A Kelowna hotel has earned an award for its treatment of employees by providing them with hotel training and gifts on their first day of work.
Accent Inns Inc. won the 2019 Employees First Award, presented at the BC Tourism Industry Conference Gala, as part of the 2019 Tourism Industry Awards. The Employees First Award recognizes a British Columbia tourism industry employer who has upheld high standards of excellence in human resources and people management practices, according to the hotel branch in a news release.
Based on feedback from their employee survey, Accent Inns has rolled out a brand new “Welcome to Hotel Awesomeness Training,” or “WHAT?“ onboarding program for employees of Accent Inns and Hotel Zed.
The program provides new staff with branded gifts on their very first day that are tied to the company’s core values. Additionally, the company sets its employees up for success with comprehensive training, two-way feedback and celebrations when the employee hits their 30, 60, and 90-day milestones, the release said.
“We are thrilled and honoured to have won the Employees First Award,” says Mandy Farmer, CEO and president of Accent Inns Inc. “The happiness of our staff has always been the most important metric when considering our culture.”
The company’s 2018 Employee Survey results showed 95 per cent (up from 85 per cent in 2017) of staff agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement: “I am happy to be here.”
In terms of turnover/longevity, an impressive 22 per cent of staff have been with one of the hotels for more than 10 years.