INTERVIEW - EMMANUEL MORE, AREA GENERAL MANAGER FRANCE HILTON: "WE ARE BOTH VERY HONOURED TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS GLOBALLY RECOGNISED RANKING, AND INCREDIBLY PROUD OF OUR FRENCH TEAMS WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE"
Hilton has been ranked second in France’s “Best Workplaces” and third in Europe in the Great Place to Work ranking in the "Best multinational workplace" category for the year 2022. The global hotel group is the only one in the sector to achieve such a ranking. Emmanuel More explains Hilton's strategy for achieving this accolade.
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INTERVIEW - EMMANUEL MORE, AREA GENERAL MANAGER FRANCE HILTON: "WE ARE BOTH VERY HONOURED TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS GLOBALLY RECOGNISED RANKING, AND INCREDIBLY PROUD OF OUR FRENCH TEAMS WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE"
Hilton has been ranked second in France’s “Best Workplaces” and third in Europe in the Great Place to Work ranking in the "Best multinational workplace" category for the year 2022. The global hotel group is the only one in the sector to achieve such a ranking. Emmanuel More explains Hilton's strategy for achieving this accolade.
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Category: Europe - Careers
- Interviews and portraits
- Career - Interviews
Interview made by Guillaume Chollier on 2022-12-21
Great Place to Work is the global benchmark for employee experience. Since 1992 (2002 in France), it has surveyed more than 100 million employees in order to establish each year a global ranking of the 100 best companies in nearly 60 countries. Its certification recognises companies that are 'great to work for'. To obtain the certification, the company must carry out an assessment of its employee experience, which takes the form of a Trust Index survey. This survey takes the form of an anonymous questionnaire sent to employees, which collects their impressions of the company that employs them through five themes: credibility, respect, pride, camaraderie and fairness.
To achieve certification, each organization must achieve a minimum score of 65% positive responses to the survey.
To also be eligible for the Best Workplaces programme, companies must in addition pass a rigorous assessment of their workplace culture through the Culture Audit.
In the 2022 ranking, Hilton is ranked second in France’s Best Workplaces (250 – 1000 employees) and third in Europe in the "Best multinational workplace" category.
At a time when recruitment is going through one of its biggest crises, this ranking is a real vote of confidence for Hilton's strategy in terms of CSR, flexibility, diversity, well-being and the meaning given to its employees' work. The ranking also highlights Hilton's policy of building staff loyalty through relevant and exclusive benefits, which all properties are now reaping the benefits of.
On this occasion, Emmanuel More, Area General Manager France Hilton, tells the Journal des Palaces about the main ingredients that have enabled Hilton to build a solid reputation with all its employees and to encourage them to join a common project. A general pleasure at work, which naturally reflects on the comfort and well-being experienced by all visitors to the brand's hotels.
Journal des Palaces : Hilton has been ranked second in France’s Best Workplaces (250 – 1000 employees) and third in Europe in the Great Place to Work ranking in the 'Best multinational workplace' category. What does this ranking mean to you?
Emmanuel More : First of all, we are both very honoured to be included in this globally recognised ranking, and incredibly proud of our French teams who made it possible. Today, we are the only hotel company to appear in this ranking.
This award recognises our efforts to provide a caring work environment for our employees, in which everyone can give their best, grow and progress while balancing their professional and personal life. This distinction also recognises our passion for exceptional hospitality and a unique corporate culture that considers each team member to be a valuable strength.
What are the criteria for this ranking?
The Great Place to Work audit is based on two tools. One is the "Culture Audit", which details our efforts within the framework of our corporate culture. The other, the Trust Index "survey" was sent to a random selection of our employees in the hotels we manage in France, who anonymously completed the questionnaire based on multiple criteria, such as their well-being at work and their perception of their work-life balance. They were also asked about their opportunities for progression and mobility within Hilton hotels, and their perception of our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion.
How does Hilton work each day to create the right conditions for its employees to be at the top of these rankings?
Our mission is to be the most inclusive company in the world, and this starts with our people. We, therefore, work tirelessly on a daily basis to support both their personal and professional development, regardless of their profession or experience. As soon as a new employee arrives at one of our hotels, they are taken care of by a “buddy,” who accompanies them in their job to coach them and help them to progress continuously. We also offer all our employees a large selection of training courses from Hilton University, consisting of e-learning courses accessible free of charge at any time, on a wide range of subjects such as leadership, communication, customer contact, and managing a difficult situation.
