‘Invest in employees’ happiness’
dubai — A happy employee equals a happy customer is a tried and tested formula that costs companies almost nothing to implement, yet reaps several rewards, experts at the 2018 Customer Happiness Summit and Awards said.
Speaking at the inaugural edition of the event, for which Khaleej
was the media partner, experts from various industries spoke about the importance of keeping a company’s employees happy.
“As hoteliers, we are in the process of making people happy, and that starts with making our associates happy; their happiness then translates to our hotel guests,” said Olivier Harnisch, CEO of Emaar Hospitality Group.
Harnisch noted that the subject of happiness is complex and simple at the same time — the complexity lies in the fact that happiness is not a hard science; what makes one person happy does not necessarily make another person happy. Happiness is also time bound; an individual might be happy in the morn- ing, and then sad in the afternoon. Recognising the timeliness of the situation is important before looking for ways to make guests happy.
“The easy part of the equation is that all we need to do to make people happy is to hire the right people for the job,” he said. “We hire people that are passionate about making others happy. Today, it’s not about the standardisation of guest experiences anymore; it’s all about personalisation, and for this you need the warmth of a human touch. If you look at the reviews on the top travel and hotel websites, then over 70 per cent of them will say that their stay was memorable because of the staff, and they will often mention the staff by name.”
Dr Mansoor Habib, senior director of Employee Wellness & Happiness at du, noted that creating a happy ecosystem at work is important.
“One of our main areas of focus is on the health of the employee,” he said. “Healthy employees are able to focus on their jobs better. Passion is also very important, because passionate employees want to do more and deliver their very best. At du, we also have lots of activities for our employees to par-
ticipate in such as photography and sports. If people have a hobby then we encourage them to work on it
because we know that it makes them happy. It makes them feel valued and you will have better retention.”