Message from the Chairman

by Steven Ferry

Many butlers in private service are still employed and there is evidence that the demand for staff may be picking up somewhat in a few areas, like the US. Other countries, such as England, are apparently seeing some slack, but the private sector, by virtue of its inherent wealth, is the least likely to be adversely affected with unemployment for our profession.

In hospitality, however, it is a different story: Although some hotel and resort butlers are still employed, many around the world are finding themselves out of work and by now, becoming quite frantic about being able to support their families. This is not a situation that we should accept and hope that it does not impact us personally, for any butler out of work impacts each one of us.

I can suggest a two-step approach to move beyond this state of affairs:

The first is simple: Look around your environment and see just how many people you know who have died from this virus. The US Center for Disease Control finally did this a few days ago and discovered in the US it was 9,210, not the 153,000 they had been reporting. Then look around and see how many people are out of work, businesses closed, as a result of the media’s unrelenting promotion of the fear that governments have instilled. Decide for yourself whether the world really is as dangerous as you are being told.

The second action takes a bit more work and time, but you probably have plenty of that on your hands: Address the real problem, which is a shutdown of commerce and society that is based on politics and attendant media fear-mongering, not medicine, and that it is in your power to persuade the government of your locale or even country to end the current policies.

Trying to come up with ways to work around the lockdown or going on hoping that it will resolve soon or trying to find a way to survive in a claimed new-normal are not solutions simply because they do not identify and address the actual problem, but continue with the pretense that we have a medical problem—so these solutions envisioned will inevitably turn into problems themselves that you then need to solve, too.

Those countries and States in the US that did not lock down are living proof that lockdowns and shutdowns are not necessary solutions for handling Covid-19.

If we do not crank up the engines of production again in our various countries, few individuals and families will have the wherewithal to travel, meaning airlines, hotels, resorts and supporting industries will either never open again or be limited in their capacity and offerings because low occupancy rates will restrict their operational budgets.

Do we continue with the current policies quietly or do we gird our loins and say, “Enough is enough, we want our lives and livelihoods back?”

The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people- skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.