How to win customers and influence your staff

Back in the good old days, when operators were riding on the coat tails of economic boom and no one was worried about where their next customer was coming from, hiring quality staff was simply a matter of looking around at other companies and poaching their star performers.

Now, of course, with cash flow severely restricted, a lot of companies no longer have that luxury. Many employees have seen their colleagues being made redundant, and many others harbour fears about the safety of their own jobs and the damage control measures management may take. This, understandably enough, results in decreased performance and motivation levels. Yet ironically, it is now more than ever that having quality staff and providing exceptional customer service could mean the difference between sink and swim.

Though it seems like the easiest and most logical solution to cutting down on costs, is laying off staff really the wisest decision a forward-thinking company can make? What can companies in the leisure and hospitality industries do to make sure that they are getting the most out of their staff? And if redundancies have to be made, how can an organisation continue to compete and position itself to take advantage of growth when the economy improves?

One solution, says Ernst & Young’s head of human capital for the Middle East Mohammed Salem, is to link staff performance with organisational key performance indicators.

This not only helps keep everyone on track, but also gives management the tools to assess the long-term financial impact of redundancies if they do have to be made.

The cover story for the May issue of Leisure Manager, looking at staff empowerment and performance management strategy, will highlight what some operators in the region are doing to minimise the impact of the downturn on their staff, and will provide a glimpse of the operational tactics market leaders will employ to keep ahead of the game in the coming months.

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