As companies struggle with bringing their employees back to the office, it is imperative that as part of setting the proper culture and environment that senior leaders pay very close attention to the “Sense of Arrival” that the employees encounter on a daily basis. Ensuring that your company embraces a welcoming and hospitality driven arrival is one more way to demonstrate the company’s intention of providing employees with a wonderful workplace experience.
Now, “Sense of Arrival” can mean many things – it is not simply having a beautiful lobby area like the picture above. While that would be wonderful, it is not the be all and end all. Sense of arrival is what the parking lot and / or garage may look like, it can be the condition of the elevators and elevator foyers and even the condition and cleanliness of the restrooms.
When is the last time that your senior leadership team walked the areas that all of the employees use when they arrive to work. In the hotel business the General Manager would typically schedule at least one walkthrough of the public space per week. In attendance on the walk would be the Director of Engineering (aka Facilities Manager), the Director of Housekeeping (aka Office Cleaning Contractor), and one or two senior operational leaders depending on the size of the hotel. This style of management is referred to as “MBWA” – Management By Walking Around and is vital to ensuring that the physical condition and cleanliness of the property was always seen as a number one priority. While these “physical” attributes are important, it is also important to ensure that if there is staff associated with these areas, that they are trained in hospitality service standards and procedures.
Now, how can this translate into the corporate office workplace you ask?
Office Lobby with a Reception Desk
Is your desk welcoming? Is the receptionist sitting or standing? Is it more of a security and directional function? Is the staff member in a uniform or their own clothes? These are but a few of the things to review when you are trying to provide a true sense of “Welcome” during the arrival to work. Compare your current experience to that of a Concierge type desk in a luxury residential building and see where improvements can be made. What does the rest of the space in the lobby feel like? What are the color palates? Are there any spaces where the employees can sit and collaborate as they walk through the space? Does the desk feel like a wall between the receptionist and the employees arriving to the office – luxury hotels have stepped away from a typical “Front Desk” and now offer seated arrival areas or even pods so that the staff and guest can interact more easily. Reimagining what this type of lobby space can be will have a very large impact on the overall sense of arrival for your employees.
No Luxurious Office Lobby – No Problem
Now, if you are a smaller company and don’t reside in a Class A location, there is still a lot you can do to show your employees how much you care about them. Again, it’s so important to walk the areas that your employees will pass through to and from the office. How bright is the lighting – would your staff feel safe early in the morning or later in the evening? If you are coming in from a garage, is the area painted? Is it bright and cheerful and in sync with your company colors and products? Are there ample trash receptacles? Are they clean and in good condition? Is there space to set up a coffee station or a grab and go for the drive home. All of these little things add up to demonstrating a culture and environment of Welcome.
Train, Train and then Train Some More
As with any hospitality driven initiative, it is imperative that the staff receive training that allows them to deliver great hospitality. In the hotel world, we live by the 10-5 Rule – at 10 feet you make eye contact and at 5 feet you greet the person. Can be a simple “Hello” or something more if you happen to know the person approaching. One of the many great things I have seen in the tech space is they do everything they can to support all their employees so that they can be as productive as possible. Ensuring that the support teams in your office (the facilities team, the cleaning crew etc.) receive hospitality training, have name tags, adhere to the 10-5 rule and are treated as part of the company is so important for setting up a welcoming culture.
There are many more ways to ensure that employees are welcomed back and given a sense of belonging as they return to the office. We will cover more topics in the blogs to come so please watch out for them. In the meantime, feel free to reach out if you would like to chat about how we can help you and your teams.
Brian Proctor is the CEO and Founder of Leeds Hospitality Group, LLC and the Host of the Gratitude Centered podcast, Tuesday’s Thanks where he interviews Senior Corporate Leaders about their journey and provides them a platform to Thank those who have helped them along the way.
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