How does an international hotel brand train staff and keep them on board for decades? We talk to Hilton Australasia HR Director Mary Hogg to find out.
When people hear the name Hilton, they think of high quality hotel rooms, dining, travel experiences and, above all, great service. But it’s rare that you’d get a glimpse into the inner workings of a hotel group to understand how they create industry leading experiences for visitors.
A few keys to Hilton’s success are consistency, training and development. In order to understand what makes the brand tick – and find out why employees stay for such a long time – we caught up with the hotel brand’s Australasia HR director Mary Hogg.
Hogg has worked in the service industry for more than 20 years and has been at Hilton for 18 months – a drop in the ocean compared to other employees.
“I’ve met people who have worked here for more than 20 years – even someone who has been with Hilton for 40 years,” Hogg says. “I’ve never seen tenures like this at any other company, and there are so many awesome reasons that people stick around here.”
Those reasons fall broadly into three categories: people, progression and programs. Hogg says the staff at Hilton around the world are some of the best she’s worked with.
“Give people brilliant teams and it encourages them to stay for longer. Our brand allows us to set team members up with networks in other countries, which helps them pick up valuable lessons and get the best out of themselves,” Hogg says. “Once you’re getting the most out of yourself, you bring your authentic self to work, and that contributes to team happiness, longevity and tenure.”
Another contributor to the impressive tenure among Hilton staff is the training. Hilton’s programs range from practical hospitality skills through to general management and leadership courses for individuals running multiple properties. Hilton employees also have pathways to learn business skills around finances and sales, as well as diversity training and courses to promote women in leadership.
“I always describe the training here as platinum standard, because it really is. The time, care and effort that goes into these programs – that happen frequently and to a great standard – is unlike anywhere else I’ve worked,” Hogg says. “The best part is that we don’t have a set pathway for leadership training either, it’s not prescriptive. People take so many weird and wonderful journeys to reach where they want to be and it’s great to watch people grow through the training here.”
Training programs are run by a mix of internal and external experts. Senior Hilton employees, hospo schools and Harvard Business School are all involved in shaping pathways for employees to progress. And the framework for employees to climb the ranks at Hilton is strong.
Progression pathways can be put in place for any employee who shows interest, and promoting internally is a big focus for the Hilton team internationally. Hogg says that training and development is available to employees at any stage of their career.
“You can never fall into the trap of thinking that you know it all, because you never do. There’s a very grounding feeling here that there’s always more to learn, and that helps you become a better person and a better team member,” she says. “There are experienced people here who are willing to share their knowledge, there are people who have travelled the world with the business and worked in a multitude of roles. That level of wisdom around you every day is priceless.”
Alongside the training and progression framework in place for employees, Hogg says a driving force behind Hilton’s great staff retention is the culture that permeates from these programs.
“People ask me if working here is what I expected, but my experience has been that it’s so much better,” she says. “When you work at a new place and the culture is deep and caring and encourages people to have such unbelievable tenure, it’s such a reassuring thing and you see that attitude throughout the entire company.”
Photography: Katje Ford
This article is produced by Scout Jobs in partnership with Hilton.
