Ian Pilcher – Deputy Manager

“It’s the culture of the company to care for staff and I’ve received good support from all the managers.”

Trying to find the right hotel can be quite a task. But when it’s your career at stake rather than just a few days away, finding the right hotel group becomes much more important.

This is a decision that Ian Pilcher had to make when he graduated from university and decided to pursue a career in hotel management. Six years after deciding to train as a manager with the Shire Hotel Group, Ian knows he made the right choice.

When Ian was diagnosed with Crohn's disease he discovered that company loyalty works both ways. He works at the North Lakes Hotel and Spa in Penrith and since his diagnosis and subsequent treatment, managers and colleagues at the hotel and within the company have given him all the support he needs to keep his career on track.

Employer’s story

“There’s nothing about Ian’s disability that prevents him from doing his job” says General Manager, Anthony Penny. Anthony has every confidence in Ian’s abilities and doesn’t see his health problems as an obstacle to his work or progress within the industry. “Sometimes he has to take time off for medical appointments, but it’s not a problem, it’s just a case of re-organising the rota.”

When Anthony interviewed Ian for his first trainee management post at the group’s hotel in Southampton six years ago, he was aware of Ian’s potential to make a success of his career. Managers are encouraged to work in different hotels within the group to broaden their experience, advice which Ian took on board. This meant that by the time he moved to the North Lakes in 2007, he was even more qualified for a management role.

Employee relations

Anthony believes that the family culture of the hotel provides a solid grounding for all employee relations and shapes the decisions that are made. He says: “Our staff retention rates are good and I believe this is because of our family-based culture. We have a strong management team and many of the staff have been with the company for a long time, so have effectively grown with the company.”

Because of the strong working relationship Ian and Anthony share, Ian has been able to talk openly about his illness.

Employee's story

As a successful deputy manager in a luxury hotel, Ian Pilcher has general responsibility for operations in the hotel and manages a team of staff.

In November 2007, Ian was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. He says, “Before I had any treatment, I had constant tiredness and would sometimes fall asleep in meetings.” As with all health conditions, Crohn’s disease affects people in different ways but according to the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease, some of the more common symptoms include pain, urgent diarrhea, severe tiredness and loss of weight.

Ian has been admitted to hospital for treatment and sometimes needs to take time off for medical appointments, but generally he manages his health by taking regular medication and maintaining a fairly strict diet.

Ian has also had dyslexia since he was at school, which affects his writing but not his reading. Anthony proofreads all the documents produced by Ian but says that he would do this anyway, whether or not his staff had dyslexia.

Concludes Ian, “My dyslexia isn’t really a problem now because I can use computers to produce documents. Crohn’s disease has had much more of an impact on my work than dyslexia ever has.”

One of the ‘core values’ of the hotel group that Ian works for is “We respect each other and work as a team upholding our family values. ” As in all families, when times are rough, people discover the quality of the relationships they have. Through his experience with Crohn’s disease, Ian has learnt that the core values of his company are more than just words on a paper and that staff with skills, experience and talents are highly valued – regardless of their health problems.

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