“Our people are our greatest resource”

Is this statement, or something similar, written on your website or stated in your company’s annual report? Most leaders would probably agree that the concept of finding, training, and taking care of employees is one of their top priorities, especially in the highly competitive environment of the hospitality industry. However, how would your employees rate you on fulfilling this promise? Does it pass the ‘stress test’ and is maintained even during bad times?

It’s so easy to get caught up in the barrage of report deadlines, new initiative roll-outs, forecasting, business planning, and guest complains, that often even the basics of employee interactions take a back seat to other priorities. In my consulting practice, I often find that activities, such as weekly check-in meetings with all direct reports, often go out the window. Employees are clamoring for attention from their boss, usually so that they can provide a better guest experience.

Those hotels where people are considered to be the most important resource typically have these 5 areas covered:

  1. Regular, ongoing training and development program opportunities for every employee
  2. Consistent departmental meetings that communicate the hotel’s direction, performance, and other pertinent information
  3. Leaders who take an active role in the work that is performed by each direct report such as ‘catching them doing something right,’ giving them guidance on priorities, ensuring accountability on responsibilities, and providing feedback in an appropriate manner
  4. A culture/environment that is fun and fair while still being productive
  5. Outliers or poor performers are dealt with so that the rest of the team doesn’t need to pick up the slack

How would your employees rate your organization on these 5 areas? Have you asked them lately?

Ask yourself, what would it take to really live up to the statement ‘our employees are our best resource?’ Then do it!

“People respond in accordance to how you relate to them. If you approach them on the basis of violence, that's how they'll react. But if you say, 'We want peace, we want stability,' we can then do a lot of things that will contribute towards the progress of our society.” 
― Nelson Mandela

If you would like to hear more about how to keep great employees, simply reach out to Jo-Anne at [email protected]

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