Brian Ho
Executive director of human resources, Ocean Park

Interaction  

We arrange a meeting for all staff twice a year, split over two sessions each time.

This is done so that employees can understand more about Ocean Park's policies, profits, earnings and visitor numbers.

Last year, there were about 1,000 participants and we organised meetings in the morning, before the park opened, to make sure everyone could be there.

Senior executives also have regular quarterly meetings with managers and supervisors to update them on significant developments and operational milestones.

Besides that, we also arrange many workshops during the year to share views and collect employee comments and opinions.

There is also a platform for 15 representatives selected by the staff consultative committee to voice suggestions and raise specific issues.  

Importance  

Good communication is important for a theme park, which is why we put a lot of effort into doing it well. Staff feedback can have a real impact on management decisions. We believe in a style of leadership that puts people first and makes that a key part of our overall management philosophy.  

Results and feedback  

In general, our colleagues can feel that the senior management are committed to a policy of frequent and effective communication. However, we also understand we can find ways to be more direct and interactive.

As a large theme park, most of our staff aren't office-based and they need to work shifts, so it is never easy to get everybody together. Our aim, though, is to keep improving our communication methods and measures to make sure employees have a complete and accurate picture of what is going on.

Edward Chan
Human resources manager, Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees

Interaction

We have a briefing with all department heads every morning, which is a platform for us to share information.

After that, each department will have their own 15-minute meeting where they share the day's operational information among team members. It helps to enhance service accuracy and efficiency. In addition, colleagues are able to upload and download news and information on our hotel network server.

To enhance communication, a manager is on duty every night to meet frontline and back-office staff. It is a good time for the manager to talk to colleagues.

The human resources department randomly arranges meetings with individual staff regarding their working conditions, promotion or new designation.  

Importance

We believe that a "happy employee equals a happy customer". Effective communication between departments is a key factor in delivering good service.

As we are in the service industry, good communication also ensures that accurate information can be delivered to our customers.

Our colleagues openly share information and get messages within the organisation. Our staff share the same ultimate goal and this minimises misunderstandings. Effective work flows generated between departments enhance work efficiency, which is directly linked to the success of our hotel business.  

Results and feedback

We get positive feedback from our colleagues. It can be seen on the happy and smiling faces of our co-workers. We are planning to open up more communication channels within the hotel including "Leisure talk with GM" and "tea meetings" for our colleagues to express their views.