Limousine Finder: How To Create A Culture Of Employee Engagement

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

How To Create A Culture Of Employee Engagement

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — So you’ve got this one employee. He’s focused only on himself, does the bare minimum to get by, and could care less if he upsets one of your clients…yet you still hang on to him. Why? Because of how hard it is to find people who are at least semi-capable of doing what a chauffeur, dispatcher, or reservationist is required to do.

Mary Ann Sena-Edelen, vice president of diversity and inclusion for MGM Resorts, wants to remind you it doesn’t have to be this way. During her session at the International LCT Show, she discussed how to create a company culture that doesn’t breed this kind of staff member and how to weed out those who already exist so they don’t affect the employees who take pride in what they do.

Stop The Spread

Bad employees are similar to a virus: They spread negative attitudes. These are the staff members who come to work just because they know they have to. You are bound to have a few in anyone’s operation. The question is, how do you turn them into employees who come to work because they honestly enjoy what they do for a living?

“There’s only one way to guarantee your employees will deliver excellent service: You must lead by example,” Sena-Edelen said. Do you ask them about their day, home life, and other factors that affect their wellbeing and prove you really care? You can’t tell them to change their attitudes if you don’t make an effort to be exemplary yourself.

Engagement affects the success of your company — they’ve got to want to be there. “Leaders must be engaged in their employees in order for their employees to be engaged in their clients,” Sena-Edelen said. Give them a reason to want to stay, contribute, and help build your client base. “If it’s just a job, it doesn’t matter. Anyone can start their own business. There’s got to be a reason why they want to work for YOU.”

Steps To Take

You should take four steps to keep your employees engaged:

Hire for attitude (not just skill) and clarify your expectations early on
Be a role model for these expected behaviors
Provide them with opportunities to grow and develop as individuals and as a team
Ensure you properly recognize them for quality work and keep them accountable when they stray off the path (starting day one!)

The greatest piece of recognition you can give your best staff members is holding your others accountable. Make everyone want to be the one you’re talking about when you gush about excellent performance.

“The minute your employees feel like you care is when they will crawl through glass for you. That’s when they will show up on extra days for you,” Sena-Edelen said.

— Lexi@LCTmag.com