“ I worry that technology actually hurts us from a cultural standpoInt , because It ’ s very hard for us to be present .”
Special RepoRt : Company Culture
How is technology impacting your culture ?
DEFOrrEST : I worry that technology actually hurts us from a cultural standpoint , because it ’ s very hard for us to be present .
There are a couple of things I won ’ t do . I won ’ t call a GM on their cellphone . I always will go through the switchboard , because I want to hear how the guest is being treated when they call . I want to have a chance to say good morning to the desk , the associate who answers the phone . And I don ’ t like to do too much with email .
I like to use technology in a way that you strengthen that personal relationship , and we ’ ve got to be careful we don ’ t use technology to take it away .
“ I worry that technology actually hurts us from a cultural standpoInt , because It ’ s very hard for us to be present .”
– Bill DeForrest
KnOwLES : There are great ways to utilize technology in a positive way for the guest and for the employee experience . We just launched [ an internal communications platform ] in mid-April . It ’ s a communication tool for our employees to talk to each other , and it ’ s been so hugely successful .
We ’ ve got an event section that tells you what ’ s going on at the hotel , what employee events are happening , our Twitter feed , our Instagram feed , so it ’ s this one-stop shop for up-to-date information but also for fun and laughter .
We did a throwback Thursday photo contest on there last week . It was baby photos , and we had probably 50 people post their baby photos and vote on who was cutest , and they won a prize . It ’ s just ways of getting the employees engaged with people they might not necessarily interact with on a day-to-day basis , but through the app they ’ re able to connect . It ’ s about using technology in a positive way to enhance the guest experience and to enhance the employee experience .
LEOnDaKiS : When I joined Commune I wanted to be more progressive with the use of technology and came up with an internal technology platform for employee engagement . I wrote a weekly note from Niki — more like a blog — for 18 months , once a week . It took me two hours every Saturday morning .
Then I realized we were missing a whole percentage of our population , because some of our employees just weren ’ t going to use this portal . It just wasn ’ t intuitive . Some of them didn ’ t have computers . Some of them still had flip phones .
I still visit the hotels . I still open every hotel and do an employee talk . I try to do a lot of video , but I ’ m not a professional actress , so I ’ m not that good at it . But you know , there ’ s nothing like face-to-face . I just realized I need more people doing face-to-face besides me .
How do you adapt your culture to a variety of team members , and how do you cope with associates who don ’ t fit into the culture ?
UEbErrOTH : We ’ ve brought in executive coaches to work with people if we really felt that it was just more of a training issue . But at the end of the day , I think you have to have the courage of conviction to ultimately remove somebody from the organization if you really don ’ t feel a change is possible , because I think it ’ s amazing how quickly somebody can really disrupt the organization .
wEbb : I think it depends on the circumstance . If it ’ s an individual who isn ’ t quite getting it but they ’ d like to get it , then we ’ ll work with them . If it ’ s somebody who has decided they ’ re going to engage in guerilla warfare and undermine everything that you do because they disagree with you , then why are you here ?
Another thing is , if you want to be culturally relevant around the world , then you need to engage in conversations , and you need to understand how your culture plays or doesn ’ t play .
MOUbayED : I always go back to the statement : how would you want your family treated ? There have been times when
36 HOTELS September 2015 www . hotelsmag . com