An HR Expert’s Guide for Employee Satisfaction

Jackie Nixon, a New York City hospitality HR executive, has spent her several decades working in hotel HR departments. Throughout her career, she’s been responsible for managing staff sizes between 250 and 3,000 employees — and because of the nature of the hospitality industry, not everyone is a full-time  employee.

“It’s really important to understand who your employees are and listen to what they need”

We recently asked her what lessons she’s learned about how to manage and retain a mix of part-time, full-time and seasonal employees. She gave us an insider look at what employees want.

Hire for the Right Fit

Nixon says maintaining a positive work culture starts with the hiring process. Despite the relatively modest hourly wage for those in the hotel industry, she typically conducts at least four interviews with a potential new hire to make sure they’re the right fit. This extensive process helps ensure that new hires align with the company’s values and culture.

The focus is on behavioral-based interviews, with questions designed to reveal how candidates might handle real-world situations. A few examples, which could be tweaked to your organization’s goals and mission:

• “Give me an example of when you had an upset customer and how did you turn it around?”
• “How do you resolve a conflict with a co-worker?”
• “Can you tell me about a time you worked with people in other departments to solve a challenging problem?”

Improve Benefit Communication

Nixon has worked with several insurance brokers at various hotels. One area where our Nixon saw room for improvement was in how brokers could communicate small business employee benefits. She suggested having insurance brokers come directly to the workplace to explain small business insurance plans.

This approach would help employees understand and use their benefits; treating them more like customers of the insurance products. This strategy could be particularly beneficial for small business employee benefits packages, where resources for benefit communication might be limited.

With dental benefits being the second-most requested benefit that employees ask for, Nixon says that providing this is a must. Because a company’s budget can vary, she says that a dental savings plan can be a cost-effective way to provide dental care. Employers can use it as a supplement or alternative to dental insurance.

At Altogether Dental, we can work with companies that operate on a small budget. We’re proud to keep our plans affordable for members because we know how important providing dental access is. When you sign up with us, your employees will enjoy discounts of 15-50% on all dental procedures and don’t have to worry about waiting periods, deductibles or claims. Plus, Altogether Dental’s partnership with Aetna gives employees 260,000+ choices of in-network general and specialty care dentists.

Invest in Future Talent

Another notable aspect of Nixon’s HR strategy is to focus on nurturing young talent through internship programs.

“I talk with our interns at least once a week,” Nixon says. “I have them come into my office and we just talk about whatever they’d like to: how the job is going, what they like about it and what areas could be improved.”

This hands-on approach not only helps develop future industry leaders, but can also keep an organization connected to emerging trends and up-and-coming leaders in the business.

Create a Positive Work Culture

Nixon emphasized the importance of creating a positive work culture. She stressed the value of personalized recognition and engagement.

“It’s really important to understand who your employees are and listen to what they need,” Nixon says. “An easy thing to do is to take the time to celebrate milestones and special occasions, like birthdays or baby showers.”