Finally, we believe in the importance of creating a culture of diversity and continuous discovery to help our employees grow in their work. To this end, we allow all our employees to spend a few days in a different hotel, or a different department within the same hotel. This placement allows them to discover a new environment, other roles, and learn new management methods. We hope that this will inspire some of our employees to take up new careers and help them progress throughout their careers with Hilton.
Can you give us some concrete examples of flexibility, diversity and well-being at work implemented by Hilton, that were factored into this ranking?
Every Hilton hotel in France is committed to the well-being of our employees at work. Our Thrive at Hilton programme encourages our employees to prioritise their physical and mental well-being. For example, every one of our employees has access to a dedicated online hub and app where they can find a wealth of resources dedicated to this topic. Managers and leaders can also benefit from coaching, to help them and their teams thrive. The programme also provides wellness offers to our employees, such as massage sessions or a tour of the local area for teams working in our Canopy hotels, which are particularly integrated into the life of the area where they are located. Similarly, with regard to flexibility, we know that the hotel sector can have specific working hours, to be combined with a personal life. To improve this situation, we ensure that all our employees working on weekends can take a break one weekend a month.
Hilton is also fully committed to the inclusion of everyone in our teams. For example, our Women in Leadership programme aims to encourage women to take up leadership positions within the company. This programme is bearing fruit, as four of the six hotels in France for which I am responsible are now headed by women, all of whom have completed our development programmes.
In France, we also have partnerships with Ecole de la 2e Chance and Fondation des Apprentis d'Auteuil to support the employment of young people. Hilton strongly believes in the inclusion of all, and we are proud to be able to help these young people realise their career plans while providing a caring work environment. Our group is also committed to the inclusion of refugees in France: for example, we have employed ukrainian and bangladeshi refugees at our Canopy by Hilton Paris Trocadero hotel, in partnership with the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Beyond these examples, why does it feel good to work at Hilton?
Our employees appreciate our efforts, of course, but also our belief that the inclusion of everyone in our hotels is central. In addition to our efforts to promote well-being in the workplace, we want to enable all our employees to enjoy our hotels outside of their working hours. That's why we have developed the Go Hilton programme, which gives all our employees, along with their friends and family members, substantial discounts applicable in all of our 7,000+ hotels, regardless of the length of their service.
At a time when recruitment is difficult, do you think that these rankings can encourage candidates to apply to Hilton or help retain employees already working in one of the group's hotels? To what extent?
A survey we conducted with 1,000 Millennials and Generation Z earlier this year showed us that almost 80% of them consider it important to work for a company that is useful to society. These rankings are undoubtedly a marker of quality. We are aware that today's younger generations in particular are increasingly prioritising jobs where they can find meaning in their daily lives. These rankings, which illustrate and highlight all our efforts, show our future talent that their expectations in terms of social and environmental commitments will be taken into account during their time with us. For example, we participated with our Parisian hotels in the Clean Walk Paris, to clean up the banks of the Canal Saint Martin. We also have a partnership with Le Secours Populaire for clothing donations.
Hilton prides itself on retaining each employee while aligning with their professional development and mobility goals. This means that every employee has the opportunity to move to a different hotel in the same country or in one of the 123 countries around the world where we operate.
Is giving meaning to the work of its employees particularly important to Hilton? Why?
Hilton is known as a 'purpose-driven company'. Sharing this mission with all our employees and enabling them to give meaning to their work is therefore a primary objective. It is also a key factor for success, and it is thanks to these efforts that our group is so dynamic today. Our employees have, of course, been informed of our Great Place to Work ranking, and it is a source of great pride for each of them. Our ongoing commitment to well-being at work also enables our employees to work more conscientiously and to be more attentive to our customers. In short, our efforts constitute a virtuous circle that strengthens our group.
What areas of improvement are you currently working on to make further progress in this direction?
Continuous improvement is very important to us. To ensure that our initiatives have a positive impact, we conduct internal surveys and ask all our employees on the efforts made. We encourage all our employees to question the procedures in place, ask questions, and suggest areas for improvement. All our employees, regardless of their position or seniority, are listened to with equal attention.
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