It all comes from employee satisfaction

The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai's 800 employees have good reason to be proud of their hotel. For the past two years, they have been ranked No. 1 in "Best Business Hotel in Asia" and "Best Employers in Asia" respectively.

For those who come to the Portman Ritz-Carlton to find the secrets of success, general manager Mark J. DeCocinis likes to draw a three-tiered pyramid to explain that the basis for everything comes from employee satisfaction: "From the bottom up Employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and hotel profitability in that order, so my most important job is to make sure that hotel employees are happy in their day-to-day work, their hard work is everything."

According to the famous According to the "Best Employers Survey" by the human resources consulting firm Hewitt, companies with 80% employee satisfaction have an average profit margin growth rate that is about 20% higher than that of other companies in the same industry. In fact, since its official operation in 1998, the employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction of this five-star hotel have been rising steadily, reaching a high of 97% at the same time this year.

Portman Ritz-Carlton does not shy away from saying that, like all business organizations, the ultimate goal of its operations is continuous profitability; each employee clearly understands that he or she is part of the overall business results. In their uniform pockets are the hotel's unified creed card, in which the first line of the hotel's commitment to employees reads: "At Ritz-Carlton, our gentlemen and ladies are the most important resources in customer service." And this, also It embodies the essence of the Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai's handling of all employee affairs.

Employee Satisfaction Starts with Recruitment

The average employee turnover rate of four-star hotels and above in Shanghai is 22%-23%, while at Portman Ritz-Carlton, this figure was only 18% last year. lowest in the industry. "Our employee turnover rate is decreasing every year, and more people are willing to stay here," said human resources manager Ding Ping. She herself is an old employee who has been working for five years since the hotel opened. In her view, the work to reduce employee turnover and increase satisfaction begins at the time of recruitment.

In the hotel industry, Ritz-Carlton's recruitment criteria are notoriously rigorous. It selects employees with special talents required for different positions, and their personalities and values must also be in line with the Ritz-Carlton culture. Only when both aspects are present can employees truly find a sense of belonging. "So before we decide to hire a person, we will spend a lot of thought and energy to introduce him to the culture of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and to understand his true feelings about the place." Di Gaozhi said.

Public relations coordinator Yan Na graduated from tourism management in 2001 and joined the hotel as a trainee. "Like regular employees, we also have to pass five interviews." She still remembers the strict selection at the beginning: first, candidates have to undergo a selection process with a total of 55 questions by the personnel department to determine whether they have the talent to engage in the service industry. and enthusiasm; then need to be assessed by the department manager, department director and personnel director in terms of job knowledge and skills, career development goals, hotel cultural adaptability, etc.; finally, there is a direct interview with the general manager himself. "The general manager will personally participate in the interviews of all new employees. He wants to understand our personality and why he wants to work here."

Her personal experience is that once she joins Ritz-Carlton, she will be regarded as a long-term future trusted partners. Even in the one-year trainee stage, she was given many opportunities to develop her talents. "I have been involved in the reception work of APEC not long after I arrived, and the classmates who went to other hotels are very envious of me."

Respect and Trust Ways to Get Along

Before you come to work, you may encounter Many unpleasant things: lost things, missed the bus, late, but once you arrive at the hotel, every colleague around you smiles and greets you, will this big family working atmosphere increase your motivation? "Creating an environment of mutual respect and trust is the most important part of keeping employees happy at work," stressed Ding Ping.

Respect colleagues and value yourself Portman Ritz-Carlton recently renovated its staff restaurant, which is probably the most beautiful "canteen" in Shanghai. "Not only the delicious food, but also the elegant dining environment makes people feel that the hotel respects us very much." Yan Na said. Simon Cooper, the global president of the Ritz-Carlton Group, said: "We provide professional services, but we are by no means servants." Correspondingly, Ritz-Carlton proposed "We are gentlemen and ladies with the attitude of gentlemen and ladies. The motto of "Our Loyal Service" always reminds all employees, as professional service professionals, to treat guests and colleagues with mutual respect and dignity.

In hotels, employees in front-line positions such as engineering department, housekeeping department, management department, and kitchen usually need to do a lot of manual labor. But relatively hard jobs don't make them feel inferior. The key is that Portman Ritz-Carlton always emphasizes that the work of every gentleman and lady contributes an important part to the successful operation of the hotel every day. Di Gaozhi mentioned a woman in the stewardship who was in charge of cleaning the fine glasses and china used by the guests. This lady is proud of her work, because the crystal clear utensils are also the reason why customers are willing to come to the restaurant again for consumption; at the same time, she feels that the circulation speed of the utensils must be ensured, otherwise it will affect the waiter's mood to serve customers.

