Great Culture Feature: East West Destination Hospitality

 

Everyone wants to be on lists like Fortune’s Best 100 Companies but few know what the steps are to get there. Many applicants are now basing their next career move on the culture of the workplace rather than merely salary or baseline benefits.

Linda Giordano, Human Resources Manager with East West Hospitality Group in Vail, knows about developing great culture. East West is a portfolio of companies serving the hospitality management, retail, real estate and development industries since 1986.

“At East West,” Giordano comments,

“You’ll find a culture based on excellence, where our vision is to focus on quality over quantity. We pride ourselves with providing the best guest experience possible and the best employment opportunities.”

For Giordano, developing the company within the Vail Valley is one of the best parts of the culture:

“There’s a great, caring community, outdoor activities, healthy lifestyles, and great opportunities.” At East West, location can be the beginning of developing a good culture that emphasizes a balance between work and play.

Giordano’s key to developing a great culture? Strong community involvement and incentivizing employees, along with a commitment to environmental sustainability. East West works to provide a robust wellness program and an employee recognition program that sets people up for success.

Giordano comments that East West’s unique approach towards creating culture is by supporting a variety of Vail Valley non-profits and encouraging employees to be personally involved in the community.

“Employees receive eight hours of paid time to participate in community volunteering programs of their choice.”

As far as incentivizing employees, East West has raised its starting wage to $15 per hour so that employees are able to live securely in the Vail Valley, not just survive, and has reduced employee turnover.

The focus is also on the health of their employees: “We created the Mountains of Wellness initiative, a comprehensive program that includes Quarterly Wellness Trainings, Monthly Lunch & Learns, Weekly Manager Tips, Weekly Health Tips, Weekly Recipes and Quarterly Wellness Challenges.”

But at the end of the day, Giordano believes that recognition is the key to providing a great culture:

“Our employees have a voice and are constantly encouraged to share their ideas and we truly enjoy celebrating our employee’s successes!”

And for applicants? Giordano says to keep an eye out for opportunities for growth, a well-defined work life balance, leadership support, and a well-rounded training program.

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