Garibaldi Lift Company and Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort are this year’s recipients of the third annual ‘go2 the top’ awards. Both companies have proven excellence in human resources practices - Garibaldi Lift Company in the liquor primary category, and Ainsworth Hot Springs in accommodation.
The ‘go2 the top’ awards recognize a British Columbia Liquor Primary and Accommodation employer who has upheld high standards of excellence in human resource practices and people management. The awards were presented on Nov 21st at the BC Hospitality Industry Conference in Vancouver.
The two winners this year definitely demonstrated excellence in human resources practices.
Mike Varrin, General Manager of the Garibaldi Lift Company accepted the ‘go2 the top’ award in the liquor primary category. Garibaldi Lift Company, located in Whistler, has created a culture where everyone brings a genuine passion to their jobs. A lot of thought goes into determining a person’s fit in the organization – which means putting the right people in the right jobs. Strong communication and follow-through with staff is important and conducting comprehensive employee satisfaction surveys helps this company to build action plans for strengthening morale and improving staff policies. The result of these efforts has been tremendous — at a time when many employers are having trouble finding employees, Garibaldi has a waiting list!
Norm and Joyce Mackie, owners of the Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort, accepted the ‘go2 the top’ award in the accommodation category. Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort, located in the Kootenay Rockies region, recognizes the importance of staff feedback, excellence and growth. For example, Ainsworth covers 100% of the cost for tourism and job-specific training for staff. The company has conducted three salary surveys — resulting in valuable feedback and high-end compensation for their employees. In-house mentoring, external training programs and annual performance reviews that encourage professional objectives and growth are all a part of the package that Ainsworth employees are provided to develop their careers. Ainsworth has only a 6% of turnover among full-time staff — and a remarkable 70% return rate for seasonal employees. That’s quite an accomplishment.
“Having top notch human resource practices is imperative for the tourism industry and this is especially the case as we face a labour shortage,” says Arlene Keis, CEO go2. “To find and keep a qualified workforce, employers need to have successful people management practices that recognize employees’ skills and potential — as well as motivate employees by providing opportunities for growth. These companies are both exceptional examples of how to put programs in place to ensure employees are the company’s most valuable asset.”
In addition to this year’s two deserving winners, several award runner-ups also presented a variety of notable people management practices.
In the liquor primary sector, the Tsa-Kwa-Luten Oceanfront Resort was a competitive nominee that stood out for its commitment to staff by providing competitive wages and a full, extended health benefits plan. The resort also supports professional development by covering 100% of enrolment costs and offering full wages while staff completes their courses.
In the accommodations category, there were also several competitive nominees including Mayfield Hospitality, The Vancouver Airport Marriott, and Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort.
Mayfield Hospitality is noted for promoting their staff from within and offers a progressive educational policy. Their HR efforts have proven successful — they’ve been able to recruit more than 600 people in two years in this extremely competitive labour market.
The Vancouver Airport Marriott is exemplary in its commitment to strong recognition programs, including International Housekeepers Week and the Associate Appreciation Week. Indeed, their 2005 employee survey showed an overall satisfaction of nearly 95%.
Lastly, the Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort is commended for recognizing the importance of having solid HR practices. As an independently owned and managed resort, Tigh-Na-Mara hired a full-time professional HR Director, which has resulted in the resort being able to fill most of their vacancies within a month.
