by Nicholas Lee
At the first NTUC Learning Journey of 2013, 50 unionists led by NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say saw how a unionised 508-room hotel employs about 260 staff with more than 60 per cent being Singaporeans and PRs.
Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium (HISA) has been able to improve the use of existing manpower through improving productivity, skills upgrading and multi-skilling and strengthening the Singaporean Core, all of which are part of the Labour Movement’s
Progressive Wage Model (PWM). It goes to show that it is possible to enhance the use of manpower, instead of relying on more manpower to improve service standards and quality in the hospitality sector.
After a site tour of the hotel, SG Lim in his closing speech praised HISA for its efforts to implement the PWM: “The Singapore Economy is going through a transition, likewise the hotel industry ought to go through the transition as well... We are really glad that here at HISA you are taking the lead and adopting a new mindset.”
Productivity Improvements
HISA also tapped on funding by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) to boost productivity. Having implemented four productivity initiatives, of which three are funded under the Inclusive Growth Programme, HISA has been able to improve work processes and share gains with their low-wage workers.
Over 144 lower wage workers have benefitted from the productivity projects introduced by HISA, and gain-sharing ranging between six to 17 per cent was shared. One of the projects that HISA has implemented is an automated guest service request system that connects different operations and departments through the use of mobile phones resulting in improved communications to better serve hotel guests.
Through the use of mobile devices, room service staff are now able to respond to guest requests when a text message is shown on the screen of the staff’s mobile device. The resulting response time has been greatly improved by 66 per cent, and the time taken for management report has been reduced by 90 per cent.
Strengthening The Singaporean Core
Three potential local management trainees have been selected to undergo a 12-month Executive Development Programme (EDP) and will be groomed for managerial positions. The EDP is a structured management trainee programme to attract and retain mid-level Singaporean PMEs (Professionals, Managers and Executives) with the aim to build the Singaporean Core in the hotel sector.
HISA also employs People With Disability (PWD) since 2009 and currently employs 17 full-time PWDs across three departments. The hotel works with their family members and caregivers as well as training coordinators from the voluntary welfare organisations to ensure that they are comfortable with their job scope and work environment.
Hotel General Manager Sam Davies attributed the hotel’s success in optimising their available manpower to his team as well as the help from e2i. “I’m blessed to have a fantastic team here at the hotel, but also we had fantastic support from e2i,” said Mr Davies.
