Page 254 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

The Never-Ending Source of Engagement C241

Howard: We have a sabbatical program for managers. The managers
of our properties work very hard—typically 50 or more hours a
week—so we give them a month off with pay every three years in
addition to regular vacation. We want to give them time to relax
deeply. We think that has something to do with our 25 percent man-
ager turnover rate, which is a third of the industry norm.

Q: What else do you do that’s creative or out of the ordinary?
Howard: Chip Conley started something extraordinary years ago that
has had an extremely positive impact, not just for Joie de Vivre, but
for the entire hotel industry in the Bay Area. At the time the Bay
Area economy was poor, and the lodging industry was particularly
hard-hit. It was after the post 9/11 economic downturn. Hotels in
the area couldn’t pay as much as other industries, and people in the
industry—from executives to frontline employees—were feeling de-
moralized. Great service comes from the heart—from the employee’s
heart to the guest’s heart. Everyone was looking for a way to help
people feel good about what they do without having to spend a lot of
money. You can’t force it to happen . . . it’s discretionary. So, Chip
had this idea: he would enlist other hotel CEOs in sponsoring a “Ho-
tel Heroes” recognition program. Chip’s idea was “let’s appeal to their
calling, which is to be of service.” San Francisco is an expensive city
to live in, but we can pay only so much, so we will help them see
the value of what they do. So the participating hotels nominated
employees they considered to be service heroes. We sold tables to the
event, and the response from other hotels was overwhelming. We had
a panel of independent judges decide the winners. We will be holding
our fourth Hotel Heroes awards banquet next March. This has been
very gratifying to see, because it has helped the entire industry and
raised our profile in a very positive way as well.

Q: What advice would you give other companies about creating
a culture where employees are valued and recognized?
Howard: I would suggest they invest in training new managers. We
provide intensive training for new managers, emphasizing both the