HR Corner Great hospitality depends on good communication by Charles Mak To ensure close cooperation between employees at all levels, hotels must make communication a top priority Every guest staying at a leading international hotel is entitled to expect "something extra". They will automatically assume that standards of food, accommodation and service reach the highest levels, but will be expecting the kind of personalised assistance and attention to detail that can make their visit special. According to Vida Chow, director of human resources for Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, the secret to achieving that is good internal communication among employees. "We don't only provide the tangible things such as rooms and restaurants, but also intangibles like extensive tourist information and news about what's going on in the hotel," she says. For employees to offer these services, they must be confident, well-informed and empowered by the employer to interact with guests. Employees must also feel that their own concerns can be expressed to management and that these are listened to and acted upon. With this objective in mind, the hotel established "Hyattalk" a few years ago as a unique way of communicating with employees. Each month, the general manager and Ms Chow meet with around 10 employees from different departments for an open discussion about the hotel's operations and the general working environment. The atmosphere for the event is informal, but Ms Chow takes any matters raised very seriously. "We take minutes, keep a record of feedback and definitely will follow up," she says, noting how one suggestion put forward in a recent meeting led to change. In response to a request made by an employee, the hotel has set up a smoking lounge with special extractor fans in the staff restaurant. "We need to cater for the needs of all employees – smokers as well as non-smokers," Ms Chow says. Daily news The hotel also uses advanced technology to provide a daily news bulletin on the intranet system. This might include details of a special promotion at the Japanese restaurant or information about upcoming activities like the annual party. To cater for employees without computer access, there are daily briefings for department heads at the beginning of each shift and bulletins are posted on all departmental notice boards. "The intention is to keep all members of staff well briefed, so that they know exactly what is going on in the hotel," Ms Chow explains. In addition, the HR computer system has recently been updated to include a profile and electronic colour photo of each employee in the database. This means that any announcement about individuals or promotions can be done in full colour. When posted on the intranet and in-house notice boards, it enhances the impact of the message. So far, the feedback about efforts to upgrade communication has been very positive. This has been tracked in the annual employee opinions survey and the results have shown greater satisfaction with both "upward and downward" communication. Ms Chow puts that down in part to excellent marketing. "It is very important to do internal marketing for the HR department and to explain what we are doing," she says. "We put a great deal of resources into enhancing communication because we believe it helps to create loyalty and has a direct impact on the level of guest services." We realise that retention and development also have a lot to do with communication Team ethic The policy extends to organising regular social activities for staff, such as a recent mahjong championship, which are an effective way of bringing together people from different departments and various backgrounds. Numerous competitive sports events are arranged during the year to enhance team spirit and allow employees to get to know each other better in a more relaxed environment. "Even though there are some winners on these occasions, there are no losers because everyone who takes part has the chance to build rapport with colleagues and add to the strengths of their individual departments," Ms Chow says. Grand Hyatt believes that good communication also comes from having the right leadership training and coaching programmes. Their very own training academy conducts a wide variety of courses which emphasise the hotel's core values and the need for outstanding teamwork. "Our management style is always to talk about the big picture and encourage employees to look beyond their own departments," notes Ms Chow. "This means they are ready to go to other Hyatt properties for familiarisation or to give support. It is a policy to network within the group in order to give people more opportunities to learn and to emphasise the importance of having a broader perspective." She adds that Grand Hyatt is constantly focused on people and that the HR department is therefore one of the most significant pillars of the business. "We realise that retention and development also have a lot to do with communication because those issues are all about listening to opinions, paying attention to employees' well-being and acting on the feedback that we have received," she says. Salient points Special focus on having excellent communication between employees at all levels Monthly sessions for employees to raise issues with the general manager Key information circulated internally by means of daily bulletins Regular social activities to enhance team spirit and sense of loyalty Training courses emphasise core values and the need for good communication Taken from Career Times 23 September 2005, p. A16 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]