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Most prosperous hospitality properties, bed & breakfast to hotels, are successful because they offer a wonderful employee experience.

I’ll tell you how you can do this?

Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.

I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.

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In the last episode “Cost of Turnover is Expensive – How to Keep Great Employees” I talked about hiring great employees. Now that you have the right employees, how do you give them a wonderful employee experience?

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott International have all listed in the top 50 best hospitality companies to work. Many employees have said they offer an amazing employee experience and are they are dream places to work.

 

Why do so many people want to work there?

• Is it because of the high wages?

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• Opportunity for career advancement?

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• A great business philosophy?

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The reason expressed by most employees is the experience. It is a pleasure to work there because it like a second home and they feel like they have an opportunity to grow. They don’t feel like employees but instead a part of a movement.

In a recent study, 83% of Human Resource leaders said that they believe the employee experience was a decisive segment of their business’s success.

All over the world, successful companies already know that making the employee’s voyage enjoyable pays its way. Opportunities for skilled development, meaningful work, benefits, and a healthy business culture empower employees and have a positive impact on business results.

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Three ways you can design a wonderful employee experience include:

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1. The workplace environment

Everyone is different. So, that means, when possible ask your employees where and how they prefer to work.

What helps them to concentrate on a task?

What distracts them?

If you don’t have an opportunity to organize different spaces for employees, give them the option to share what works best for them. The employees’ well-being is key to business productivity.

A venomous workplace will neither increase retention or engagement.

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2. Your business culture

If your employees are drained and lack energy, always walk around feeling like there’s something wrong, habitually show up late and watch the clock waiting for the workday to end, they might be on the verge of burnout.

If that is the case, what can you expect? Everyone needs a sense of purpose; they need to know that their work is valued and that they can work with supervisors who are on the same page as them.

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3. Technology and the proper tools

Modern technology is an effective way to assist workflow. Having the most up to date and appropriate equipment and tools can boost employees’ productivity.

Moreover, the right training for the use of these tools is key.

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Books with Tips & Strategies for Your Hotel, Resort, Inn, Bed and Breakfast

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Whether it is fair or not, one of the things you have to consider when hiring younger employees is that there has been label put on them.

 

Here are a couple of issues you may or may not encounter.

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Appreciating You Properties Priorities

Don’t think that this is immediately obvious or understood when first hired. It is crucial to spend time on not only identifying what the priorities are for your property but also why these priorities are important. This is where an operation manual is essential. Only by being clear about the end results of any operational activity will you fortify all your employees’ commitments to accomplishing these goals.

Next, you must keep in mind the myth whereby individuals of this generation may be more easily distracted by new or upcoming personal entitlements, so a straightforward solution is to rely on checklists and regular reviews to keep their eyes on the prize.

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Being Self-Centered

Have you ever had an employee ask for time off when you’re operating at peak occupancy? While seasoned members of your team would never even consider asking because they know the strain this puts on everyone else, millennials are more likely to focus on their personal lifestyles without thinking of the company.

The responsibility is on you to gently yet thoroughly tutor these young minds about the natural ebbs and flows of the annual business cycle as well as how individual actions might resonate throughout a property and impact other staff’s duties.

Again, an open conversation about job expectations and responsibilities is required along with this all documented in your operation manual.

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Basic Gaps in Knowledge

Don’t assume.

What you would consider being common knowledge, might not be in a millennials social lexicon, or even that they would be naturally fascinated to learn more the issues and historical milestones of your generation.

Education priorities have evolved over the years and the knowledge that we have taken for granted might not have been in the average millennials school course load.

The lesson here is to never assume what someone’s past education may or may not encompass and to be patient when referencing the past so they do not take offence or feel you are ‘talking down’ to them.

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Your Employees Writing Skills

Daily use of social media has slightly compelled the millennial mind to think of language in terms of sound bites. This is intensified by colleges and universities opting to use multiple-choice tests over those requiring an essay-type answer. For this reason, basic writing skills have lapsed, with many members of this demographic unable to write a one-page memo with a direct thought process and proper sentence grammar. Similar to this, reading abilities have declined, meaning that lengthy emails may go unread or that you will only see an effective follow-up to the first part but nothing else.

The key to your response here is in your tone. It is okay to ask for a rewrite or offer suggestions for next time, but you must do so softly and as a mentor, not an irritated dictator.

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Time-off policies

We understand the importance of paid time off for the death of a close loved one – a spouse, parents, grandparents and siblings. But how many days do you give as bereavement leave for a great-uncle? Or how many days do you allow for the death of your favourite pet sloth?

What if one of your employees call in sick, but says that they are going to ‘work from home’, do you deduct a sick day or let it slide?

Yes, millennials are sensitive, which is one of their greatest strengths. However, there’s a limit, and it is up to you to be totally transparent from the start what your time off policy is so that it isn’t abused. Again, this needs to be documented in your operation manual.

Am I starting to sound like a broken record?

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Reducing Distractions

Multitasking does not work; our minds can do only one thing well at a time.

Yet, walk around any property and see how many smartphones are on the desk within the eye line or are being actively engaged at that moment. As an example, how would you feel if you saw your auto mechanic working on your engine while watching a baseball game and answering texts?

Sure, it can be done but is that mechanic giving 100% of their attention to your car or is there a possibility of something being missed?

The solution here is to once again fall back on policy (operations manual), plainly and precisely stating what you allow for smartphone use as well as why these rules are in place.

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Making sense? Let me know in the comments.

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What else can you do?

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1. Be a worthy tutor

Offer precise, constructive feedback, balancing the positive and negative

Have regular one-on-ones get together, sharing solutions to problems personalized to the employee’s strengths

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2. Embolden your employees & don’t micro-manage

Give your employees stretch assignments that will challenge them by placing them into uncomfortable situations in order to learn and grow.

Balance giving freedom to your employees while still being available to guide them

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3. Convey interest in employees’ success and well-being

Get to know your employees as people, with outside lives

Make new employees feel welcome, and procedures in place for them to meet their new colleagues

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4. Be productive and results- leaning

Focus on what you want your employees to attain and how they can help accomplish it

Help the employees prioritize work, and make decisions to remove roadblocks

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5. Communicate and listen to your employees

Communication is not a one-way situation, it has to be two-way: both listen & share

Hold full meetings and be specific about the company’s goals

Inspire open conversation and listen to the questions and concerns of your employees

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6. Support your employees with career development

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7. Have a clear vision and strategy for the team

Even when thing go crazy, keep your employees focused on goals & strategy

Involve your employees in setting and evolving your businesses vision, goals, and progress

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8. Have the skills necessary to operate your property, so you can help advise your employees

Be willing to roll up sleeves and work side-by-side with your employees, when required

Understand the exact challenges of the work

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In conclusion

For your employee experience to work, they need to know they are part of the team if you want them to invest in your success.

For this to work, you are going to have to consider the workplace environment, your business culture and providing the technology and tools for them to do their jobs.

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What do you do to enhance your employee experience? 

Let me know in the comments.

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You will have access to this post for six weeks before it gets locked in the “vault” for Hospitality Property School Group members only. When you see that we have something new, don’t mark it “Unread” or file it away in the belief you’ll read it later because you might miss your chance.

To see all the other valuable material you’d have access to as a member of the Hospitality Property School Group, check out the short video in the episode post-show notes.

 

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In the next episode, I will talk about employee training.

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That’s it for today’s episode,

Until next time, have a fun day.

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PS. Are you signed up for INNsider Tips? You can find the link in the show notes.

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