We Don't Hire 'Em to Fire 'Em
By: Kay Garcia, HR Manager
July 7, 2011
A midsize member- owned country club located in a large metropolitan area employed a number of regular part-time employees. Some of these employees were college students who wanted to pursue a career in some aspect of the hospitality industry. The general manager at the club noticed though, that as graduation neared for these employees, they looked at other privately owned clubs in the area rather than the one where they were presently working. The GM began making a point to ask these exiting grads why they were choosing to start over with an unknown rather than exploring opportunities in "their own back yard". One of the comments he repeatedly heard was:
"There's too much of a them (department heads/supervisors) and us (employees) here. I don't feel we're one team."
The GM determined that something had to be done to improve the "Team" concept as well as open lines of communication between his leadership team and employees. Because Achilles Group was already handling onsite day-to-day Human Resources and were familiar with the club, the GM contacted his Achilles team for assistance.
Using the theme that "We Don't Hire 'Em to Lose 'Em, the GM and his leadership team worked with Achilles to develop a method to assist the employee who has certain gaps in job knowledge, interpersonal skills or behavioral issues. When a supervisor makes the time and effort to invite dialogue regarding techniques, situational challenges, performance expectations and behavioral standards, he is showing the employee that the employer (the club in this instance) wants to invest in the employee and has a long term interest in him. This goes a long way in developing an employee's trust and loyalty. Additionally, the idea of "them and us" starts to evaporate.
Since most people perceive the written word has more validation, the leadership team went on to develop the "Coaching Note", a simple, non-threatening form that the supervisor and employee complete together outlining the topic of discussion, the future action or desired outcome, and a follow-up date (if needed) - once again focusing on communication between the employee and the supervisor, both now and in the future. The employee and supervisor sign it and it is filed with the employee's training records. So that there is no confusion, the supervisor affirms throughout the meeting with the employee that this is a positive tool and should in no way be perceived as a disciplinary action. (This is also stated on the form itself.)
As previously stated, the initial purpose of this exercise was to open and further the lines of communication between the management team and the employees. In working on this project, however, communication between the members of the management team as well as the GM also became more open and collaborative.
While this process is still in its early stages, overall, both the management team and the employees are open to the process. To further the effort, the "Coaching Note" is introduced to the new hire during employee orientation as one of the incentives for working at the club.
Stay tuned to future follow-ups to one of Achilles' newest innovations....