads to increased guest satisfaction and reduces staff involvement and workload. Michael Heinze, Chief Architect at Shiji

/ˌsɪmbʌɪˈɒtɪk

Symbiosis, as defined by Heinrich Anton de Bary, the founding father of modern mycology, refers to the "coexistence of unlike organisms." In the context of the workplace, this could refer to the relationship between humans and machines as they work together to achieve common goals. A symbiosis between humans and machines could potentially simultaneously address boredom in the workplace and improve consistency and accuracy of digital workflow. For example, machines can take on repetitive or routine tasks, freeing humans to focus on more engaging and meaningful work, leading to increased job satisfaction and employee motivation. In addition, the use of technology can facilitate collaboration and communication, which can also contribute to a more positive and enjoyable work environment. And this is where Robotic process automation (RPA) comes into the picture. A study by Forrester Consulting found that 66% of surveyed companies reported that RPA restructured existing work to allow for more human interactions, while 60% said it helped employees focus on higher-value tasks. In addition to streamlining processes and improving efficiency, RPA can also improve customer service.

The perception of the hospitality industry is often that it is a people-facing industry, but the reality is that many tasks performed within the sector today are mundane and repetitive, rather than being interpersonal and creative. This is supported by recent studies that have found that up to 69% of activities performed within the hospitality sector could be automated. Michael McCartan, Chief Growth Officer at Atomize

Right Where It Belongs

Several studies have shown a strong correlation between human interaction, the perceived value of work, and job satisfaction and performance. Human interaction in the workplace, whether with coworkers, supervisors, or clients, can provide a sense of connection and belonging that is essential for psychological well-being. In addition, the perceived value of one's work is a significant predictor of job satisfaction and performance. When individuals feel that their work is meaningful and has a positive impact, they are more likely to be motivated and engaged in their jobs. Now, back to the intern's story: how motivating can it be to copy/paste data into Excel PivotTables? I'd say not very. And I have a feeling the old Friedrich would agree with me. Don't you? (hint: if you don't, there's a good chance you can finish this sentence: "One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness [___________] them.")

^{1. Automation May Not Come for Everyone's Job After All, https://www.bain.com/insights/automation-may-not-come-for-everyones-job-after-all-infographic/.}

About RobosizeME ®

RobosizeME® is a process automation specialist for the global hospitality industry, helping companies automate operational processes. RobosizeME virtual workers automate hospitality's administrative processes by updating systems for essential business data to optimise human effort in all areas of hotel operations, including reservations, front of house, back office, revenue management, group sales, engineering and meetings and events.

RobosizeME helps experienced staff to focus on guests and delivers the business cost-effectiveness and value. RobosizeME virtual workers are fully built, maintained, supported, and hosted, including the connectors to hospitality IT systems and the automation software licensing.

For more information on RobosizeME and RPA within hospitality, visit robosize.me.

Stephen Burke
Founder & CEO
Robosize ME