What You Wear At Work Matters

We all know working at a hotel can be very exciting. What's not to love? I work in a beautiful resort that isn't a casino. Not only that, but it's a timeshare! So that means I get to know so many different types of families, cultures, and organizations. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that? One of the things people who work at a hotel don't tell you, is that no day is the same. Everyday is different because you see different people, have different conversations, and even the problems are jam packed of varieties.

The hotel I worked at was moderately sized, with rooms that had everything you needed in them, and staff that knew what to do, and when to do it. This hotel, or resort I should call it, was the type of place where if you worked here, you could see yourself doing it forever. It was amazing. This story I'm about to tell you took place after I had already been working there for about 4 years. I knew and DID everything. I was the one stop shop full of knowledge and motivation that really drove the staff to do whatever needed to be done. I was many things: Supervisor, Auditor, Leader, Trainer, and most of all..... the brains. I hate to "toot my own horn," but I had worked there for so long, I knew literally everything there was to know about what to do.

So, moving on to the main event of the story. It's a Sunday night, and I'm working graveyard. I didn't mind doing it because graveyard was the best shift to work. The team that worked at night had a completely different personality than the people that worked during the day. During the day you see managers and executives walking around the hotel, looking and judging at everything. During the day you had to be "serious." But at night, the sky was the limit! Want an extra 15 minute break? You got it! Feeling hungry and fatigued? Go get something to eat! Want to chit chat with your favorite security guard? He's right there! (I say that because night time was so boring, they would just stood in the entrance checking key cards when guests would come through valet).

Now, it's important to note that working at a hotel, you should be dressed for the occasion; and when I say dressed, I mean the shoes too. That's the point of this whole story. The shoes matter!

So it's Sunday night, and it's business as usual. We check in a guest about once every thirty minutes, and hanging out near the back office just chatting away. I see a truck pull up to the valet area, and take note that it's our pressure washers. They come to the resort about once every two weeks to pressure wash the valet area. I'd have to admit that the resort did a really good job keeping everything clean. They had pressures washers, an arborist that waters the plants, and housekeeping that mops and dusts everywhere. I was pretty thankful that the place I worked at was known for it's clean and beautiful look!

The guys start washing the front drive and that's when everything went to shit. Coming right through the entrance, water starts pouring in. I look at the back office cameras and notice that the guys were facing the hose right into the front entrance! That area was the only entry to the hotel for guests, and it was flooded. I couldn't believe it. "Okay Megan, think fast." I run outside to see what's going on, and start yelling at the guys to face the hose away from the entrance, but it was too late. I couldn't let anyone walk in and out of the place like this because someone was destined to fall, and the last thing anyone needs is an injury claim from a guest caused by a hotel. No ma'am!

I opened the doors to the bell desk station. Luckily the bell desk area had two doors. One door that led outside (away from the water), and one door that came from the hallway inside the resort. "Perfect" I thought to myself. "I'll just carefully take the guests through the backway of the bell desk and they'll be far away from the water!" So I see a guest checking out at the front desk, and I call over to them. "Excuse me, are you checking out?" The guest confirms yes. "It looks like our entrance is currently wet and it's best to have our guests walk out through another exit for the moment; follow me."

I lead the nice lady through the bell desk, which was weird enough because it's usually a big no-no to let anyone else besides the bellman through that area. However, I was there the whole time, plus there are security cameras. I lead the guest through the bell desk, and carefully guide her towards the side of valet that's not flooded, but …. "uh oh".... the water spread. The water was everywhere!

I tell the guest to stay close to me and walk more to the right to avoid the water, but it was too late....

So it's one thing to fall, but I fell in the worse possible way. My shoes slip underneath from the water, I fall butt first to the ground, and before you know it I'm laying on my back in a pool full of water, discombobulated from my head hitting the ground. The first 10 seconds were a blur. I look up to the sky and see a crowd of people looking down at me. I'm so confused, wet, and really embarrassed. The bellman and guest help me to my feet, and I limp back to the front desk, confused of what to do next.

I left work early to get checked for injuries, and the end result was a bent tailbone and a sprained wrist. I spent then next 2 months going to physical therapy to "straighten" my tailbone, and had to wear a cast for the wrist until the swelling went down.

Do you know the moral of this story?

Wear slip-resistant shoes. They'll save you from severe embarrassment.

I promise you.