Celebrating International Men’s Day
Meet The Metropole Hotel’s F&B Manager, Pierce Lowney
International Men’s Day, which falls on 19th November, is a world-wide celebration of the positive value men bring to the world, their families & communities. Highlighting the positive male role models of the world and raising awareness of men’s well-being, International Men’s Day also aims to improve gender relations and promote gender equality. As one of the six pillars of International Men’s Day, this year’s theme is ‘Better relations between men & women’.
Our Group HR Business Partner, Johanna Murphy, spoke with Pierce Lowney, The Metropole Hotel’s F&B Manager, in the lead up to International Men’s Day to gain an insight into life at Trigon Hotels.
What has your journey as a leader been like at Trigon Hotels?
I started with Trigon Hotels nearly 6 months ago and I have been loving every minute. I was in my last position for over 10 years, so it was a bit of a daunting decision taking the plunge, but I am loving it so far! There have been a lot of learnings over that period as our industry has reopened. Every day is varied as we lead our teams sustainably through this chapter of The Metropole Hotels’ 125 year history.
As a manager and someone people look up to, what advice would you give to your younger self?
I definitely think people need to look at the employer brand now more than ever. Knowing that leadership have staff as a priority and key pillar of the business is essential for personal growth. I have been very fortunate to have worked with some great leaders through my career, and still do, and so having someone to look up and learn form is so important.
What advice would you give to others?
Work your way up in a sustainable fashion. Burnout is a serious risk, especially for middle management and younger staff, in our industry. In the current climate, upgraded titles are frequently offered as recruitment tools to staff who often have not developed the skill set to manage these expectations. Having someone learn from experience and sustainably build confidence in roles, before moving up, is so important. Length of service is something that should not be brushed aside. Take your time, learn as much as you can, and enjoy what you do!
How do you think the culture has changed at Trigon to improve health and wellbeing?
There is a very forward thinking vision in Trigon Hotels’. In F&B, we are currently looking into introducing flexible working week for our team, to allow them have a greater work life balance. There are Mental Health first aiders employed in various departments through out the group. We also have done a lot with accessibility and diversity work, fundraising, and getting involved in social activities, that foster a great team spirit, while also getting our teams involved in their community