Technology Combats Common Employee Complaints

One of the most common issues associated with workforce management today is the correlation between employee job satisfaction and the number of hours spent at work. Before operators cut their employees' hours to accommodate decreased business, a recent study released by the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (www.chr.cornell.edu) is urging operators to consider the consequences of their choices. Its study, "Forty Hours Doesn't Work for Everyone: Examining Employee Preferences for Work Hours," notes that when employees are given either too many or too few hours to work, the influence on job satisfaction, stress and employee turn is significant.

The Cornell study notes that operators can address this issue by considering employee input when making schedules and by giving employees more control over their hours when it is practical. A number of organizations are already following this advice and are turning to technology to help them improve employee job satisfaction.

Hilton Hotels Corporation (www.hilton.com), for one, utilizes a work-at-home program called Hilton@Home for many employed within the Hilton Reservations & Customer Care (HRCC) division. A key feature of this program is the ability to give employees 24/7 control over their schedules through an online scheduling component, an option that allows employees to find a better work/life balance, and promotes increased job satisfaction.

"Work schedules become the complement to team members' lives as opposed to a barrier to creating optimum work-life balance," says Russ Oliver, senior VP of North American operations for Hilton Hotels Corporation's HRCC.

Other organizations like Troon Golf (www.troongolf.com), a Four Seasons partner, uses employee satisfaction surveys to move beyond workforce scheduling to incorporate the identification of key performance indicators when it comes to its staff. Peggy Lin, director of employment and employee relations for Troon Golf, notes that many operators fail to realize the costs associated with training new employees. When employee satisfaction and retention improves, so does the guest experience and the likelihood of repeat customer experience. 

To read more about the Hilton@Home program, Troon Golf's strategy for creating employee satisfaction surveys and other workforce management solutions, visit www.htmagazine.com.