Hospitality is Here to Help: Using an LMS/LXP to Pivot During Difficult Times
Loren Learny | 4 min read
Pandemic related shutdowns forced quick pivots and work model adjustments across every business and industry. Those which could operate with a remote workforce shifted employees to home-based work for the duration. Others furloughed workers or permanently reduced staff, and some were forced to close altogether. But with innovation, and a fair amount of sheer determination, hospitality businesses, including many restaurants and hotels, found ways to navigate the new dynamic and survive.
Even as the industry pushed through challenges of its own the COVID-19 crisis, it found ways to help. Hotels provided accommodations for healthcare workers who couldn’t go home between shifts without risking the health of their families. Restaurants provided takeout meals to feed those same frontline workers, as well as those struggling with food safety due to sudden layoffs or loss of income.
And it’s not the first time the hospitality sector has shown its willingness to provide in difficult times. From public health crises to natural disasters — and now, refugee relief in Ukraine — hospitality has proven it’s here to help.
Help from the hospitality industry
With the pandemic finally receding, the hospitality industry is still in the early stages of its economic recovery, but that hasn’t stopped this historically helpful sector from stepping up when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine put people in sudden, dire need. Organizations pivoted quickly to provide fast solutions for millions of Ukrainian citizens fleeing into the European Union via Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary. Some notable examples include:
- Airbnb.org is working with hosts across the region to offer free short-term housing for refugees.
- Uber is providing “unlimited free trips between the Ukrainian border and Polish cities to support refugees and their families, as well as free transportation for staff at Migrant Welcome Centers and for the delivery of goods to NGO warehouses in Poland.”
- Stay the Night is building a list of hotels, hostels, and other hospitality resources willing to provide accommodations for Ukrainian refugees.
- Bakers Against Racism has activated its network to mount a global campaign of emergency bake sales to raise funds for food, shelter, transportation, and medical care for Ukraine.
- World Central Kitchen a nonprofit led by celebrity chef José Andrés, is committed to serving meals to Ukrainian refugees and supporting local restaurants and other organizations across the region in their efforts to do the same.
LMS and LXP to the rescue
Bringing all this aid to fruition on a global scale is only possible because of the dedication and hard work of the people making it happen. But it requires an enormous amount of planning, scaling, communication, training, and follow-through, and everything has to happen fast.
Coordinating and managing a humanitarian effort on this scale is easier with a custom, flexible learning management system (LMS) and / or learning experience platform (LXP). Under normal circumstances, an LMS or LXP provides companies and their employees with resources for onboarding, training, learning and development, and internal communication. In extreme circumstances, an agile, no-code learning platform enhances your organization’s ability to plan, implement, and deliver aid in short order.
An LMS or LXP is the perfect tool to provide employees and volunteers with:
- Quick training updates. Training modules can be created and altered easily to suit evolving situations and adapt to new and changing needs on the ground. Your staff and volunteers can access all the information necessary to do their work and stay in touch with each other and your team leaders.
- Easy communication. Your safety announcements, health-related updates, and on-site logistics information for day-to-day relief operations are all available via smartphone. Even in less-than-ideal conditions, mobile connectivity keeps groups in touch and able to reach out to your organization for support or additional resources.
- Social support. Volunteers and staff can communicate via custom internal social apps to encourage and support peers, recognize progress, and identify additional areas of need. Team support is vital to staying grounded and invested in ongoing relief work.
When your team shows up to help, they need continuous access to current information to protect their safety, health, and well-being — and the welfare of the people and communities you’re serving.
With a custom LMS and / or enhanced LXP, you can stay agile, make quick strategy adjustments, and empower decision-makers to make informed choices at a moment’s notice.
