Having a happy and motivated workforce forms the bedrock of any successful business, especially in hospitality where reputation and reviews are critical to driving long-term growth and in turn, creating exciting careers.
Hospitality is a fast-paced and demanding industry which, at times, has had to battle with an image problem as a career option; but employers such as ourselves have the power to make the industry a fun and rewarding one to work in.
At Eden Hotel Collection, our focus has been to create a culture of care so that our people are being listened to, and are valued and supported in their daily roles, to the point where they can open up to a colleague.
We have trained up 32 managers and wellbeing champions so that we have people on the ground who can not only act as a sounding board for colleagues in need and signpost them to our employee assistance programme with Hospitality Action, but can also spot the signs of someone who may need support.
Conducting regular workforce surveys, and acting on feedback, is a vital way to maintain and enhance team morale. One suggestion that was put to us was to give people the option to receive their wages once they had earned them, rather than a set day every month, and we have made that a reality by using the digital tool Wagestream. This comes off the back of providing two pay rises in the space of six months back in 2022 to reflect the cost-of-living crisis.
Another success story for us has been our new reward and recognition programme for staff to celebrate each other, called The Happy Hub, which promotes feel-good hormones among teams; including a social recognition wall, instant rewards through gift vouchers and peer-to-peer e-cards.
As a result of all of this, our vacancy levels have reduced by 62% across the Group over the last three years, while the business’s 90-day retention rate has risen to 96.4% over the same time period.
This stability has also translated into strong customer satisfaction ratings, creating solid foundations for the group’s continued growth.
Lisa Redding is group people director at Eden Hotel Collection
