Double-Edged Sword

There I was, way back in 19 — well, way back then — fresh out of college and working in my first HR job at the venerable Hotel St. Francis on Union Square in San Francisco.

It was at this beautiful hotel where I discovered an unwavering truth, one of the tenets that have steered me through the great times and the challenging periods too.

The St. Francis not only enjoyed respect from well heeled travelers around the world, it had an army of supporters quite close to home — its employees. Beginning at the front entrance on Powell St. a tall and stately Arthur Van Allen greeted each guest alighting from a taxi. Art’s tenure: 20+ years. In the lobby bell captain George Cross, a 25-year veteran ran the bell team, many of whom had been employed at least as long as George.

Upstairs in a tiny locked room Arnold Batliner toiled, washing the hotel’s quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies so that, according to a tradition begun in 1938 ladies would not soil their gloves with unclean coins. Joy Sullivan, the general cashier, and Arnold could easily count 50 years of service between them. In housekeeping probably 25 percent of the large staff had been around at least 20 years.

Working in HR meant that I’d prepare the service award lists for our general manager Mr. Wilhelm to read off at the annual employee awards banquet, a rousing affair with hundreds of employees in attendance. The printed program told the story of literally thousands of years of service to the St. Francis. The number one entry on the list for each of the three years I was privileged to work there, was that of Marshall Fogg, whose name on the program was followed by an amazing inscription: “More than 45 Years of Service.” Marshall had serviced the St. Francis’ boilers and oiled its machinery for over twice the period of my entire life. His loyalty to one of San Francisco’s grande dames, a loyalty shared by hundreds of his co-workers, cast me in awe — and still does. Mr. Fogg carried around in his toolkit something more than loyalty, however.

What Marshall and Joy, Arnold and Arthur, George and all the others taught me in my years at the St. Francis was that mutual respect can bridge very wide gaps, closing them with a simple handshake. Mutual respect by employees and management was one of the hallmarks of the hotel. It became one of mine.

True to its management philosophy Westin Hotels somehow exported this sense of joie de vie — the joy for life — to virtually of its properties worldwide. To this day the Westin Alumni Association, a unique organization in itself, carries on its active rolls hundreds of members of its original hotel management teams (pre-Starwood), many of whom I interacted with at the three Westin properties where I worked in the 1970s, and all of whom have pledged to stay in touch. Several subscribe to our “HR Update” and many others have remained lifelong friends.

Sadly employee loyalty has been proven time and again to be a double-edged sword. It can save businesses and when cast aside, sink them. Not unsurprisingly there are very few St. Francis Hotel-like workplaces left for us to show off as models of hospitality built upon mutual respect. Those that have thrived and still maintain great employee/employer relationships are prevailing even in these tough times. In his commentary in this month’s “Hospitality Educator” column Cornell professor Bruce Tracey mentions one, Four Seasons Hotels. There are others, of course, those with often iconic leaders whose belief in mutual respect is matched only by their own joie de vie, an undeniably infectious zest for lives well lived. Bill Marriott, whom I consider one of the finest hoteliers ever, is such a person. Ruth Fertel, the deceased matriarch of Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, was another.

If there was ever a time when employers should rethink their loyalty to their employees, we’re living it. The glitter has gone out of many so-called preferred employers, their catchy recruiting brochures giving way to the reality that, as my grandfather often said, a house built on a poor foundation stands only so long before collapsing. With layoffs and downsizing affecting nearly every hospitality organization the industry's honorable employees need reassurance that their loyalty has not been misplaced.

Be honest and be well.

Copyright 2008-2009 Charles A. Conine & Hospitality HR Solutions