Company Profile

Moor Hall Hotel & Spa

Evidence of a positive working environment

We have an open communication system in the hotel. All staff are on first name terms. Financial performance figures are included in monthly discussions and staff have an opportunity to offer feedback – we are interested in their experiences ‘at the sharp end’ of the business and welcome (and reward) ideas for improvement. We never miss an opportunity to offer praise for a job well done, utilising our C.A.R.E.S. (Company Always Rewards Employee Success) voucher scheme to recognise achievement, good customer service or extra effort. Vouchers can also be earned as part of our departmental incentive schemes, which are linked to sales performance and customer feedback. Customer surveys repeatedly return a score of 90%+ in all departments and maintaining and improving on such scores is one of our global business objectives. Staff understand that there is a career path within the company. Kitchen, Housekeeping, Reception and Leisure departments have all recently seen staff promoted to junior management positions and training was provided to support them. All staff are encouraged to take advantage of career development opportunities, from basic skills training to degree level.

Evidence of continued professional development

Staff are encouraged to take ownership of their own training and personal development and to keep records in a personal training booklet. Training needs identified at appraisal are included in the annual training plan. Staff then nominate themselves, or are put forward by their managers, for courses. NVQs are always available and this year 3 people have completed courses in Supervisory management, one person was assisted through her marketing degree and a senior member of staff has returned to college to upgrade an HND to degree level. The annual plan usually includes courses to enhance cookery, bar or customer service skills and we always promote fitness and beauty classes to help our leisure club staff to reach the highest possible grade within their field. Internal courses on information technology are made available free of charge to all staff, whatever their skill level or role in the company.

Evidence of equal opportunities and work-life balance

Sevl of our female staff returning after maternity leave have opted for more flexible working hours and we have accommodated their requests, sometimes recruiting more staff to fill the gaps. The same is true for new recruits: wherever possible we adapt working hours to fit home commitments. New fathers always have their requests for paternity leave honoured. We employ several disabled people, one of whom recently changed his duties and responsibilities as the physical nature of his work was becoming a strain. Hours of work have also been adjusted to accommodate one young chef who is seriously ill and undergoing long-term treatment. When another member of staff with dyslexia was up for promotion we not only adapted his internal training programme but paid for an independent accredited assessment so that he could obtain support from the local college on his ILM Level 3 course. Our staff are drawn from all over the world: Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Brazil and some are in Junior Management or Management positions (at least 3 were promoted internally within the last 12 months).

Evidence of measures taken to assess effectiveness

We find the best way to measure effectiveness is to ask those involved and appraisals give us the opportunity to do this. Feedback is pooled for analysis. We also carry out exit interviews for permanent staff and act upon feedback. A staff survey was carried out this year to determine the effectiveness of, and value placed by staff on, all of the benefits the company offers. Whenever a training course is completed, staff are asked to fill in an assessment form which helps us select the right trainers and ensure training is focussed on needs. Our customer surveys help us measure the effectiveness of customer service and other training. All comments are referred back to the relevant departments so that any remedial action or further training can be carried out. They often feature comments on pleasant, smiling staff, which is also an indication of staff being comfortable in their roles. We have recently invested in HR software that allows closer monitori of equal opportunities in recruitment and development.

Profile provided by Moor Hall Hotel & Spa

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