By Tarnia Robertson, Managing Director, Ufford Park Woodbridge
Have you ever had an experience with a company where you came away feeling all warm and fuzzy?
It’s usually as a result of the positive interaction with the employee or employees you’ve spoken to which creates that feeling. But it’s the corporate culture behind them that has helped mould how well they’ve performed.
You often find that the employees that love what they do, deliver the best service; happiness emanates from them and they go above and beyond to do their job well.
I often get feedback that the loyalty and the ‘part of the family’ feeling is evident in our staff, and in many cases the people they refer to have been with us for a long time.
We are lucky at Ufford Park, to not only have a great team, but also have many employees who have been here for several years and have developed professionally during this time. They have also played a part in the development of other team members.
It’s the long serving members that are best placed to be actively involved in rolling out my customer service vision, because they already deliver it. And they believe in it too.
They demonstrate that a culture which creates happy staff, breeds loyalty and helps us to more effectively disseminate the company vision. We then add to this by investing in the team’s professional development and it’s a win win.
Fostering a culture of opportunity and growth is the key to staff retention and job satisfaction. They like to know that you are invested in helping them achieve their professional ambitions and it not only builds confidence and improves standards, it creates loyalty.
Also, for many, having the chance to develop and work their way up the chain of command and even across departments is motivating.
This then translates into those happy employees that give that warm and fuzzy feeling to the customer/client because they feel valued.
Take John Redgrave for instance. He has worked as part of the Ufford Park maintenance team for 26 years. Affectionately known as ‘Honnie’ to his colleagues is proof that a culture where staff feel valued, creates loyalty.
Honnie’s loyalty is evident, not only by his length of service but by the fact that at 80, he has chosen not to retire but to stay on as staff and work part-time.
During his time at Ufford Park he has seen the hotel go from strength to strength and has seen many physical changes take place. From the planting of the trees that now make up the beautiful golf course view, to three major extensions. He has also witnessed the transition of management through the generations of the Aldous family.
For regular guests of the hotel, he is part of their Ufford Park experience and they always update him on their news each time they visit.
He embodies the delivery of great service as a result of being happy in his role.
Ufford Park Woodbridge Hotel Golf and Spa is an independently-owned family business with a Quality in Tourism 3-star Silver accreditation.. T: 01394 383555 or visit uffordpark.co.uk
