Re-attracting talent back into hospitality: Cultivating THE Heartist®️ culture

The hospitality industry is facing a never-before-seen labor shortage. These past years have been defined by turbulent changes, among which the great resignation. Why ? Our priorities have changed after the pandemic, workers are expecting a better work-life balance. Whether it’s in the hospitality industry or elsewhere, working long time slots is harmful to the employees and the employers, as said in this Harvard Business review article. In order to re-attract talent back into hospitality, we need to review what we can offer them and cultivate an inclusive, open and flexible culture. Read on to discover how our strong and differentiating Employee Value Proposition is our lever to bring back and retain talent in our industry. 

 230,000 is the number of team members we have at Accor. With that many people, in +5,300 hotels, across +40 brands, in 110 countries, you would think it’s hard to create a culture bringing all of them together. Believe it or not, it’s possible: by cultivating the Heartist® culture, we recognize each person’s unique value, the talent, passion, and dedication that they bring to the Group to serve our guests.   

One of Accor’s greatest strengths is the diversity in the employees who work in our hotels and offices around the world. Our Chief Talent & Culture Officer Steven Daines puts it perfectly:  

“Accor recruits talent from a wide range of sources […] but what all our people share is a positive attitude, a smile, and a desire to welcome and serve. We seek out people with initiative, deep emotional intelligence and an understanding of relationships.” 

Steven Daines, Accor Chief Talent & Culture Officer 

We offer a strong and differentiating Employee Value Proposition to answer talent attraction challenges 

We have a strong employee promise: “Be Limitless: Do what you love, Care for the world, Dare to challenge the status quo!” It is brought to life through 4 key pillars, reflecting what makes Accor such a unique company to work for and grow in. 

1. Be ALL You Are 

Nearly 80% of workers in the most recent CNBC/SurveyMonkey Workforce Survey1 say that they want to work for a company that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.    

At Accor, we want you to come as you are and especially, Be ALL You Are. As a hospitality company, many individuals from an infinite combination of backgrounds and identities pass through Accor spaces every day. We promote a diverse and inclusive company culture that encourages autonomy and empowers our team members to grow. With D&I champions, committees, and think tanks stationed around the world, Accor has backed its D&I commitment into the very company infrastructure. Internally, we leverage RiiSE, our company-wide gender diversity network, to foster empowerment and eliminate discrimination. In addition, since we signed and adopted the 10 principles of the @International Labour Organization’s Global Business and Disability Charter in 2015, the company has been a pioneering force in accessibility in hospitality. Our public partnerships also play a role in creating more effective representation for people with disabilities in hospitality. In 2021, we joined the Valuable 500, a global initiative that aims to make the inclusion of people with disabilities explicit in the recruitment roadmaps of 500 multinational companies.  

2. Work With Purpose 

When the pandemic hit in 2020, millennials were three times more likely than others to say that they were reevaluating work. The majority concluded that their sense of purpose is mainly defined by their work.  

Because caring for each other is key in our industry, at Accor, we strive to provide the opportunity for our team members to contribute to creating a positive and sustainable hospitality through their engagement with the Group. For example, Anja Leisegang, Hotel director at Mercure Hotel Hanover Mitte, takes great joy in helping the association “Helping the homeless – we do something”. Or Samuel Dixon, marine biologist and Sustainability manager at Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi, who is committed to preserve the ocean. 

In addition, Accor Solidarity, our endowment fund dedicated to improving the professional integration of local communities, has supported more than 420 projects carried by 20,000 Heartists®️ in 50 countries.  

3. Grow, Learn & Enjoy! 

According to The World Economic Forum, 42% of core skills required for most jobs are going to change by 2022, with soft skills becoming more important than ever. As an employer it’s important to contribute to developing the skills of your people. This is why we give access to leading training and development plans and empower our Talents to be actors of their professional growth and to explore our hospitality universe. Through Accor Academy, for example, we offer a series of more than 250 training modules in the skill that you want with 900 certified trainers, and offer opportunities to grow within the company. Since 2018, 576 000 employees have participated in training programs, representing 93% of total workforce.  

4. Explore Limitless Possibilities 

Evolving personally and professionally go together, more than 50% of workers want to make a career change3, according to CNBC. In a large Group like ours, hospitality extends far beyond the walls of our hotels. We offer more than 300 different types of jobs and the different possibilities of evolution and change in more than 40 hotel brands. This rich and varied universe of hospitality services provides unique opportunities to our team members who would like to discover something new, dare to take on new challenges, and fulfill their ambitions for mobility in a range of jobs and career paths. Our INSPIRE program gives you the opportunity to keep finding the perfect career path and opportunities for you while still working.  

At Accor, we pride ourselves with our people. They are our brand ambassadors and incarnate our principles and values. If you want to know more about life at Accor, check out what our Heartists® have to say for themselves. What are you waiting for 😉? Join us and visit our career website for an unforgettable experience in hospitality.