Case Study: The James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor

The James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor is a four star, full services hotel with 260 rooms and suites.

It has a diverse workforce of 181 staff, of which 10-15% are union members.

The core challenge for the James Cook Hotel is staff retention. The cost of recruiting and employing a new staff member is estimated at $10,000 and it takes approximately six months to recruit, induct and train one.

Staff turnover affects the standard of service provided to guests. It also impacts on staff job satisfaction, as constantly training new staff adds to the work of more experiences staff, which can be frustrating, especially during busy periods.

To cope with the growth in business and peak periods, cross-training has enabled staff to be deployed in different areas. This brings greater flexibility in staffing, better communication between workers and improved service levels for customers.

The result?

A more flexible staff that’s providing exceptional service in a competitive industry.

So, consider cross-training next time you feel overwhelmed with staffing issues… :)