So keen is Coast about emerit that new Ambassadors (the preferred corporate term for staff) are required as part of their training at the company’s hotels to achieve Professional Certification within the first 12 months of employment. “emerit gives new hospitality workers professional skills in a very short space of time," says Sandra Stewart, Coast’s Vancouver-based People & Culture Coordinator. "It also demonstrates to our Ambassadors that we’re serious about their best interests.”
When Stewart joined Coast early in 2009, she was promptly introduced to emerit’s self-paced modular training programs and how they engender a sense of pride that dovetails with the hotel chain’s core values, which include committing to do one’s best and finding new ways to exceed guests’ expectations. “I was impressed that the training tools are supported by feedback and guidance from industry professionals,” she says.
New Coast employees learn about emerit on their first day of orientation and then work toward certification during their probation period. Coast foots the bill for registration fees and learning materials. “We also, if needed, form study groups to help our Ambassadors,” says Stewart. “For example, these groups are beneficial to Ambassadors whose mother tongue is something other than English.” Most new staff complete the written portion of the certification during their three-month probation and obtain certification after a total of six months of study during off-hours.
Ramona Scheiding, go2's emerit coordinator, points out that management support of the sort Coast provides has contributed significantly to emerit’s success. “Because the programs are self-study and so comprehensive, they demand a high degree of commitment from those seeking certification,” she says. “Therefore, the more they are helped by their peers, the more likely they are to get through the process in a timely fashion.”
Even though she is still considered relatively new to Coast Hotels & Resorts, Stewart has already contributed to the growing emerit culture within the company by establishing a study group at her head office to help four senior staff (Coast calls them Leaders) achieve Supervisor certification. “The Leaders are our Electronic Distribution Supervisor, our Call Centre Leaders and our Special Projects Manager,” she says. “All four obtained emerit certification in previous venues, but they’re eager to obtain the Supervisor Certificate because it will elevate their skills.”
Stewart laughs when it is suggested that the certification could make these staff attractive to rival employers. “That’s entirely possible," she says. "But because Coast is making the investment, instead of the Leaders doing it themselves, the process inspires loyalty.”
Stewart emphasizes that emerit’s biggest advantage from her perspective is that it helps maintain Coast’s competitive edge in a fiercely competitive industry. “Customer needs and expectations are constantly changing and therefore require professionals with dynamic skill sets to satisfy them,” she says. “As a series of programs that teach everything from marketing and finance to sales and communications, emerit is unparalleled.”
