Duty Manager Review

I am a duty manager which involves me dealing with all customers/guests on a day to day basis. I check guests in and also serve them during dinner and breakfast periods. I work the bar as well as supervising other FOH staff. My main role is to make sure the hotel runs smoothly.

Since completing the apprenticeship I have developed an enhanced understanding of the hospitality industry, everything from finance to staffing and training to customer service. I’ve learnt there are multiple managerial approaches and the best ways to incorporate them into my day to day routine. I feel all this training has helped me to help my staff.

I find now that I’m in the role I was training for it all makes more sense and I’m able to put the learning into practice. This is what makes it more fun. It was very hard before as my role wasn’t very fun and very repetitive.

We organised monthly calls and I found concentrating on one topic during that period helped me to focus on learning one area at a time. My trainer was very thorough and definitely explained things well to help me understand in small doses rather than overwhelming me with lots of information all at once.

At my original site I found my manager to be very unsupportive. Thankfully the DHM was very helpful as she had already completed her level 3 and also encouraged me to pursue my level 4. The site I currently work at everyone is very supportive and a lot of us are looking forward to starting the next stage.

Lots of support. I was in regular contact with her and she was always available if I had any questions. We often communicated via WhatsApp as well as our monthly catch up. More often than not our calls over ran so she could answer any queries I had especially towards the end as I was nervous regarding my end point assessment.

I feel it really helped me. My understanding is so much better and I really feel it has helped me to understand what is needed to take the next step in my development. I feel I have a better feeling towards moving up the corporate ladder. I now want to take my level 4.

Unfortunately no there isn’t much as far as out of work activities. We try to arrange out of work get togethers but sometimes it’s difficult due to shift patterns and getting time off together. I would like to arrange a staff outing but I doubt we would be able to.

Yes

It’s a good company to work for. I feel well looked after and listened to and that my opinion matters. The benefits are good and training I have been given has helped me to get to a good stage in my career. Some managers are helpful and push for staff development.

Be honest about you’re career goals. As long as you are aware of what you want whitbread are always happy to help you. Multiple areas of work are available. Just make sure you take advantage of all possible areas of development. Start from the bottom and work your way up.