Marriott - A heaven on earth for its employees!

Have you ever thought about an ideal work place? If you have ever done that, I am sure that you want to work at a place where you are treated like a family. That's exactly what Marriott does to its employees. It loves, cares and engages its employees in the best possible way. Employee engagement and empowerment are not just fancy words in Marriott but values that are properly put into action.

A businessman once said, 'A business succeeds not because it is long established or because it is big, but because there are men and women in it who live it, sleep it, dream it, and build great future plans for it.’ Marriott has realized this long back and has ensured that they devote an ample amount of efforts for their employee engagement and employee satisfaction to attract and retain the best talent in the industry.

Like Rome, the excellent management culture of Marriott is not built in a day. It is gradually implanted into the genes of its top managers and employees and is inherited by each and every new employee because of a very well structured training program. What is this culture that we are talking about? A culture of innovation embedded with fun and learning concomitantly. A culture which treats both employees and customers as its kings. A culture which respects, understands, assists, guides and raises its employees to scale dizzy heights. A culture known by examples, which sets pace, gets involved and follows up. All this without ignoring the strongly upheld values, being empathetic and courteous to its employees. Definitely, it is not a destination for pot-hunters; Marriott can go to any extent to find that right set of people with passion, energy and drive to carry on that legacy in the years ahead.

However, if they have found the right ones, they nurture them, help them branch out and groom them for growth and effectiveness like how you raise your children. There is a MAGIC that lies in the core of Marriott's employee engagement.

• Meaning - Employees find their work significant with a greater purpose;
• Autonomy - Employees enjoy freedom and autonomy in their work-place;
• Growth - Employees get escalated into new positions by gaining new skills;
• Impact - Employees realize the impact of their work on organizational success;
• Connection - Employees feel connected to the people around them;

Serving of food by managers to other employees on the training day indicates how Marriott brings in egalitarianism into the work-place. This enhances respect for each other and reduces the number of employee grievances. Now, you would clearly agree with me that employee engagement activities at Marriott are amazing. Albeit all these efforts, still there are some issues that Marriott faces like any other organization. What makes Marriott unique is how they resolve most of their issues before you know it.

Mr. Jana Venkata Ramakrishnan, the Director of Human Resources, Marriott Hotels, Kochi shares the 3 C's that Marriott cares for.

(1) Concern for employees (2) Communicate with employees (3) Consider the employee needs

According to him, we should treat the employees the way you would love to be treated. A pro-employee attitude should be adopted which makes the employees feel that we are interested in them as individuals. We should know their aspirations and encourage participatory communication. "I am important" style might not help us reach great heights; We should stay grounded and better learn to practice "You are important" style.

With more than a dozen awards in 2018, Marriott continues to be on the radar in all the best employer lists. Marriott never believes in cutting corners rather they strongly believe in striving hard to do good in all directions.

Yes. If there is a heaven on earth, it's at Marriott.