You’ve accepted the offer, ironed your uniform, and arrived for your first day. You’re optimistic, maybe even excited. After all, this was the job that promised “structured training,” “supportive management,” and “endless opportunities for growth.”
Then reality sets in.
“Training” often turns out to mean shadowing someone for an hour before being left to figure things out alone. “Support” translates into being told, “You’ll get used to it”, and “growth” seems to apply to your stress levels, not your career.
I’ve seen it countless times: talented new hires who start full of energy and leave within weeks, deflated by the gap between what was promised and what actually exists. And I can’t blame them. Bright, driven people join the workplace with genuine enthusiasm, only to be met with vague instructions, shifting expectations, and silence whenever they ask for clarity. When they later raise concerns, they’re labelled “difficult” - not because they’re wrong, but because they refuse to quietly accept disorganisation as the norm.
This pattern isn’t rare - it’s practically institutional. In hospitality, onboarding is often treated as a formality rather than a foundation. Managers rush through inductions because they’re “too busy,” forgetting that every untrained staff member doubles their own workload in the long run.
Some might argue that “this is just how it is”, that every new job requires a learning curve. True, but there’s a difference between learning and being set up to fail.
Proper induction isn’t about a checklist or a welcome email; it’s about equipping people to succeed. It’s about consistency, mentorship, and accountability - three words that, unfortunately, vanish the moment the pace quickens and accountability becomes inconvenient.
And then, when new employees start asking questions, they’re told to “trust the process.” The problem is, there is no process.
I’ve often wondered why some managers resist proper training structures. Perhaps because structure makes accountability visible (and visibility makes flaws harder to hide. It’s easier to blame an individual than to admit that a system is broken).
The result? Good people quietly disengage. They stop asking questions, stop offering ideas, and eventually, stop caring. By the time management notices, it’s already too late - another “resignation email” hits their inbox, and the cycle begins again.
Hospitality can be one of the most rewarding industries when it’s done right. But for that to happen, we must stop romanticising resilience and start valuing structure. Training is not an optional luxury, it’s the difference between thriving teams and revolving doors.
If a company’s idea of induction is “figure it out,” it’s not a culture of excellence - it’s a culture of neglect.
So next time you’re told, “You’ll learn as you go,” ask yourself: why aren’t they prepared to teach?
Because when the truth finally surfaces, it’s rarely the employee who failed the job - it’s the job that failed the employee.
