Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association, 06 February 2025 – The conversation about workplace policies in Fiji has picked up pace recently, particularly around how businesses can better support their employees while ensuring long-term productivity.
In tourism, where over 60% of the workforce is women, the discussion inevitably turns to how we balance operational efficiency with real-world challenges that affect staff well-being.
Too often, policies are crafted with broad strokes, failing to acknowledge the nuanced challenges faced by employees in different industries, sectors or sizes.
This is something we’ve seen play out in discussions around the Employment Relations Act (ERA) amendments, where a well-meaning but narrow approach risks missing the bigger picture.
For example, the recent debate around menstrual leave.
While some advocate for additional leave provisions to accommodate debilitating menstrual cycles, we at the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association (FHTA) believe the solution should go beyond just time off with perhaps some over the counter pain relief.
That is belittling a profoundly serious medical problem that often goes unchecked, undiagnosed, and misrepresented in a patriarchal society like ours that prefers not to discuss these “female” issues openly.
Menstrual health is not just a workplace issue—it’s a national health concern. Underlying conditions like endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and pelvic inflammatory disease often go undiagnosed for years, with many women simply enduring years of pain because they believe this is “normal”.
But it is most definitely not normal.
Rather than stop at legislative provisions, workplaces need to be more proactive in recognising on-going medical issues by encouraging employees to seek medical advice and access better healthcare support. Many go the extra mile by providing annual medical checks in partnership with the Ministry of Health & Medical Services or even private health care providers.
Employers can, and many do make a real difference by integrating awareness programs into their HR policies, partnering with medical professionals, and fostering open conversations about health challenges that impact our worker’s health and the eventual cost of national medical crises where NCDs and undiagnosed medical conditions also lead to the national loss of productivity.
Tourism is one of Fiji’s largest industries, contributing around 40% of GDP and directly employing tens of thousands of people.
Yet, when it comes to employment policies, many decisions are made with a broad, generic approach that does not consider the specific needs of this sector.
Tourism is not a standard 9-to-5 industry that works Monday to Fridays.
Many of our staff work in shifts, covering early mornings, late nights, weekends, and public holidays and by default tend to be located in remote locations.
In hotels, resorts, restaurants, and transport services; there is little room for unplanned absenteeism without creating operational gaps, so these must be managed and prepared for.
Well-intentioned but blanket policy changes can have unintended consequences, making it difficult for businesses to maintain the seamless customer service delivery expected of customer centric industries.
Rather than focusing only on increasing leave days or rigid policy mandates, the conversation should be about flexibility, accessibility to and awareness of healthcare, and a workplace culture that supports open dialogue about health issues.
Businesses can and do, implement workplace wellness programs that educate employees about reproductive health, offer access to medical professionals, and promote self-care strategies that help manage symptoms.
There is also a national need to shift from reactive policies to proactive solutions.
Employers, unions and the Ministry of Employment should be providing more awareness to the general populace on how the many workplace situations must be understood – how productivity gains might benefit every worker, recognising sexual harrassment and the policy avenues available on reporting this, along with sick leave entitlements, holiday pay claims, wage and overtime payment anomalies and what to do immediately about these.
Worker rights are often not considered until something goes wrong. Mediation efforts can turn into long drawn out and convoluted experiences because of incorrect information. Employers can continue to be bad operators because they have managed to threaten employees who do not know any better through no contact with Labour Officers who think they should only be around when things go wrong.
In the tourism industry, we talk a lot about talent retention, having learnt through long experience that you get what you pay for.
Hospitality careers are rewarding, but they can also be physically and mentally demanding.
Many skilled workers might leave the industry due to burnout, lack of growth opportunities, or better financial incentives elsewhere.
Workplace policies that focus on creating environments where employees feel valued, supported, and able to progress in their careers tend to have better retention of higher productivity staff who enjoy working there. If your boss is yelling at you every other day – unless you’re hard of hearing, that behaviour is unacceptable and must be called out.
And called out immediately; not after you have left that employment after 6 years.
This is not just about salaries and benefits—it’s about fostering a culture of professional growth, continuous learning, and long-term career development.
For instance, mentorship programs within the industry are supporting young professionals, particularly women, navigate career challenges while balancing health and family responsibilities.
If we want to see more women rise to leadership positions in other industries (including the public sector), we must create support systems that acknowledge their unique challenges and provide them with the tools to succeed.
Additionally, as we move into a more digitised world, businesses need to rethink their approach to workforce flexibility.
In some cases, offering part-time roles, remote work options (for non-customer-facing roles), or staggered shift schedules could be practical solutions that support employees’ needs while ensuring business continuity.
FHTA worked with the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation (FCEF) last week to facilitate a consultation session for industry stakeholders specifically, focusing on upcoming changes to the ERA and what they mean.
These discussions allowed employers to not just gain a better understanding of the changes but called for recommendations that proposed legislative changes reflective of the realities of the industry rather than just an idealised version of the workplace.
Many of the challenges we face—whether it’s health-related absenteeism, skills shortages, or employee engagement—cannot be solved by legislation alone.
They require a more holistic approach that includes education, access to better health services, creating more engaging awareness sessions and workplace culture improvements.
We have a limited number of employers between the public and private sectors. Which is all the more reason to get employment legislation right when given the opportunity.
Instead of focusing on how to entrap employers and build a revenue stream from punitive fines, an employment legislation should be supporting clear and fair employment contracts, enabling fair wage policies, improving workplace safety compliance and creating awareness on work life balance initiatives.
When was the last time your employment ministry representatives visited your workplace to discuss grievance and dispute mechanisms, provide training on workplace safety, discussed anti-discrimination policies or collective bargaining rights?
Adopting proactive measures can create a legal framework that supports positive and productive employer-employee relationships, ultimately benefiting the overall economy and society.
It is the government’s role to take the lead and show us how real consultation can take us forward with practical, future-fit solutions that ensure our workforce remains engaged, healthy, and motivated.
We want to focus on how we work together now, so we thrive for the next few decades.
That should be the collective goal worth working towards as a developing island nation.
Fantasha Lockington – CEO, FHTA (Published in the Fiji Times on 06 February 2025)
Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association
The Voice of the Industry
