Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo rewards long-serving employees

At an elegant awards ceremony recently, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo General Manager Denis Gruhier recognised the long-serving employees of the hotel.

In total 116 employees were felicitated: 27 members of staff shared the distinction of receiving an award for 25 years of service, 19 were recognised for 20 years of service, another 19 for 15 years of service, five for 10 years of service and 46 for five years of service.

The hotel fosters a spirit of unity across an 823 strong team through associate gatherings, family get-togethers, religious events and volunteer programmes. Emphasis on good employer-employee relationships and an effective and open communication with the labour union has resulted in a motivated and dedicated team of staff encompassing engineers, chefs, accountants, artists and stewards, to name a few.

Human resource practices such as annual performance appraisals assist in determining the professional development needs of every employee, and are subsequently discussed during career committee hearings and acted upon. To ensure fairness, skip level meetings are arranged where employees benefit from a one-on-one forum with their immediate superior’s boss.

The management further identifies and addresses employee development needs through quarterly brand audits, customer feedback surveys (both solicited and received), knowledge assessments and constant on-the-job observations.

A valuable source of information for management decisions are the individual and team discussions carried out between all associates. Cross exposure across departments are encouraged amongst associates to cultivate well rounded professionals. The new skills prove useful in facilitating career movements. Management trainees are offered a thorough exposure in the different areas of the hotel prior to them making a final decision in pursuit of their career path.

The Long Service Awards ceremony at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo is held annually to recognise and reward loyal employees. The hotel is proud to be amongst a few organisations to have over 35 employees who have been a part of the team since its inception 26 years ago.