Pulse March 2019 | Page 27

“We have therapists who will come in on a day off to provide a service for a guest that they know from prior visits.” — GLORIA AH SAM, Spa Director, The Kahala Hotel and Resort Kahala's Legendary Service Awards foster a guest-centric culture. Data-Driven Culture The idea of company culture may seem “soft;” that is, difficult to quantify. yet Silverado resort & Spa, tucked into the hills of napa, california, takes a data-driven approach to monitoring its culture. according to Spa Director Suzy Bordeaux-Johlfs, every employee is given an “associate Engagement Survey,” which is administered once a year by the resort’s human resources staff. The surveys contain ten open-ended questions; for instance, “Do you feel like we could better recognize employees? What does that recognition look like to you?” after scores and comments are compiled, reports are distributed to the resort’s department heads, who then create action plans to address problem areas. Bordeaux-Johlfs says that these reports help them discover what parts of their culture can be improved: “Since a spa is a place of care, it’s fitting to care for your team… We create ‘Smart Plans’, which are targeted improvement plans that address the top two areas.” Both communi- cation and recognition are often named as areas that could be improved, and Bordeaux-Johlfs sees the overall process as a blessing, saying “feedback is a gift that can help your department run optimally, for the benefit of everyone involved.” When her department scores low in an area of the survey, Bordeaux-Johlfs takes time to speak to her employees one-on-one about their work life and “how they’re doing” in a general sense. often times, she says, something occurring beyond the workplace is negatively impacting the attitude they bring to work, and, therefore, the overall workplace culture. “i ask if there’s anything i can do for them,” comments Bordeaux-Johlfs. “you have to approach it from a place of good intention, showing that you care and are concerned.” march n PULSE 2019 25