Klaus Mennkes

Dehumanizing experience - poor work environment, lack of inspiration. Human Resources has been asked to address the ongoing issues of lying and retaliation by spa management for close to 6 years now. Excessively high turnover rate due to hostile, demeaning work environment. 3 spa supervisors have quit in 3 years, as well as dozens of employees due to inability to tolerate management's abuse. Despite complaints from staff, HR has done nothing to correct the situation. Rather, after every investigation HR finds that there is "no evidence to corroborate the complaints" made constantly by staff. Since nothing is done after a complaint is made, the situation is actually exacerbated by the lack of action...because it essentially gives management free-reign to retaliate without fear of consequence because management feels "untouchable". When you go to HR nothing changes, nothing is investigated satisfactorily, only now your problem has gotten worse because you are labeled a "trouble maker".... It is mind-boggling to find that HR cannot keep 1 manager in check despite numerous employees within the spa department either: 1) complaining formally in writing 2) quitting and listing ONE consistent reason for resignation - the spa manager 3) being fired for the most trivial reasons thus making a case for retaliation by the spa manager 4) transferring out of the spa department to another area of the hotel due to harassment by management 5) tape recording meetings with management to ensure accountability. In short, the slightest disagreement is perceived by spa management as a "provocation" or "threat." Spa management then overreacts out of fear by flying into a fury of extremely hostile and retaliatory behavior in an effort to make the employee so miserable that they have no choice but to quit.... or the other option is for the employee to continue working in an abusive environment, being "written up," and harassed for minor, trivial, and sometimes untrue infractions. Basically, you are expected to suffer every indignity without complaining. The minute you do complain and take the appropriate avenue to settling a dispute (meaning enlisting help from HR), you find that your claims are denied due to "lack of evidence" and you are black-listed by your immediate supervisor. Your life becomes a nightmare as you dread everyday coming to work due to ridiculous, trivial harassment. You receive ridiculous phone calls at all hours of the day (even on your days off) for the most trivial questions. This is done as a way to assert dominance over you so as to never let forget that you are being watched and that your role as an employee is seen as a "gift" that can be taken away at any moment. To be fair, it is a very busy spa as far as the competition goes. You can make good money here and to my knowledge most of the other departments have satisfied employees. But the environment of the spa is so utterly toxic, catty, gossipy and demeaning that very few employees last for long. In the time that I was there, 6 massage therapists together marched down to HR and asked that the problem be addressed. Later when NOTHING was done, employees actually began "taping" all meetings with hand recorders so that they would have physical evidence when issues of reliability inevitably arose. (ie: a vacation day is promised in writing; 2 months later it is conveniently forgotten and denied even though it was in writing and verbally promised several times.) MUCH DRAMA and needless suffering. The employees that have been there the longest have adopted "crazy" as their mantra and behave much the same way as management. If you try and hold your head high and keep afloat of the toxicity you will ultimately be seen as a threat (even if you are just asking for basic respect such as: not being lied to or ordered to do something in the tone of voice that one usually commands a trained animal). NO HEALTH INSURANCE. Of all the various departments in this hotel (restaurant, bar, housekeeping, valet) the massage therapists are the ONLY employees refused health insurance. Strangely EVEN within the spa, aestheticians and nail techs are offered health insurance but NOT the massage therapists, who work in the exact same department, under the same hourly shifts, and literally standing just a few feet from their co-workers WITH health insurance.