"I was very impressed with her. Because as you can see from this example, employees appreciate that each person's work affects the satisfaction of other colleagues, guest satisfaction, and ultimately the operation of the hotel. "Di Gaozhi is very satisfied with this point: "Only when you value yourself, will you treat yourself as the owner of the hotel and respect each other."

Employees from other departments are sometimes involved in service work. Ding Ping and her colleagues once helped in the banquet hall when a large-scale event was held in the hotel. She said: "There are nearly a thousand guests and they are too busy, so each of our departments will send some people over to do some reception, Doing something like serving a plate also reflects our corporate culture of equality and mutual help."

At Portman Ritz-Carlton, whether it is a boss, a supervisor or an ordinary employee, if you want to show respect and gratitude for the work of others , you can write words of encouragement on the First-Class Card and give it to him in an envelope. "Just to thank you for your help, or to say you did a good job," said Zhang Yun, a public relations manager. Di Gaozhi received first-class cards from the PR department and the housekeeping department last week. "It's a good feeling and I hope to receive more, and each of us should be showing respect for the labor of others by giving away first-class cards more often," he said.

Di Gaozhi also has an ingenious way to entertain the hotel's gentlemen and ladies - during the holidays, he will use his tricycle to take two employees around the city center. "It's presidential treatment," the employees laughed. Because this "General Manager City Tour" is usually only prepared for VIPs staying in the hotel's presidential suite.

Full trust, empowered In London last year, when Dicko Chi was meeting with the hotel's big Asian clientele, a woman approached him and told him the story of a baggage student. Not long ago, she and her husband came to Shanghai Portman Ritz-Carlton to stay, and after opening the clean and comfortable room, she felt very good. But the porter offered to suggest that he thought her husband was very tall, so suggested and helped them change to another big room with a big bed. The lady was very pleasantly surprised and satisfied - it was not the responsibility of the bellboy to change rooms, and he could use his power to make this decision. Back in Europe, she told many how the Portman Ritz-Carlton staff put themselves in the guest's shoes, and that they had the autonomy the hotel gave them. "I believe that her friends and family will consider us first when choosing a hotel. This is the reward for fully trusting the staff." Di Gaozhi is very proud.

In order to provide better service to customers, Portman Ritz-Carlton grants $2,000 to each employee. Within this range, employees can make decisions to the best of their ability without asking their superiors, and they can give customers a satisfactory answer in a timely manner when encountering emergencies. The basis for this high level of trust should be due to a careful recruitment process, which has not been abused by a single employee so far. Ding Ping said: "It is precisely because we believe that every employee we select has the talent and enthusiasm for service that we can fully trust them to serve the guests with their own ideas."

Lijia's creed mentioned:" Ritz-Carlton's service experience can not only make guests feel comfortable, but also satisfy their inner needs and wishes." In order to achieve this, the initiative of each employee to serve guests is valued, and what the hotel does is to trust them, Develop them and give them the freedom to develop their talents. Di Gaozhi emphasized that trust is something everyone needs: "For example, myself, I enjoy my job because I have full freedom to be responsible for the hotel, instead of asking the president of the group for everything." Only By creating an atmosphere of mutual trust, employees will be satisfied with their work, and this trust will be elevated to a positive investment in their work, and the loyalty of guests will be enhanced with excellent service, which will ultimately bring rewards to the hotel. It's a virtuous cycle.

Recognize the personal value of employees

Although 90% of Portman Ritz-Carlton's employees have the highest salary for the same position in a five-star hotel in Shanghai, Di Gaozhi believes that salary does not create employee satisfaction the most important factor. The opening of the hotel in 1998 coincided with the Asian financial crisis, and there were some difficulties in operation, but most of the employees did not care about the changes in income and chose to go through the difficulties with the hotel. Ding Ping mentioned that there are often newly opened hotels coming to Ritz-Carlton for high salaries, but few employees are willing to go. "Our employees are very mature, and it is not worth giving up the corporate culture, working environment and business philosophy here for one or two thousand yuan." In addition to treating us as gentlemen and ladies, the hotel has fully affirmed and rewarded their contributions. This is also the most important reason why they are willing to stay in the hotel and put in more effort. Di Gaozhi believes that first of all "give employees a sense of being recognized as individuals". When a manager says to a department or a team, all of you are great, that's fine - but it's not as impressive as telling a single employee, you've done a great job at it different. If only praise the collective and ignore the needs of the individual, then from a psychological point of view, the individual will have a sense of anonymity and be negatively affected.

