Building Your Green Team on a Budget
By Rani Bhattacharyya Community Economics Extension Educator , University of Minnesota Extension- Center for Community Vitality | May 22, 2011
In an industry that prides itself on customer service and sensitivity to the needs of guests, the ability of lodging properties to maintain a high level of quality in their services and operations is routinely undermined by the high rates of turnover and burnout of their employees. As a means of understanding how to limit this drain on your resources, this article will: 1) highlight a few of the current factors affecting employee motivation, 2) simple ways that facility managers can address these needs, and 3) how implementing an performance reporting process throughout your property can be used as a tool to retain and benefit from the skills and specialized knowledge of your staff.
Why Employees Take Flight
In their survey of highly educated employees Blomme, Tromp, and Rheede (2010) found evidence that suggests the primary driver behind hospitality's high turnover rate is difficulty on the part of employers to address the intrinsic expectations that employees hope their jobs can fulfill. While these expectations are not written into contracts, they still play a significant role in motivating people to choose particular career paths. The three main themes that the study found in employee expectations are briefly discussed below.
Job Content and Skill Mastery
When seeking out new employment opportunities, many people seek out positions where they will be able to acquire new skills and apply these skills to the benefit of both their employer and industry. This set of expectations feeds into an employee's sense of value to society as well as their potential future investment in helping to maintain the quality of services being delivered at your property. By accurately matching your employee's skills and interests to the needs of your facility, you provide your employees a very strong incentive to deepen their own commitment to their current duties, which in turn can increase their emotional commitment to your brand.
The Desire to Transform Challenges into Growth
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