It all started with a promise. Delta promised their guests a one minute check-in or a free room. This element of the "Delta Privilege Program" as it came to be called, was so successful that Delta used this idea to make their employees happier. It worked. In March 2005, the Delta Vancouver Airport won the first annual "Employees First" award presented at the Tourism Industry Awards in Vancouver.
Gordon Johnson, regional vice-president for British Columbia and general manager of Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel, has seen firsthand the benefits of treating your employees well. "Every year our employee opinion surveys say that we're a safe, fun and comfortable place to work. We’re proud of this. "
How does Delta use promises to make their employees happier? Simple. If an employee doesn't receive 12 hours of training in a year, he or she gets one week’s full pay. If an employee doesn't receive an evaluation after one year, the same thing—1 week’s full pay. These promises along with other employee perks like assistance programs, tuition reimbursement programs and internal "Celebrate" award programs, help Delta keep employees happy and productive.
Besides increasing customer satisfaction levels, another tangible benefit of happy employees is a reduction in turnover. "Generally speaking, turnover rates in our industry are about 25 to 30% every year," said Gordon. "Ours are significantly lower than this." Continually training new staff puts stress on the hotel, and can sometimes impact guest satisfaction levels. "Having a high turnover rate is a major cost of doing business in our industry," said Gordon. "Our business is so competitive if we’re asleep at the switch, and our employees aren't happy, our competitors will eat us alive."
Delta considers employees one of the three major stakeholders in the success of the hotel. (The other two are guests and owners.) And Delta works hard to keep their people happy. How do they manage this?
Promises
Most companies have policies in place, but few companies actually back up their policies with tangible promises—like a free week’s pay. "We've had some hotels that haven't missed an employee evaluation for three or four years," said Gordon. Of course, it works the other way around—anyone who slips through the system gets paid more than they should. Gordon admitted that earlier this year an employee at his hotel received a week’s pay because of a mix-up. "I don't mind this happening," said Gordon. "It's great publicity and our employees enjoy it."
Recognition
Any employee who goes beyond the call of duty is eligible to receive a "Celebrate" award. Celebrate is an internal recognition program customized throughout all 39 Delta Hotels. For example, some hotels give awards to employees who are good community ambassadors, or employees who contribute to the health and safety committee. Often these awards entail "Celebrate Dollars" or "Delta Dollars”, credits that employees can use to purchase things like clothing, gas, movies and entertainment.
Customization
Every Delta Hotel has their own way of awarding or recognizing employees. "The makeup of our staff is very different from city to city,” said Gordon. “In Whistler, many of our employees are in their 20s. In my hotel, many of the employees are in their 40s. These employees want different things." Kimberly Hughes, general manager of Delta Whistler Village Suites said that her employees receive Delta dollars that are used for life enhancement prizes like movie tickets or nights on the town.
Communication
It goes without saying that communicating with your employees makes them happier. Delta knows this and they encourage open communication between employees and managers. For example, the Whistler Village Delta has an employee representative committee that meets with the general manager to discuss current issues. "Anything goes in these meetings," said Kimberly Hughes. "You can say whatever you want. This helps create our whole culture of hospitality."
Empowerment
Gordon said that empowering employees to do what they think needs to be done, is key in making both employees and guests happier. "We tell our employees that they don't need to talk to a manager to do things like sending up tea to a guest who has a cold, or sending up champagne when guests are celebrating weddings or anniversaries," he said. "We encourage our employees to be proactive. We try to eliminate red tape and bureaucracy." Delta believes that their employees are prudent, responsible and positive. "Our employees quickly learn that Delta is not the same as a last place they worked."
