Did you happen to see the article in Business Week about employee engagement at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas? If not, you really must. If you have, read it again. It goes right to the heart of a question I’m hearing a lot right now: “We have good employee engagement, but how do I KEEP them engaged in this tough economy?” (I’ll give you the link at the end.)
You may have already heard about the Grand’s reputation as a leader in employee engagement. They made the connection between customer service and employee engagement long before many others on the Strip. And they treat their 10,000 employees (no, my zero key isn’t stuck) like the solid gold assets they are.
It’s no coincidence, then, that even in the teeth of an economic downturn, the MGM Grand continues to soldier on at 96 percent occupancy. Happy employees will give you happy customers, every time.
One of the centerpieces of the Grand’s engagement strategy is keeping their staff in the loop.
When Gamal Aziz took the helm of the MGM Grand in 2001, customer service numbers were nothing to write home about. Aziz knew immediately where to improve. He didn’t install a pool in the shape of Jennifer Lopez or put solid gold commodes in every suite. He went to work on employee engagement.
A survey of the entire staff showed that employees didn’t know what was going on in the hotel on a daily basis—not even who was staying there or what conventions were being held. Being in the dark did not lend itself to a feeling of ownership, and made it hard for staff to give the level of service that would boost those customer service scores.
Aziz had a simple plan. At the start of every shift, there is a short meeting to let the staff know what’s happening in the hotel on that particular day: “King Juan Carlos of Spain is our guest in the Skyloft Penthouse—please help us make him feel welcome. And we are once again hosting the convention for the Realtors’ Association…”
Hear the language? Our guest, we are hosting. Is it any surprise that the MGM Grand is outperforming the rest of the Strip, even as the economy hits the skids?
Clear and consistent internal communication is the lifeblood of an engaged workplace. Employees WANT to know what’s going on. They WANT to be involved.
Changing “the company” to “our company” may seem like window dressing at first, and it certainly isn’t enough by itself. But believe me, such simple steps can begin to bring your workplace ever closer to a place of deep engagement and profound service.
Read the Business Week article here!