You will hear a speaker giving hotel managers advice about retaining staff.
First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.
Since many of you have spent years working in hotels, you will probably know how disruptive it is when employees keep leaving.
A hotel depends on reliable, experienced people to keep its daily operations running well, and frequent changes make everyone's job harder.
Why, then, do so many workers move on?
Jobs such as cleaning are often low-skilled and poorly paid, and managers commonly blame the wages or the long working hours.
What they often overlook, however, is that inadequate training is a major reason for staff leaving.
What does rapid staff turnover do to a hotel?
Recruiting replacements again and again takes a great deal of time, and while vacancies remain, managers may need to take on some of the missing employees' duties themselves.
As a result, they cannot devote enough attention to longer-term matters, such as improving the standard of service.
Departures can also damage the confidence of those who stay.
Seeing colleagues leave may make them consider going elsewhere, too.
How can managers improve the situation?
To begin with, they need to avoid simple mistakes that make employees feel unfairly treated.
When shifts are arranged, no one should receive special treatment.
Everybody should be allowed some say in their schedule, while all employees should share the evening and weekend work.
Staff who are treated equally are also more willing to help when an additional person is required.
Better staff retention can produce other measurable gains.
Consider the Dunwich Hotel.
After complaints from employees, it paid for more training and improved working conditions.
Complaints subsequently decreased, but that was not the only result.
The hotel also found that the average guest spent substantially more during a visit.
A customer loyalty program was introduced later and is proving successful.
Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20.
Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20.
I will now describe several approaches to lowering staff turnover, using examples from hotels where I have recently delivered training.
Feedback at the Sun Club revealed that employees felt their views were ignored by management.
They did not feel like partners with the real part in the hotel's success.
Junior employees from every level are invited to regular meetings and encouraged to contribute their ideas.
Last year, the Portland decided it needed to put more effort into keeping its staff.
Its first move was to establish a program for identifying talented employees.
Individuals who appear capable of becoming managers are offered training, in the expectation that a clear path forward will persuade them to remain with the company.
At Blue Water Hotels, management chose 50 outstanding employees from across its very large chain.
Their reward is a fully funded overseas trip each year.
Although enjoyment is an important part of the trip, participants also gain useful knowledge.
On the latest visit, for instance, they toured a brewery and learned about a new beer that the hotels would soon offer.
Pentlo Hotels found that too many junior receptionists were leaving.
To show them that hotel work could provide worthwhile long-term prospects, it launched a management development program.
Participants received extra responsibilities and opportunities to experience a range of roles around the hotel.
Green Planet aimed to present itself as an employer that genuinely supported its workforce.
Many employees had children to care for, so the hotel introduced vouchers that contributed towards their childcare expenses.
At the Amesbury, Louise Marsh has achieved one of the industry's strongest staff retention records.
Since arriving, she has worked hard to build a helpful, collaborative workplace.
She treats the workforce as one large family in which every member matters.
That is the end of Part 2.
You now have one minute to check your answers to Part 2.
