I love this example of good practice from Hilton Hotels (and there are more on their way!). In their own words, here is the story of Michael, a hearing impaired breakfast waiter.
Michael has worked Hilton Newcastle Gateshead since March 2012, performing as a key member of the Breakfast service team.
We first met Michael at a large scale Assessment Centre, where 53 applicants attended in an effort to secure one of our 15 positions in the hotel’s Food & Beverage outlets. Applicants participated in icebreakers, group exercises and one-to-one interviews during the 3 hour assessment centre.
The 8 Assessors unanimously agreed that Michael had a great skill set in terms of his attention to detail, team work and interaction. His performance in group exercises was of a high standard and demonstrated an ability to communicate and develop relationships effectively in awkward and unnatural environments. This capability was identified as valuable to our Breakfast team and we proceeded to offer Michael a part time position with the hotel.
We are delighted with the decision to recruit Michael, as he has proven the Assessors judgment; he delivers great customer service, evidenced from some great guest feedback. Most significantly, he has subconsciously trained his colleagues on how to communicate to guests with hearing impairments and be more aware of guests and team members with disabilities.
As Michael is almost completely deaf, we have had to make some adaptations and work a little differently, we are proud and excited to have Michael work with us at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead.
I particularly like this example, having recently been told by a well-known company in the hospitality sector (who shall remain nameless) that it would be imposiible to have a person with hearing impairments wait at tables. Hilton Hotels and Michael have proved them so wrong!
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Wow! What a great story! Way to set an example Hilton.
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Brilliant! I hope the other company has been informed!
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An excellent example of how performance at assessment centres can demonstrate a candidate’s potential at work. I am so pleased that Michael is enjoying working at the Hilton and proves to be a valued member of the team
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And here’s a stealth benefit of hiring workers who have disabilities—as stated by the Hilton people: “Most significantly, he has subconsciously trained his colleagues . . .”
Another win for everyone.
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That assessment sounds tough for anyone! Well done to Michael and the other candidates who proved their worth.
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