Page 101 - The New Gold Standard

Select—Don’t Hire
sion during orientation and we hardly ever talked about it after
that. Ritz-Carlton orientation is all about fully understanding
and committing to the culture of service. They don’t rush you
through that, and it really is only the beginning of that conver-
sation.”
In support of grounding new hires deeply and immediately
in mission, vision, and values, new staff members cannot start
employment until they have completed the orientation process.
Kathy Smith, senior vice president of human resources, indi-
cates, “It’s quite a culture shift for managers who come from out-
side Ritz-Carlton to understand that no one, absolutely no one,
begins working for Ritz-Carlton before they go through orienta-
tion. We drive this home in our management training. While it
may seem like a case of ‘what would it hurt if we bring someone
on board to help us with a banquet before he or she can be
scheduled for orientation?’ the reality is that skipping orienta-
tion negatively affects the way the new employee comes to know
us, and it denies that person his or her deserved welcome into a
relationship with the company.”
Leadership at Ritz-Carlton also sees employee orientation as
essential to global service excellence. Jean Cohen, vice president
and general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman,
notes, “Service excellence is quite simply the rock upon which
the brand is built. No matter what the location, indigenous de-
sign, or specific amenities, a consistent quality of service is what
Ritz-Carlton guests can expect to find whether they are visiting
a hotel in California, China, or Grand Cayman. While some
people are surprised that our newly selected Ladies and Gentle-
men are not permitted to start working until they go through
their full two-day orientation, Ritz-Carlton feels that it is para-
mount that these staff members have a full understanding of
who we are and the philosophies behind the Gold Standards be-
fore they can start learning their specific job tasks. This is merely
one example of how Ritz-Carlton consistently places the funda-
mentals of service excellence above other concerns.”

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