Hospitality industry urged to ban swearing – updated

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IÁ‚ have been a chef for nearly 20 years. I have found that the use of expletives is widespread amongst managers and staff alike. There have been occasions whereÁ‚ I have unfortunately uttered some colourful language. I have seen a couple of programmes from the recent Jamie Oliver series. I feel his outbursts were made in moments of extreme fustration! Rather than be berated, he should be praised for making a courageous decision. How many established chefs would attempt something so ambitious? I agree he could have expressed himself in a more diplomatic way. The lack of enthusiasm and committment from some of his students was absolutely appalling. They are being given a golden opportunity to better themselves and they should seize this. In my opinion, some of them are smiling in his face and laughing behind his back. If some of Mr OliverÁ¢Â€Â™s critics think itÁ¢Â€Â™s all so easy, why donÁ¢Â€Â™t they try it themselves?

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I wish good luck to this man, as he can think somebody will monitor you for swearings and other attitude in the kitchen. This environment is really stressfull and will be all the time at any levels with any peoples, the tension is so intense that maybe swearings sometimes can be better. Á¢Â€Â" Olivier

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Is this man living in the 21st century? What does this man do or say when he is under pressure? Expletives happen and are quite often an uncontrolable burst of emotion. In todayÁ¢Â€Â™s society swearing is not so muchÁ‚ faux pas as accepted. Banter it certainly is.

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Jamie Oliver took on a challenge that few would have ever considered. Being in education I am well aware of the highs and lows that it can generate. Well doneÁ‚ to him for taking on such a project. It is a shame, though, that such docu-soaps seem to give so much airtime to perhaps the less flattering issues. I do, however, support David WilkinsonÁ¢Â€Â™s comments on Á¢Â€Âœbad behaviourÁ¢Â€Â, which does seem to be more evident in some sectors of the industry than others. Our industry is regularly in crisis regarding personnel Á¢Â€Â" skilled or otherwise. Perhaps if we, as an industry, could make the working experience of our employees a more pleasant and respected one, this would contribute to greater levels of staff retention at individual unit and industry-wide levels. When are we, as an industry, going to present ourselves, to young people especially, as a professional first-choice career option Á¢Â€Â" one which educators in secondary education can actively promote as a first-choice option and one that would be actively encouraged by parents of school-leavers? Our industry is vast and the choice of career options is endless Á¢Â€Â" a truly dynamic and exciting career choice. Á¢Â€Â" Marie Connolly MHCIMA

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If you were in a profesional kitchen environment instead of swivelling on you little computer chair with the end of your biro in your mouth, trying to meet the standards these chefs meet, thenÁ‚ I believe you would understand the foul language in a kitchen. The foul language is not due to lack of education because people like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are educated to the kitchen Á¢Â€Â"Á‚ itÁ¢Â€Â™s their job to reach high standards all the time.

