Are your employees putting time, not passion, into their work? Even worse, is your lack of employee engagement costing your business customers? The application of employee engagement is key to the hospitality sector. If you run a restaurant or hotel, or possibly both, you know that there needs to be a strong emphasis on superior customer service, customer feedback, and customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, when your employees have mentally checked out, the customer’s experience is altered and customer satisfaction, customer retention and your business’s performance can all be affected. Today we will discuss the importance of employee engagement in the hospitality industry, where turnover rates are high.
What is employee engagement?
Engagement encourages feelings of commitment, passion and energy, which can translate to high levels of effort and higher productivity. You can build a strong, consistent brand that attracts new customers and rewards customer loyalty- all with employee engagement! You first need to define what engagement works for your business- it is not a “one size fits all” kind of solution and from there determine what will engage your employees.
By engaging your employees, you are instilling confidence in the employee’s knowledge and skills, which is then passed down to your customers, providing them with a better experience. Engaged workers care about the growth and future of your business- they want it to succeed so they too can succeed. However, in the hospitality sector this can be difficult as more often times than not, employees are not seen as an important piece of the puzzle.
The important of engaging workers in the hospitality sector
Do you view your staff as a vital component of your business or are they smiling faces that can be replaced at anytime? As part of its nature, the hospitality industry has a high rotation of staff. It’s time to make your employees as important as your customers! A lack of engagement is a hidden cost on your business. Your employees drive customer satisfaction. A customer is always able to spot an unmotivated employee- which completely ruins the customer experience. Customers are much less likely to return when your employees are disengaged from the job.
Some tips on how to engage your employees
- Express the value of everyone’s contribution.
- Provide your employees with feedback, but make sure you balance any negative feedback with positive comments as well. You will never engage your employees by only providing them with negative feedback.
- Connect with your employees and show that you value them.
- Keep everyone informed on what is going on in the company.
- Develop talent programs and solutions aimed at reducing employee turnover as well as attracting top talent.
Your company can see significant business success when your employees are engaged. Employment engagement is strongly correlated with customer satisfaction and customer retention. It will allow you to go that extra mile in customer service. Engaged employees are also more likely to stay loyal to a company, decreasing your cost for recruitment and expensive training.
Need help in determining if your customers aren’t returning because of low employees engagement? By utilizing Braymark’s Niagara mystery shoppers you are able to see your business through a different perspective. Connect with Braymark today to determine how our Niagara mystery shopping experience can improve your employee engagement, retain your customers and ultimately improve your business.
