The hotel industry is notorious for its rapid turnover because staff are easily lured away by new hotels opening in the region. But, fortunately, the recession has offered employers in this sector a golden opportunity to earn some loyalty from their staff.
Coleman Chui, director of human resources at the Four Seasons Hotel in Central, said the events of the past year had given hotels a chance to prove to staff that they were valued, by treating them well in difficult times, when others might be letting people go.
His hotel had made a concerted effort to minimise the impact of the recession on staff, he said. It had been cautious in its reaction to the downturn and had declared that there would be no redundancies and that no member of staff would be asked to take unpaid leave.
The hotel was fortunate that guest numbers had stayed at a reasonable level, among the highest of the five-star hotels in the region. This had allowed management to avoid drastic measures and drive home the message that it cared about staff. He said this could only benefit the hotel in the long run.
'I believe if we can take care of our people, they will provide a good product and that will take care of the profit,' said Chui.
This message was delivered by regular employee meetings, he said, where staff were given first-hand information on how the company was reacting to the economic crisis and were appraised of the company's financial situation. This avoided speculation and the spreading of unnecessary rumours.