Recruitment, retention, and resignation
After navigating the financial impacts of the pandemic closures, the staffing crisis is hitting hotels hard. If organisations are to attract people again and nurture a skilled, engaged, and loyal workforce, the employee experience needs a radical rethink.
One area which needs an urgent update is training and development. The traditional method isn’t working.
A blended approach, based on a coaching culture with some technical skills training, could provide the answer.
What isn’t working
Development plans in large hotels are often inadequate; skills training is often delivered in standardised, data driven and uninspiring E-learning programmes. There’s little follow-up or evaluation until months down the line when, “Oh no, it’s the annual review!”.
People are pushed through courses at pace to get fast gains at low cost.
The outcomes are poor, often counterproductive. The speed means that people move onto a new job before they’ve mastered the old one and before they’ve experienced any mastery or satisfaction.
Perceived as an obligation by the trainees, they can fuel disengagement and resentment.
The root of the problem lies in the failure to see the individual as a whole person from the recruitment stage, and on that basis, to link their development plan to the organization’s strategic goals.
A blended approach to training
This is where embracing a coaching culture makes the difference.
By coaching the executive and management teams and training them in how to coach, they can then cascade the learning throughout the organisation. Peer coaching and employee coaching can be used in all departments.
This culture nurtures a growth mindset and training and development become an integral part of the day-to-day. Step by step learning really happens, people are more engaged and in becoming more productive, they also flourish.
Employees who are heard and empowered are more motivated to take technical skills courses and get better results. It’s not magic, coaching is powerful.
Benefits of a coaching culture
Companies who embrace a coaching culture report many positive effects for learning and performance outcomes.
A 2020 study* on the impact on employees of leadership styles in the hotel sector found the commonly favoured autocratic style adversely affect employees’ performance, job satisfaction, and motivation. As a result, the quality of customer service suffers.
“Autocratic leadership had a strong negative association and influence on employees’ creativity and commitment”
“Styles built upon empowering staff, respecting them and considering their individual needs encourage staff innovation, creative thinking, loyalty and maintain an effective communication with all subordinates”.
Kickstarting the change
The coaching programmes I offer are completely customised, but here are five areas that usually need to improve:
Seeing the individual as a whole person
Leveraging a strengths-based approach
Developing team relationships
Building trust and clear communication
Encouraging innovation and creativity
and some questions to leave you with:
How often do you check in and get specifics on how your team is doing?
What are the top 3 strengths in your team members?
How do you make sure they know they are being seen at their best?
How do you encourage people to take initiative or innovate?
How do you celebrate achievements?
How do you build trust so that your reports feel safe enough to share and ask questions?
How much do you listen without judgment?
How do you involve them in their development plans?
How do you and they measure progress? Tangibles? Resilience and well-being?
If you’re ready to start the process and put the recruitment, retention, and resignation crisis behind you, get in touch.
I'd be happy to hear about your organisation’s needs, and discuss how we could work together.