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We all work in a high-pressure industry that can Á¢Â€Âœboil overÁ¢Â€Â from time to time. As a chef with 15 yearsÁ¢Â€Â™ experience I have (in the past) been shouted at, spat at, assaulted and generally humiliated, on my rise through the ranks to owning my own restaurant business. I assumed this was par for the course until I worked in some places where this verbal abuse was unheard of, and then realised that the key to this is preparation and training. Chefs have no excuse for being abusive to their kitchen staff as it is they who are responsible for ensuring that the kitchen is prepped and ready for every service. Front-of-house need to know that all floor staff know what they are doing, how the kitchen works and what is expected of them. If my staff cannot do what I pay them to do I will retrain them or remove them. I really think itÁ¢Â€Â™s time to remove the Á¢Â€Âœif you canÁ¢Â€Â™t stand the heatÁ¢Â€Â stigma that some TV chefs portray and get on with our chosen career paths in a mature way which might encourage more people to join our industry. Á¢Â€Â" Phil Hardy, Swan Catering and Event Services, Henley on Thames, Oxon A bunch of self-regarding, pompous suits harrumphing and mummering about lack of manners; lack of education; lack of breeding (can you believe that someone would actually use the word breeding?). They swan about front of house giving the impression that everythingÁ¢Â€Â™s hunky dory and taking the glory, while the kitchen work their collective bottoms off. Swearing offers up urgency, force, humour, pathos, menace, despair, resignation, irony, sarcasm, desperation, cameraderie Á¢Â€Â" it allows people to open pressure valves and relieve tension. Swearing behind the scenes in not only acceptable it is necessary. Á¢Â€Â" Joss Bown (human being) Oh please! I do wish some of these chefs would pull their heads out of their behinds and wake up to the real world. Though now I sit behind a desk and tap away at my computer, I worked for many years at the cliff-face, both in the kitchen of a three-rosette restaurant, and in most other departments of a hotel. Yes, it can be very stressful at times, but no more so than in many other working environments (think police officer, ambulance crew, fireman, armed forces, floor-trader, social worker, air traffic controller Á¢Â€Â"Á‚ the list really does go on). I am the first to admit to swearing like a trooper at times (or should that be swearing like a chef?), but not generally in the workplace and certainly not at my colleagues. Please, donÁ¢Â€Â™t try and pretend that our industry has anything special about it that justifies anti-social or offensive behaviour. It hasnÁ¢Â€Â™t, and it would be to the industryÁ¢Â€Â™s advantage to stamp it out. That said, I hardly think it is the biggest issue we face. As for Jamie Oliver, I am a great fan of his and think that full recognition should be given for what he has done. Swearing in the kitchen, whilst not something I condone, does not in my view detract in any way from his many achievements. Á¢Â€Â" Patrick Angwin, senior consultant, Hospitality & Leisure Consulting, EMEAI Real Estate, Hospitality & Construction, Ernst & Young LLP What nonsense to say that swearing shows a lack of education, etc. It is a picturesque way of relieving stress in a very stressful place. AlthoughÁ‚ I do agree that most of it is unnessessary, there are ways of reducing it. I, for example, introduced a swear-box for charity in my kitchen and at 10p a swear we raised a good amount for charity and most of the cash came from waiting staff. Try it Á¢Â€Â" it was fun. Á¢Â€Â" Stevie BoswellÁ‚ (chef) IÁ¢Â€Â™m surprised that anyone wants to work in catering after OliverÁ¢Â€Â™s programme. Kids nowadays will not put up with being verbally abused. Why should they? Á¢Â€Â" Iain Stewart (P.S: I swear like troopers used to, but swearing is not officially allowed in todayÁ¢Â€Â™s Army) Seeing as many chefs donÁ¢Â€Â™t work in the restaurant, and vice versa, staffÁ‚ often donÁ¢Â€Â™t understand the pressure faced by others. Most feel they are the ones left most Á¢Â€Âœin the sh!tÁ¢Â€Â as itÁ¢Â€Â™s generally referred to, and when stress levels peak, expletives are (usually!!) safer than knife-throwing! IÁ¢Â€Â™ve found, however, that torrents of personal verbal abuse are found unacceptable by even the most colourful language users, and most will fly off the handle, so to speak, if they are actually sworn AT as opposed to in conversation. In other words Á¢Â€Âœoh f#ckÁ¢Â€Â would be OK, Á¢Â€ÂœP!ss offÁ¢Â€Â would not. I think an industry ban on bad language is more than a little extremeÁ¢Â€Â¦perhaps a punchbag in the staff-room and the ability to pause service forÁ‚ five minutes would be more useful! Á¢Â€Â" Lisa I have worked within the hospitality sector for over 10 years, both within the UK and abroad and after completing a degree in hospitality management I am about to enter into my first management role with a reputable hotel. During my extensive experience I have found that we all swear at some point or another. This is often due to the pressure of work and though not pleasing to the ear helps release stress, provided the individual can do it somewhere away from the hearing range of customers. I do not consider swearingÁ‚ out of anger or frustrationÁ‚ a bad thing, but swearing at people I totally disagree with. Often this industry employees anyone out of desperation, as we are all too familiar with theÁ‚ high staff turnover and labour shortage that the industry faces. These unsuitable employees cannot handle the pressure, nor do they have the right attitude for the job.Á‚ They not only swear a lot but swear at other members of staff and sometimes customers, and in some worse cases that I have witnessed actually physically abuse newer members of staff. Sadly, these abusersÁ‚ go on to become head chefs and managers. Chefs are a classic example, as they have a culture of their own that permitsÁ‚ verbal and physical abuse and yet, they get away with it, despite bad behaviour often going against the companyÁ¢Â€Â™s policy. This is due to various reasons but the biggest reason is the shortage of chefs, good or bad. Would you be willing to sack your chef if you knew you would struggle to find a replacement? Bad behaviourÁ‚ leads toÁ‚ further low morale, a higher staff turnover and more unsuitable individuals being employed.Á‚ So the hospitality industry is caught in a vicious circle of bad behaviour that it should never have tolerated from the beginning. The only way to improve things is better recruitment, pay and hours, along with better training for staff dealing with the problem of bad behaviour and emphasising the companyÁ¢Â€Â™s commitment to stamping it out at whatever the cost. Á¢Â€Â" Marthos Christoforou Perhaps we should concentrate on the causes of swearing rather than the symptoms that swearing embodies. Poor pay, ridiculously long hours, lack of motivation, bad management, poor and insufficent equipment, low morale, high stress levels. If the industry addressed some of these issues instead of just blindly attacking the poor front line of staff who have to put up with these things maybe there would be less need for staff, chefs or otherwise to swear in the first place. Á¢Â€Â" Caroline Blakemore (PS: I wholeheartedly agree with Joss Brown; who on earth would use the term Á¢Â€Âœlack of breedingÁ¢Â€Â?! What an utterly inappropriate, out-of-touch thing to say. This is an industry made up of people from all walks of life not f\*$king Crufts.)