Reference no: EM133164306

The President now shows you an article entitled: "Marriott's Recruitment Principles: Living Up to the Employment Brand"

And asks you to comment on aspects of these recruitment principles that we can implement, discard or modify to modernize the organization.

Build the employment brand. Marriott attracts employees the same way it attracts customers. Just as consumers buy experiences, not just products, potential employees are looking for a great work experience when they shop for jobs. Communicating the promise of a great work experience is what employment branding is all about. It is basically a value proposition. According to CEO J. W. Marriott, "For more than 70 years, we've lived by a simple motto: If we take care of our associates, they'll take care of our guests. That isn't just a sentiment. It is a strategy-one all businesses must adopt to remain competitive in an environment where our most valuable resource, human capital, drives economic value for our company."

Get it right the first time. Marriott "hires friendly" and "trains technical." It is better to hire people with "the spirit to serve" and train them to work than hire people who know business and try to teach them to enjoy serving guests. Marriott hires cooks who love to cook and housekeepers who love to clean. They have learned that this approach works for both delivering excellent service and retaining their employees.

Money is a big thing, but ... The top concern of Marriott associates is total compensation. But intangible factors taken together, such as work-life balance, leadership quality, opportunity for advancement, work environment, and training, far outweigh money in their decisions to stay or leave. Pay matters less, and the other factors matter more the longer someone works for Marriott. From flexible schedules to tailored benefit packages and development opportunities, Marriott has built systems to address these nonmonetary factors.

A caring workplace is a bottom-line issue. When employees come to work, they feel safe, secure, and welcome. Committed associates are less likely to leave, and associate work commitment is one of the key drivers of guest satisfaction. Managers are accountable for associate satisfaction ratings and for turnover rates. Every day, associates in each of Marriott's full-service hotels participate in a 15-minute meeting to review basic values, such as respect. Managers also encourage associates to raise their personal concerns. They take the time to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Marriott calls this the loyalty program because it builds loyalty among associates and repeat business from customers. The result is that everyone has a stake in making the hotel a success.

Promote from within. More than 50 percent of Marriott's current managers have been promoted from within. All associates are given the opportunity to advance as far as their abilities will carry them. Elevating veterans to positions of leadership helps Marriott pass on the soul of its business-its corporate culture-from one generation to the next. In addition, promoting from within is a powerful tool for recruitment and retention. Associates cite "opportunity for advancement" as a key factor in their decisions to stay with Marriott. (Accompanying that is a $100-million-a-year commitment to training.)