Unlike some high-level managers, Portman Ritz-Carlton, from general manager to department directors and supervisors at all levels, will often patrol the hotel and pay attention to the work of each employee; Do whatever you want when rewarding him or celebrating his birthday. "As a manager, you should spend more time to understand what special things each employee has done, and what kind of encouragement and affirmation he needs. This is very important for employees to maintain a positive attitude." Di Gaozhi said.

In the hotel lobby, there is a full-time employee, Nick Huang, who greets guests. He can call out all the hotel's regular guests by name and greet them warmly in various languages. The guests liked him very much, and seeing him was as kind as seeing his own housekeeper. Because of this talent, Nick has not changed positions for five years, but in order to express his recognition of his personal value, the hotel will improve his treatment every year. At present, his level is equivalent to the Chief Lobby. "I am very satisfied," said the gentleman, who is nearly half a century old.

In addition to day-to-day attention and rewards, the hotel formally selects five Five-Star employees and one Five-Star Manager on a quarterly basis. This award is selected by each other among employees, and anyone who believes that the individual has performed particularly well during this period can be nominated. On the day of the award, the hotel held a grand dinner ceremony attended by all the staff, and the nominated staff received a certificate of recognition. In addition to the prize money, the six finalists were awarded an exquisite trophy and a five-star badge that can be worn every day. Then at the end of the year, the 24 winners of this year will be selected for the annual five-star award, and they will have the opportunity to share their experience with other hotels managed by the Ritz-Carlton Group around the world. "Five stars represent the highest level in the hotel industry," said Nick proudly, who was elected Five Star Employee of the Year in the hotel's first year of operation.

Prospective career path

Di Gaozhi, who has worked in Ritz-Carlton hotels in many countries, believes that the corporate philosophy of focusing on employees established by the Ritz-Carlton Group when it was established 20 years ago is quite similar to the essence of Chinese culture. to match. "For example, mutual respect, valuing the work of others, paying attention to personal ambitions, etc. Especially the employees here are very studious, and everyone has a desire for self-development." Another important aspect of Portman Ritz-Carlton's employees' satisfaction , it is the hotel that considers their future career development, so that employees can see their bright prospects.

Ensuring adequate training time One of Portman Ritz-Carlton's basic rules for employees is that all employees must satisfactorily complete the annual training course for their jobs. The hotel has a very comprehensive and complete training system, which ensures that each employee has about 150 hours of training a year. This figure is equivalent to twice the number of training hours offered by any other top employer in Asia.

For new employees, the hotel firstly conducts a two-day induction training, which mainly introduces the history, corporate culture and business philosophy of Ritz-Carlton; after entering various departments, it is a three-month training. Detailed checklist complete. "After 21 days of employees joining the hotel, the training department will listen to their feedback, adjust the training plan accordingly and further emphasize the company's philosophy." Ding Ping said. In fact, the hotel not only communicates with new employees about the training program, but also regularly sends out some consultations on training needs, and makes relevant course arrangements according to the overall needs of the employees.

In terms of skills, each department has its own trainer, usually a veteran employee who is interested and talented in training. They learn training methods under the guidance of the personnel department and are granted the corresponding qualifications to train other employees in the department. In terms of knowledge, the hotel will regularly offer courses, including leadership, communication skills, business management, etc., if employees have reached a certain level or are interested, they can participate. Some employees will also ask to study outside. As long as it is a work-related course, such as travel, English, computer, etc., the hotel will pay for his further education.

Various training courses will be posted on the notice board of the personnel department every month for employees to choose freely. At the same time, the hotel also encourages employees to participate in cross-job and cross-department training. "For example, someone from the personnel department goes to a cooking class, and someone from the catering department can go to the sales department to learn." Ding Ping said. This not only strengthens the connection between departments, but also increases the skills of employees, providing more options for his future career development.

