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Let me ask you something.
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“Do you have a small property, just a couple of employees but you seem to be doing most of the work?”
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“Do you have a property running on a shoestring budget, with limited employees that are overworked?”
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“Are you so busy that you cannot find the time to think about additional training for your employees?”
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“Do you have high turnover?”
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If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, there is no doubt in my mind you’re throwing money out the window and over the years have probably lost some excellent employees.
In this episode, I am going to talk about developing an employee training strategy.
Welcome to another edition of hospitality property school.
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I have not talked to many hospitality property owners who said:
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“I’m very happy if my business is so-so.”
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Most owners want their properties to be successful. Being organized is a great start but a sure-fire way to help your business grow is to train your employees. And I don’t mean just when they are hired, it has to be ongoing.
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You might be thinking about these questions.
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“Why would I want to take on the extra expense?”
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“When are we going to find the time?”
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“And if I train my employees, won’t they leave for better opportunities?”
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“Training can improve employee morale, business performance, help increase your profits and if you have a properly organize system, you can find the time.”
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Let’s dig into this a little further. Here are some advantages to training your employees.
- You can choose the training to give your staff
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- Trained employees will be better equipped to handle customer
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- You are showing your employees that you value them by investing
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- Employees that are continually trained feel more stability in their job
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- Training is an excellent recruiting tool
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- Training promotes job satisfaction
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- Trained employees look for the next new challenge
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- Training adds flexibility and efficiency to your employees
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- By spreading knowledge around among your employees, you will help save a lot of time and stress if someone suddenly leaves the property
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- Training gives seasonal workers a reason to return.
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- When employees acquire new skills their self-esteem increases
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- When employees are trained, they stay fresh and motivated
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Teaching and upgrading employee skills make good business sense. It has to start from day one and become successive as your employees grow.
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Now, it may take some time to see a return on your investment, but the long-term gains associated with employee training make a huge difference down the road.
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That that is a better return than you can get at most banks.
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Another good reason to invest in your employees is the cost of turnover.
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Consider the cost of replacing an employee.
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So, when is a good time to train?
- When performance appraisal shows performance improvement is needed
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- As part of succession planning to help an employee be prepared for new roles at your property
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- When testing new systems
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- As part of an overall professional development program, and these could include themes such as:
- Communications
- Diversity
- Computer skills
- Customer service
- Ethics
- Human relations
- Safety
- Sexual harassment
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Too often, independent hotel or bed and breakfast owners fail to see the value in providing a formal training program. This is where you have to think like a president and not a shareholder.
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Developing a training program
to find out more about how to set up training programs, check out our training tutorials.
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Something to keep in mind
Most business owners think they are good leaders by default. Sorry to dissolution you but this is not always the case. Property owners should be trained as well. It is OK to admit you don’t know everything.
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As in all topics in your operations manual, your employee training has to be step-by-step.
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If you missed the episode on creating an operations manual, you can find the link here.
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I had mentioned that all training has to be step-by-step. The reason is that this will be an incredible resource for any new employee and will quicken their success.
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Is this making sense? Let me know by leaving a short comment.
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Choose your trainer wisely.
It is the trainer’s responsibility to create a safe, non-threatening environment for learning.
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For this to work, it is extremely important that the trainer has great people skills. They have to remember that new employees are people, so it is important to take the time to get to know the new members, establish a relationship, and treat them like they would like to be treated.
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The trainer has to plan to be patient and set a reasonable pace when teaching the new tasks. A good idea is to have them think back to when they were learning something new for the first time. The hectic pace is and busy environment will only lead to problems.
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Before a trainer begins:
A good trainer will have to understand the material and what’s expected of the employee/employees in their new position.
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Ask questions to make sure things are clear.
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When you see things are starting to click, challenge them.
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The trainer should use current staff as experts showing how specific procedures actually work in the day-to-day operation.
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Give praise when deserved.
