The hiring process is often longer, and perhaps more difficult than hotel leaders would like to acknowledge. Sometimes, a decision comes down to two great candidates, but only enough budget for one. Others, it comes down to which candidate seems to have the most upside, versus who’s got more experience.
Once the interviews are over, the offer has been made and accepted, it’s important to realize that the real journey is just beginning. In leadership roles, it can be easy to make the hire and then fall back into day-to-day patterns. However, it’s important to remember what was offered. Quite often, we focus on the next opening, the next deal, the next fire or the next season. What we forget are the details that helped close the deal and bring the candidate onboard. More than likely the candidate joined your company for growth. That can be financial growth, networking, knowledge through training, mentoring or just growth within their role equaling a title change. The career path and future growth are either implied or directly promised.
Here are five steps that hotel leaders should take when they make a hiring decision to ensure onboarding goes smoothly, new hires are satisfied with their job early in the process, and there is no need to fill a position a second time.
Deliver on your training promises
The rigors of working in a services industry and ongoing guest demands often take precedent to formal training programs. Unless a hotel or company has built a very structured environment, the promised educational components fall by the wayside. This is also true when an employee does Òtoo wellÓ in training. When managers realize a new hire may not benefit from a particular program, it’s easy to let the initiative slip.
Missing training, for any reason, is a simple way for managers to fail to deliver on the expectations they set. If an employee excels Òtoo quickly,Ó then building a shadow or mentor program, where they spend time with a seasoned employee, can be a sufficient substitute. This informal peer on peer training is helpful and can also build a great bond between the employees. This bond will allow for the new employee to feel comfortable asking questions or for help if they get in a bind.
Check in for updates
After the employee has a few weeks in, hotel leaders should check-in. If there was training, ask whether they found it to be adequate, and if not, identify what was lacking. The employee may even be able to add things to the training that weren’t originally part of the program. Not only will they feel like a bigger part of the company, but it will also help other future employees. This is also a great time to identify if they are currently missing any tools to be able to move forward. If the employee tells you everything is great then schedule a casual follow up lunch in a few weeks or even a couple of months. This is not a way to micromanage, but a way to stay connected.
Bonus
If there was a bonus or commission promised during the process, it is critical to review the goals set by management and the goals a new hire has set for themselves. Find out if they have met their internal goals and the goals set by the hiring manager. Where they are in terms of their goals and bonus might be obvious, but it may not be if management has changed or if they get paid out quarterly or yearly (less frequently).
Fairly or not to employers, many employees count on (and expect) bonuses as part of their compensation package. If goals are being missed and it’s leading to decreased (or eliminated) bonuses, leaders and managers need to be clear and transparent. Making sure to align metrics and bonuses, as well as consistently communicate with the employees on hitting or missing benchmarks. The idea here is simple, if the metrics that lead to bonuses align with business goals, then leadership should always be excited to be in a position to pay bonuses. If something is missing, it’s likely that guest experiences aren’t what they should be (a business problem). It’s just as likely that employee loyalty will be diminished; no one wants to work for a company they feel isn’t living up to their end of the compensation agreement.
Double back
After a candidate has been in the role for 6 months to a year, ask them what parts of the training were relevant and what wasn’t. It might seem redundant, but things can quickly and easily change within a role as time passes. The position may now require more community involvement or more social media marketing. Whatever it may be, it’s important to always stay on top of what the real employee responsibilities are. As before, include them in the process of updating training. Review the goals and where they are in the process of meeting them. Be realistic in discussing numbers. It’s always helpful for employees to know where they are and what they are working towards. This extra time investment will generally make employees feel more valued.
Career path & mile markers
It’s important to track and review the growth path that was established in the interview phase. ÊHave the mile markers that were set as an expectation been met? This can be completely separate from the financial goals, such as learning a new technological or management skill, becoming more of a leader, or better understanding P/L. Whatever mile markers were established, leaders should be able to identify and articulate what an employee needs to get done and what the realistic timeline is to get there.
Early in the employee’s tenure with your hotel, management company or travel tech company, Êbusiness leaders must identify what was promised to an employee in the interview phase, and create a tracking mechanism to ensure the employee is on the right path. Was a potential promotion to a specific job or a title change discussed? Did salary increase or a higher bonus potential expected by a certain period of time? Whatever it was, make note and put it in the employee’s file and track against this. When review time comes up or after an amazing season/deal check back with the file. These early promises that are made by management are rarely forgotten by employees. Usually they are part of the reason this individual took the role. Keeping those promises will always help employees feel like they made the right decision. Ê
About the author
Zoe ConnollyÊis Hospitality Spotlight’s founder. For more than a decade, she’s pioneered innovative and proactive recruiting efforts, connecting the best talent with the best companies, across all levels of organizations. In her career, Zoe has worked with a variety of companies, from start-ups to Fortune 500 firms. While her focus early in her career was in technology and linguistics, her passion for the travel industry lead her to Hospitality Spotlight.ÊHaving recruited at all levels and for different industries, Zoe has learned to focus on the human connection and their passion for what they do. The search process is just as much about theÊcandidate as it is about the employer. If a candidate and a client have made a connection, this will fuel and drive their passion for their everyday functions. This connection places an unconscious goal for the new employee to meet, the goal to make their employer happy. In turn the employer will also work harder for the employee. This connection turns a job into a career and co-workers into an extension of friends/family.
