DOROTHY ASKS . . .
“I’m a culinary school student interning at a large convention hotel with a union kitchen staff. I help with plate-ups in the pastry shop, often for events with more than 1,000 attendees. When plating desserts for these large parties, cooks take a shortcut by putting a sheet pan on top of a rolling garbage can and moving the can around the table while placing the desserts on the plates. Their hands end up repeatedly touching the garbage can and then the desserts. I’ve told them this is unsanitary and could make guests sick. Their attitude is, ‘Shut up, and don’t complicate things.’ I’ve gone to the executive chef, and his response is, ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ but nothing changes. My next step is to talk to HR, but I’m afraid I’ll lose my internship if I do.“?

THE STAFFING DOCTOR ANSWERS...
Dorothy, do you know what a whistleblower is? It’s a person who reports a bad practice condoned by his or her employer to someone inside or outside the corporate hierarchy who has the power to do something about it. And you’re right: Whistleblowers often find themselves facing formal or informal reprisals. So your dilemma is real, and your fear of losing the internship is not totally misplaced. But if you really feel the dessert-handling procedure could cause guests to become ill, you have a personal and professional responsibility to communicate these concerns up the line. Your employer certainly does not want to get into trouble, including dealing with the liability and bad reputation that could result if an unsanitary practice is allowed to continue.

Here are five steps to help you get closer to a win/win outcome for all parties:

1. Ask yourself if you have exhausted all avenues for internal redress. So you have spoken to the executive chef, but have you taken the time to lay out your concerns in terms of health, safety, and professional responsibility? Have you conveyed those concerns in a confidential, written document? Is there someone within the kitchen hierarchy to go to other than the executive chef? Where does the union shop steward stand on this issue?

2. Put some serious thought into an alternative process for handling desserts that can achieve the same result without risk of contamination. Most hotels have conveyance equipment on rollers that can be substituted for garbage cans. Or maybe the solution is as simple as covering the can with a clean, inverted plastic bag and then placing the sheet pan on top of the bag. Your executive chef is more likely to act on a problem teamed with a practical solution than one requiring that he validate the problem and then figure out a solution.

3. Divide and conquer. Through discrete conversation, find out who among the staff you work with on a peer basis is sympathetic to your concerns. If only by confirming that the problem is real, they’ll provide support to your position in staff conversations.

4. Talk to your internship advisor about the problem before discussing it at the hotel outside the kitchen hierarchy. Internships offer a great deal of value to a school as well as to a hotel. You might be surprised by the leverage, contacts, knowledge, and discretion your advisor can bring to the situation.

5. Do some homework before approaching HR. Many companies have whistleblower policies that protect employees in situations such as this, and many communities have whistleblower support groups, including legal aid. Check out the employee manual, if possible, and see what the hotel’s policies are. If it comes to the point where you have no choice but to take the HR step, it’s important to know your options.

Dorothy, I’m sure you feel faced with an emergency, but I am asking you to slow down and take a sequence of careful steps. This has to do with the reality of reprisals, an unfortunate and universal part of human nature. Working within corporate structures is a better way to get most business matters resolved than tattling. This is far from the last dilemma of a similar nature you will face in your career. If you can address this crisis and come up with a creative, satisfactory, and sanitary solution for all concerned, you will have set an impressive benchmark for your future success. Good luck!

CONTACT THE STAFFING DOCTOR
As president of StaffDynamics, www.staffdynamics.biz, Daniel Abramson has focused on workforce performance strategies and “raising the bar” for over 25 years. His energetic, no-nonsense style appeals to clients seeking results at a new level. He is available as a corporate trainer, management coach, and speaker for high-impact engagements. His latest book is Secrets of Hiring Top Talent. You may reach Daniel at Daniel@staffdynamics.biz or 877-568-2222. Your anonymity will be respected. Send questions you would like Daniel to address to editor@hotelfandb.com.