A Sure-Fire Way to Improve Revenue: Create a Healthy Culture

“Culture” has become a buzzword lately. In its simplest form, leaders recognize that a healthy workplace environment, in which employees feel valued and recognized for their work, leads to employees becoming engaged in the business. Strong employee engagement results in customers having a better experience; they spend more, return more often, and recommend the hotel to their friends.

The Definition of Culture
Culture is most easily defined as “the way things are done around here.” It’s expressed through values and exhibited in people’s behaviors. Just as all societies have expected practices and norms of how to act and behave, so do organizations have a unique set of accepted ways of doing things, including behaviors that are tolerated or not.

Positive experiences for employees, and subsequently customers, improve a company’s revenue and profit. Aberdeen Group reported that organizations with an engaged workforce generate 26% higher annual revenues and increase customer loyalty by 233%. With this direct impact on the financial results of the organization, it only makes sense to create a healthy culture within your hotel.

The journey toward a healthy culture is transformative and takes time, attention, and commitment, especially when distractions have begun to take priority. Working with several organizations in the past to develop a healthy culture, I’ve created the following step-by-step process to transform a vague, undefined culture into a vibrant, positive, and healthy culture:

1. It starts at the top – The most senior person within the organization must be an integral component of the culture journey.
2. What gets measure gets done – Use a tool to measure the culture within the organization.
3. Review results – Be transparent and share the results with everyone in the organization along with the commitment by leadership to do something about them.
4. Uncover hidden issues – Clearly identify what is meant by survey options selected and uncover hidden issues in smaller, more intimate meetings so that everyone has a voice.
5. Create a blueprint for success – Develop an action plan based on everything that is uncovered.
6. Consider the need for additional tools such as individual leadership-development programs and modifications to core values and mission statements.
7. Perform annual check-ups – Keep this initiative alive with daily reminders and embed the values and learnings into regular meetings and on-boarding programs. Make the process of reviewing culture an annual event that stays alive and flourishes year after year.

Once harnessed, culture can be leveraged to unleash unlimited potential within leaders, team members, and the organization as a whole. A healthy organizational culture has the additional benefit of improving customer loyalty and hotel revenue.

"Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first."
― Simon Sinek, author, Start with Why

Take the Next Step Now

Improve your Customer Experience by hiring Jo-Anne to:

• Create a Healthy Organizational Culture
• Improve Employee Engagement
• Get Behind Barriers that Impede Employee Productivity
• Improve Customer Satisfaction
• Provide Leadership Training
• Conduct Leadership Executive Coaching

If you would like to hear more, simply reach out to Jo-Anne at
[email protected]

About Jo-Anne Hill

Founded by industry expert Jo-Anne Hill, JH Hospitality Consulting dramatically improves revenue and profitability in creative ways at hotels around the world. Her strategic thinking, skill, and practical approach to problem-solving come from hands-on experience at companies such as The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Mandarin-Oriental Hotel Group, Dorchester Collection and Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts.