FEATURE
HOTELS : When you think about your potential employers , how important is it that they have a values-based approach to business ? Harper Lan : Whenever I apply with a company , I first look at their ratings on the Glassdoor [ a website where current and former employees anonymously review companies ] to see how they treat people and review the company ’ s culture . It ’ s critical for me to know about the values of the company , what they believe in and what they stand for … Personally , if I don ' t feel happy working with the people , don ' t agree with what their values stand for , I won ' t be happy working there and I won ' t be efficient enough in communications . H : What values are most important to you when it comes to considering an employer ? Eng Sou Ea : Providing opportunity to progress up the line and nurturing the people within the company and the community that they work in . I come from more of a marketing and sales background and from that perspective it ' s important for me to feel like I ' m working for a company that I ' m proud to be part of , is honorable and respected . And in that sense , I ' m not selling something that I don ' t really believe in .
Tristan Jordan : Hospitality is a people industry and not a line of business where you ' re just selling a product . You ' re selling a service so it becomes more personal and emotional , and that involves empathy . From an employer ' s perspective , there should be an open culture . If you ' re an intern for two to three months or a CEO making well into a seven-figure salary , everyone should be open to suggestions . H : Anna , you ’ re a mother and have been in the business world before returning to school . Do you have a different perspective on what you need from your employer ? Anna Montgomery : I would put more emphasis on sustainability because right now we live at a time when society is not really sustainable from an environmental point of view . Our generation may not yet really feel all the consequences , but certainly our children ' s generation will , and the hospitality industry leaves a very strong environmental footprint … An employer who I would be impressed by and interested in would have a strategy and vision as to how to turn the business into a much more sustainable one . Hence , I ’ m attracted to the likes of 1 Hotels because it has a very immediate and positive impact on the community it lives in . H : How important is it to you to make sure the # MeToo movement gets more attention ? Haley Yuan : First , I ' m really grateful to be in New York City because there ' s
“ IT ’ S CRITICAL FOR ME TO KNOW ABOUT THE VALUES OF THE COMPANY , WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN AND WHAT THEY STAND FOR .”
– HARPER LAN
“ IT ’ S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE COMPANY TO BE ABLE TO CURATE A JOURNEY OF WORK , ALLOW ME TO SEE THAT I AM ABLE TO GROW WITHIN THE WORK .”
— TRISTAN JORDAN
28 hotelsmag . com October 2019