For the last two years, hotel employee retention has been a nightmare.
In this episode, I’ll explain how to improve your employee experience while elevating your guest’s satisfaction.
Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.
I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.
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In the last couple of episodes, I have discussed the cost of employee turnover and hiring great employees. Now that you have the right employees, how do you keep them?
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Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott International have all been listed in the top 50 best hospitality companies to work for. Many employees have said they are dream places to work.
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Why do so many people want to work there?
• Is it because of 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 experience. It is a pleasure to work there because it is 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.
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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.
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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.
Three ways you can design a wonderful employee experience include:
1. The workplace environment
Everyone is different. So, that means, when possible, ask your employees where and how they prefer to work.
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What helps them to concentrate on a task?
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What distracts them?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Moreover, the right training for the use of these tools is key.
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What issues do you have to be aware of? I’ll tell you, right after a word from our sponsors.
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Before the break, I asked what issues you have to be aware of.
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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 a label put on them.
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Here are a couple of issues you may or may not encounter.
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Appreciating Your Properties Priorities
Don’t think that this is immediately obvious or understood when first hired. It is crucial to spend time 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 results of any operational activity will you fortify all your employees’ commitments to accomplishing these goals.
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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-centred
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.
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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.
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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.
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What you would consider being common knowledge, might not be in a millennial’s social lexicon, or even that they would be naturally fascinated to learn more about the issues and historical milestones of your generation.
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Education priorities have evolved over the years, and the knowledge that we have taken for granted might not have been in the average millennial school course load.
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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.
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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.
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?
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What if one of your employees calls in sick, but says that they are going to ‘work from home’, do you deduct a sick day or let it slide?
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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 about what your time off policy is so that it isn’t abused. Again, this needs to be documented in your operation manual.
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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.
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Yet, walk around any property and see how many smartphones are on the desk within eye line or are being actively engaged in 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?
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Sure, it can be done, but is that mechanic giving a 100% of their attention to your car or is there a possibility of something being missed?
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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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If you are a member of the Hospitality Property School Group, as a bonus, I’m going to share what else can you do to improve your employee experience.
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In conclusion
Your employees need to know they are part of the team if you want them to invest in your success.
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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’s work experience?
Let me know in the comments.
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We cover more on organizational structure in “The Guide to Owning & Operating a Hospitality Property – Successfully” book & course. You find more information at KeystoneHPD.com
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You will have access to this episode for as long as you would like but if you would like to see all the bonuses you would have access to as a member of the Hospitality Property School Group, check out the short video in this episode post-show notes.
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In our next episode, I will be talking about how to Improve Your Employee Experience.
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⇒ TO READ OR LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE ON KEYSTONE HOSPITALITY PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT:
https://keystonehpd.com/improve-your-employee-experience-elevate-your-guest-satisfaction-319
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“The Guide to Owning & Operating a Hospitality Property – Successfully” course.
https://KeystoneHPD.com/Course
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Did you get your copy of the “How to Improve Your Hospitality Properties Success” ebook?
KeystoneHPD.com/How-to-Improve-Your-Hospitality-Properties-Success
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