Finding and keeping five-star staff in an isolated mountain village posed a big problem for an upmarket regional resort. It was time for creativity ...
| Entrepreneur |
Grace Bartlett |
| Company |
Marylands Country House |
| Business type |
Regional hotel and conference centre |
| Employees |
About 50 (12 full-time, about 40 part-time and casual) |
| Head office |
Marysville, Victoria |
Key Learning Points |
|
Staff retention
If you having trouble finding or keeping good staff, re-examine the incentives you are offering. How can you integrate your business more closely with their lives? It may not be enough to just provide good coffee in the tea room and cash bonuses at the end of the year.
Employment pools
Act local - and global. Reach out to local schools and tourists who might want to stay longer. The cultural mix is bound to be dynamic.
|
The Marylands Story
Marylands Country House belongs to a rare breed of gracious rural retreats that cater to the relaxation fantasies of frazzled city dwellers. The classic chalet-style guesthouse opened in 1927 and commands six and a half acres of gardens, set against a backdrop of magnificent mountain ash forest.
Inside, the atmosphere is one of serene comfort: polished timber fittings, comfy lounges and open fire places that invite guests to sit back and relax. Outside, there are sunny terraces to take afternoon tea on, tennis courts, a croquet lawn and more. A key attraction is multiple award-winning Michael's restaurant, where a cellar of about 500 wine labels is expertly matched with gourmet food.
But there is a problem: Marylands is set in the little village of Marysville, 35kms beyond the regional township of Healesville. There is a tiny pool of local staff who can deliver the quality of service and food that Maryland's reputation lives or dies by. If the restaurant and hotel are to keep winning the awards that sell it to first-timers, it has to get the food and service right every time.
The nearby Yarra Valley, renowned for its gourmet food and wineries, would seem the obvious place to draw staff from. But many potential staff are unwilling to commute over the narrow, winding and wildlife-strewn road. One staff member who commutes from nearby Alexandra hit three wombats in a two-week stretch driving through the misty valleys early in the morning.
The Challenge
To recruit and retain high-quality hospitality staff.
The Solution
Marylands' geographic isolation and the near universal shortage of career-minded hospitality staff have forced its owner, Michael McNamara, and his senior manager, Grace Bartlett, to be creative in attracting good staff. They have developed various programs to attract and retain staff with the right stuff.
Their most successful program has been an in-house traineeship, which is offered to students still at local high schools such as Alexandra Secondary College. Recruits who show flair are put through training courses such as the Certificate in Responsible Service of Alcohol and Certificate III in Hospitality. They are given time off to attend courses and supported so that they can complete their coursework. Grace says: "By investing in students, we hope they will invest in us. It is invaluable to have talented local staff who bring in other local people through word of mouth."
Grace favours recruiting young people before they leave school. "Some of them tend to go off the rails once they lose the structure of school. The culture in the country is slightly different to the city and not as many kids assume that they will go on to tertiary education." Towards the end of the year, Grace will meet with Alexandra Secondary College's careers guidance teacher to discuss the job opportunities available at Marylands.
But the local area can't meet all Marylands' staffing requirements - a problem that confronts CEOs across Australia with unemployment at 40-year lows. Marylands has developed a very successful sponsorship program to bring in outsiders. It sponsors tourists, typically backpackers with plenty of experience in hospitality, who want to stay in Australia for longer than their tourist visas allow. A Melbourne recruitment agency (Hotel Staff) supplies employees for 3-6 months. Many of the recruits have experience in four- or five-star restaurant service, adding an international gloss to country Victoria.
As the business has grown in recent years, Marylands has been able to expand its full-time staff. For example, it is sponsoring an English woman, Leanne Batton, for two years as restaurant supervisor. The hotel provides sponsored employees with housing, medical care, wages - and an airfare home if the arrangement does not work out for any reason.
Housing is a critical factor in securing out-of-town staff. Key management and contracted staff are housed in quality furnished homes within walking distance of the hotel. Marylands also tries to provide employment for partners. At present, four of the chefs have partners with jobs in other parts of the hotel. Marylands also tries to work with the local community, providing flexible working hours for staff with families.
Other incentives for staff include use of the hotel's facilities such as pool, tennis courts and bikes.
The Result
Marylands has reaped the rewards of its investment in training, sponsorship and cultivating an environment where staff feel valued and cared for. Its staff retention rate is good, making the team stronger and more stable. Last year, it lost four of its full-time staff of 12, which is good for an industry with typically itinerant young people. Grace says "There is a lovely culture at this hotel. It is a beautiful property with a great young team and very approachable managers."
The attention to food and service has paid off in awards and a higher occupancy rate. Marylands' restaurant has won a prestigious Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Its many accommodation awards include HMAA deluxe accommodation awards and a Victorian Tourism Award. The occupancy rate is up by 10% in the past three years.