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Jenny: Steve, what on earth were you thinking? You should have at least told Marina and I that you were planning to have a fire drill. Marina and I got the shock of our lives – we thought it was for real!
Marina: Yes, I thought something had gone wrong in the kitchens again.
Steve: I know, I know, you are right, sorry! I suppose I didn’t really think it through. I was just thinking about the accident in the kitchen and the fact that we haven’t had a fire drill in quite a while. And the only way to find out what would happen in a real emergency is to have a sudden drill sprung upon people – there’s no point forewarning everyone ‘cos it just becomes a game then, and nobody takes it seriously.
Marina & Jenny: Yes, but…
Steve: Look, as hotel manager I am responsible for the safety of guests and staff – I wanted to get a clear idea of where we are in terms of health and safety awareness and it’s essential that staff know what procedures to follow in a fire. And quite frankly Jenny, given your role of training manager, I think we have both seen that there is definitely a need for more training there. I mean some staff who have been working here for quite some time still didn’t know where the meeting point was, and they weren’t able to help the few guests who were still on the premises – and that is just not acceptable with the conference coming up.
Jenny: Well yes, you are right, it is not acceptable and of course I understand that you take overall responsibility of the safety of everyone, but I am preparing a training plan which we all agreed is needed and Marina and I should have been consulted about something like this before you took matters into your own hands and just started a fire alarm on your own initiative. We are part of the management team and decisions like this should be made as a team.
Marina: Yes, I couldn’t agree more with Jenny here. It reflects badly on the management team as a whole if some of us don’t know what is going on.
Steve: OK, OK, I take your point, both of you, it was a rash decision, you are right. I suppose I was just thinking that as the hotel was fairly empty, it was a pretty good opportunity to test the system, or at least at the time it seemed so. Look, I apologise, OK? Can we just put this behind us and turn to thinking about how we can get staff trained up properly - and review the other problems that the drill revealed.
Marina: All right, let’s put this behind us, but let’s also agree that decisions like these are taken together.
Steve: Absolutely, I realise that I ought not to have taken action without you two being informed of it beforehand …
Jenny: Not just informed Steve, I think we should be consulted, I mean I know that you are the ultimate decision-maker, but including us when making decisions also means that you get the benefit of our viewpoint – we may see things in a different way. We can bring our own expertise to bear on any action to take.
Marina: Yes, neither Jenny nor I are suggesting that we all have to agree on what action to take, but at least our opinion is sought and we are listened to…
Steve: Okay, I understand what you are saying. And I want you to know that I do of course value your opinions. Let’s just say that this was just a blip in what is otherwise a well-functioning team, OK? I take on board your points and realise that I should have first consulted you – and I’ ll do so in future…Right, now that we all agree on how we as a management team will work in the future, I propose we look at some of the Health and Safety issues that the drill revealed. For a start, one of the fire doors didn’t close automatically – that has to be fixed – if we had an inspection, something like that could close us down…