Also, criticism is important to correct bad behaviour before becomes a habit. Make sure it’s constructive and with an alternative solution.
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Again, I can’t stress enough the importance of step-by-step procedures for all aspects of your business. With the accurate step-by-step process, owners, trainers and new staff will not be second-guessing.
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Your goal is not only to have employees who can follow the step-by-step procedures for all their tasks but also to able to think on their feet, and this means all employees on your property.
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Encourage new employees, in fact, all employees to look for ideas to make their jobs easier or to enhance your property. Have them be on the lookout for new technology opportunities that you and your employees can explore, even if you’re not sure they can be immediately applied to your business. Who knows? You could be onto the next big thing and gain more of an advantage over your competition.
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After training another training techniques to consider:
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Job Shadowing.
This allows an employee to learn about and benefit from the expertise of the senior employees.
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If an employee has an interest for and expertise in a subject, or attends an external training session or conference that could be of benefit your property, have them hold an in-house training session for all employees. If there are costs involved you could offer to cost share or pay the entire amount.
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The first six weeks is essential for any new employee. It’s during this time that they decide whether or not this is the right job for them. It might a surprise for you to hear but 33% of hospitality businesses don’t do any training. If this is the case, how on earth do people know what is expected of them on a day-to-day basis, let alone know how they can contribute to the business or develop their career?
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Training your staff in the basics of your property puts them in a better position to contribute to cost control and possibly generate income. If people understand how the business makes its money they are then in a position to contribute to this and put forward their own ideas.
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You can hedge your bet with a well-thought-out step-by-step training process and chisel a new employee into that creative, ambitious worker you so desire.
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As I said earlier, to find out more about how to set up training programs, check out our training tutorials.
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I would like to hear about your training process. Let me know in the comment section what training process works for you.
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Speaking of Keystone Hospitality Development Consulting, it’s our anniversary and we want to celebrate with you.
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We want to give you an UNBELIEVABLE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL.
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If YOU are looking for ways to increase your hospitality properties (your hotel, resort, inn or bed & breakfast) patronage and profit, we have a special offer for you that is worth $1832.00 for the first year and would be worth tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime.
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With this Unbelievable Anniversary Special, you will get complete access to
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#1 -“The Guide to Operating an Independent Hotel or Bed & Breakfast” Training Tutorials (Value: $398.00)
#2 -Your Own “Hospitality Property Promotional Video” (Value: $795.00)
#3 – Your Own “Hospitality Property Review Video” (Value: $195.00)
#4 – Lifetime Access to the “Hospitality Property School Group” Membership(Value: $444.00 per year)
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All this is yours for only $495
But you have to act fast as there only a limited number
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To see what is included in the amazing offer visit
KeystoneHospitalityDevelopment.com/All-This-Will-Be-Yours/
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If you like this video, let me know your thoughts in the comment section below and if you know someone who might benefit from the video, please feel free to share it.
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Make sure you hit that like button or dislike button if you didn’t like it. I appreciate the feedback. And don’t forget to subscribe and then hit the little bell to be notified when I upload a new video.
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Thank you so much for your interest and let’s continue to work together to put heads in your beds.
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Until next time, have a fun day.
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⇒ TO READ OR LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE ON KEYSTONE HOSPITALITY PROPERTY CONSULTING:
https://keystonehpd.com/KHDC115
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⇒ And don’t forget to join the “6 Day Challenge” here:
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RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
The Keystone HDC Training Tutorials
https://courses.keystonehospitalitydevelopment.com/
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Join our community in “The Hospitality Property School Group” –Check it Out for One Full Week for Only $1
https://keystonehpd.com/membership-site
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TWEET THIS VIDEO:
Employee Training Process – Step-By-Step Video @KeystoneHDC
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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keystone-hospitality-development/
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Listen to The Hospitality Property School Podcast here:
https://keystonehpd.com/itunes-podcast
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Hospitality Property School is a division of Keystone HDC
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