Try to select internal talents At the level of foreman, supervisor, and manager, Portman Ritz-Carlton almost never considers external employment, but chooses internal promotion. Every year, more than 100 employees can be promoted in their original positions. Local employees also have the opportunity to replace foreign employees at higher positions. Currently, important positions such as front office manager, banquet hall director, and deputy director of the catering department are all held by local employees. Management has high hopes for the employees it develops and believes that giving them a vision for career advancement will not only help generate greater motivation at work, but also give their families confidence and support.

The promotion of employees is generally considered based on the semi-annual employee review. Department heads will evaluate their work performance and standards, colleagues will also provide their own opinions, and some positions require skill assessment. "However, these are just factors for our reference. The key point is that we will communicate with him to see if he himself has the requirements for improvement." Ding Ping explained.

Give employees the opportunity to improve. During the first half of this year, the domestic hotel industry suffered a heavy blow, and Portman Ritz-Carlton was undoubtedly also affected. But during this period, the hotel has not laid off a single employee. "In fact, we basically don't fire employees, and we always try our best to keep them in the hotel." Di Gaozhi said, "Especially when there are some problems beyond our control, and the hotel's efficiency is damaged, let alone This harm is passed on to the employee."

Even for those employees who do not perform well for a while, the HR department will carefully explore the reasons behind it - maybe something at home has made him unwilling to work; or there is no one to teach him well, He can't do it; maybe he's not willing to do it subjectively. After an objective analysis, they will be resolved in a targeted manner.

Di Gaozhi said frankly that the hotel respects and cares for every employee, but undoubtedly expects them to meet the high standard required by the hotel and make the best contribution. When an employee deviates in his behavior or behavior, he should not blame him first, but clarify the hotel standard to him and guide him to correct it. If necessary, you can also change jobs for him. "In short, there are many opportunities for employees to improve."

An open door to communication

Portman Ritz-Carlton's employee satisfaction has increased from 70% in 1999 to 97% in 2002, with the entire hotel The efforts made are there for all to see. Di Gaozhi believes that the hotel has achieved institutionalized implementation in various aspects such as compensation, rewards, training, and career development. Further improvement in the future comes from constantly starting small and improving the most basic parts. Each employee is encouraged to identify weaknesses in the hotel's operations and discuss them together.

Ding Ping, who has worked in the personnel department for many years, also feels that it is often only small things that affect the mood of employees. If the communication channels are not smooth, the small things cannot be valued and solved by the management, and the accumulation of time will affect employee satisfaction and even Engagement.

Ritz-Carlton's communication system is: at the regular departmental meeting every day, employees can report to the supervisor the small problems that occurred in the previous day's work, and everyone can review the specific mistakes; at the monthly major departmental meetings, employees will be discussed If you are satisfied with the situation, you will propose areas for improvement to the department director, and then each department will continue to follow up the progress of the matter; in addition, the personnel director will randomly select about 10 employees from each department each month to have afternoon tea together. Topics ranging from the maintenance of hotel hardware facilities to the ironing of uniforms will be reported to the relevant departments for resolution. "We will use the fastest speed to improve in time, otherwise we will give a time limit for progress or an explanation that cannot be resolved. In short, employees will get a satisfactory answer." Ding Ping said. She gave an example: the pantyhose worn by female employees of the hotel has been very thin for many years. However, the weather in Shanghai was very cold this spring. Some employees suggested that the pantyhose was not warm enough and hoped that they could be replaced with thick velvet or cashmere. sock. "In this way, the cost will definitely increase, but we think it is a reasonable request, so we change it in time."

Di Gaozhi also invites employees from different departments to have breakfast with him every month. work situation. "Most of the time, the employees said they were happy, and of course they brought some minor issues. And when I asked, did your supervisor already know? The answer was always 'yes, and it's already being dealt with'. So they told me that it wasn't because they couldn't get help, but just wanted me to know about it." He also emphasized that he must ensure that every problem raised by employees is indeed being paid attention to and solved. "Because they want these issues to be brought to my attention, but if I don't do anything, it will be worse."

This breakfast meeting is just one way in which Di Gaozhi communicates with the staff. As the general manager of the hotel, he devoted about 70% of his working time to matters related to 800 gentlemen and ladies. He believes that the best way to understand the needs and working conditions of his employees is to go to each employee's actual work environment, experience their feelings first-hand, and discuss together how to improve. The employees are also free to come to the general manager's office and put forward their suggestions and ideas. "While we conduct employee satisfaction surveys every year, employee satisfaction is a daily measure, not a survey of some sort."

It all comes from employee satisfaction

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