What were the high impact, low cost initiatives driven by HR for Wharf Hotels’ transformation?

In 2018, the foundational work to create a total solution for Wharf Hotels’ talent development engine was laid. A complete series of curriculum was developed inhouse by the HR team based on the company’s Red Ring Leadership Philosophy, which built a diverse range of competencies for employees.

The need to formalise the company’s performance management model became critical for its total talent development solution to work. To make the measurement of performance relevant, the team mapped all appraisals with measurable outcomes, coupled with competencies as personal development targets that were measured throughout the year.

With the internal drivers to transform the organisation underway, the team continued to build the company’s external influence to attract the industry’s attention.

Riding on the social media wave, a group wide initiative was rolled out to actively promote job openings using creative advertisements to attract jobseekers. Design templates, visual and copywriting guidelines were established for a consistent look and feel.

How is the current employer branding collaborative?

In the past five years, Wharf Hotels has been seen actively promoting career opportunities on different social media platforms and in an organised, systematic way. The common approach and themes across corporate and properties shows synergy and consistency in the eyes of readers and jobseekers, who are inspired to pursue these career advancement opportunities.

The successful implementation of Red Ring Leadership Philosophy as the company’s leadership culture and its roadmap has led the team to develop a recovery system for addressing guest satisfaction, and an operational excellence model for employees to apply a ‘zero error zero waste’ approach in their daily operations.

How does HR support the continuity of the organisation’s innovation and unique culture?

HR is the backbone to engineering Wharf Hotels’ high performing and winning culture. The HR team defined their strategies around “People, Purpose, Power”, a theme designed to chart the directives forward. The theme highlights the Purpose of its People (employees), and the Power they bring to the organisation.

Talent acquisition, which determines the entry point of each employee, emerged as the top priority for the team to compete for the best talents in the market. To be ahead of the curve, the team escalated their capabilities through technological engagement, by introducing ‘Talent+’ as the pre-employment assessment tool to profile and nail the right fit for vacant positions. In 2021, the team introduced a revolutionary initiative on workforce optimisation. Employees are upskilled, reskilled, and multi-skilled to take on greater responsibilities.