Victory Services Club – Best Places to Work

Training is at the heart of the Victory Services Club's numerous accolades and awards, with its latest survey showing a 97% staff satisfaction ratio. Daniel Thomas reports.

The Victory Services Club (VSC) in central London, which provides bars, restaurants, conference facilities and accommodation for serving and retired members of the Armed Forces, is no stranger to picking up awards.

Sector skills council People 1st has recognised the club as a "good employer", the VSC was the first London venue to achieve the Meetings Industry Association's "Gold" standard for "Accredited in Meetings", while it holds the highest hotel and club sector scores for "Hospitality Assured" - the hospitality industry's quality accreditation. The VSC is also a champion for the new Hospitality Diplomas being run out in schools and colleges as well as being a centre for training excellence.

But while it has twice been commended at Best Places awards ceremonies - in 2006 and 2008 - picking up the top accolade for "Individual Unit" still came as a bit of a surprise, according to Eamonn Cole, operations manager at the VSC.

"When we were highly commended alongside the Dorchester at the first Best Places awards, we thought it was unbelievable, so to win it outright was great," he says. "It means a lot to us for a number of reasons. It identifies us as an employer of choice, which assists us when recruiting; it gives us recognition in the industry and with clients and partners; and it proves that our training in investment is worthwhile."

Winning the 2009 award was particularly pleasing for the VSC because the judging process included input from the staff of entrants, Cole says.

"All of our 104 staff attend training courses, so they experience what we do," he says. "I have worked for big hotels and catering companies whose marketing departments throw thousands at entering awards, but the way it was assessed was to our advantage."

While many hospitality operators looked to cut training budgets in response to the recession, the VSC actually took the opposite stance, reveals Cole.

"There were three things we were never going to compromise on during the recession: marketing, customer service and developing our people," he says. "We actually increased our training budget by about 25% to improve retention and cut the cost of recruitment."

Boosting the training budget proved to be a shrewd move. The VSC's latest annual staff survey shows a 97% staff satisfaction ratio, with staff turnover at just 14% - down from 120% in 2004. The club also saved 60% of its recruitment budget because of the excellent retention rates.

"Our commitment to learning never wavered," Cole says. "We knew that we couldn't afford to lose people."

The range of training courses available for VSC staff includes coaching, one-to-one mentoring, NVQ qualifications and supervisory workshops; continuous professional development and internal skills management delivered through Learnpurple "Talent Toolbox" appraisals; and a stress management course promoting a healthy work-life balance.

It's not training for training's sake at VSC - it is all highly targeted, with each member of staff on a tailored training programme, there are departmental succession planning programmes in place and quarterly reviews to assess future training needs. Training providers have strict service-level agreements to ensure they deliver best practice, while every course is analysed via internal and external feedback.

"Consistent follow-ups are very important," Cole says. "We need to find out how staff are actually using the training in their everyday work."

As well as investing heavily in training, the VSC offers a number of staff benefits including a "buddy" scheme for new employees, a range of staff social events, employee of the month nominations and shining star awards to recognise exceptional customer service and outstanding achievement.

"We always want to promote a friendly environment and recognition and reward is vital to that," Cole says. "Some organisations have used the recession as an excuse to exploit their people, but we are committed to things like work-life balance, flexible working and coaching."

The focus on training is continuing through 2010, with a new continuous professional development course for senior management centred on "soft" skills, such as emotional intelligence; an expanded junior management training programme from the Institute of Hospitality; and the revised VRQ qualification for front-line staff.

"Our operation is nothing without our people," concludes Cole. "It is only through them that the quality and standards of services and products are delivered. It is, therefore, in the club's very best interests that we develop them to be the best that they can be and ensure their well being, retention and development."

TOP TIPS FOR EMPLOYERS

Great emphasis is placed upon training course attendance for developing employees' capabilities and skills, but don't forget to use real-life experience as a great way for individuals to learn and develop. Introduce a learning log as a part of your appraisal process, to help your team to understand how they can learn from positive and negative experiences - and share responsibility for their own development.

WHY IS VICTORY SERVICES CLUB THE BEST PLACE TO WORK IN HOSPITALITY?

This year, for the first time, Caterer invited employees of the nominated companies to comment on why their employer was the Best Place to Work in Hospitality. We round-up some of the views of the Victory Services Club (VSC) staff:

â- "There is a friendly atmosphere among both colleagues and senior management - it's a good place to be. We regularly get the chance to meet members of the VSC, who are always a joy to see. Working areas are regularly inspected and upgraded where budgets allow."

â- "The variety of my role: marketing at the VSC touches on hospitality, charity, military and corporate events. The culture of the organisation means I am able to work on my own initiative, but feel supported by staff, middle management and senior managers, with a strong open door policy."

â- "The organisation cares for its employees and puts more attention in training and development for staff than many others. Equal opportunities prevail, no matter your race, sex or origin. It also accepts feedback from clients and staff, helping to improve our image in the industry."