Introduction
In order to identify an ideal place to work, one should necessarily analyze a series of criteria critical for determining a favorable environment. Among the principal aspects, one might point out the general working conditions, the offered salary, the advancement opportunities, and the corporate policy that the relevant organization pursues. It is, likewise, crucial that the considered company follows conscious ethical and moral principles and has a reasonable management strategy.
The analysis of the current working market has shown that the chain Four Seasons fits the fundamental demands of a potential applicant and represents a fine example of a trustworthy and reliable employee. The company is an unconventional leader in the hotel market due to the attractive conditions and promising opportunities it offers both to its clients and personnel. Taking into account numerous advantages of the managerial practices, one might, consequently, assume that Four Seasons is an ideal place to work.
Principal Driving Forces
Competing in a Global Market
First and foremost, one should necessarily note that a high level of competitive ability contributes significantly to one’s desire to collaborate with a particular company. The image of a global leader appeals to employees as the latter willingly associates themselves with the corporate achievements. Moreover, working for an organization that is recognizable in the global market opens up numerous opportunities in front of a worker. Thus, the records in the CV indicating one’s occupation in a leading company add value to the professional competence and experience for a potential recruiter.
From this point of view, Four Seasons is a highly favorable workplace as its hotels are believed to show the best services in the current market. The recent research shows that most of the staff express proudness for being a part of Four Seasons’ team. Hence, according to the survey, four out of five employees claim that they are satisfied with the leading image of their workplace and would like to continue cooperating with the hotel in future. The interviewed also note that they feel more successful and self-realized due to the positive image of their company (Stahl, Mendenhall, & Oddou, 2012). As a result, one might conclude, that the competitive advantage of the company constitutes one of the positive reasons to apply for a position in it.
Workforce Diversity
Another crucial factor that makes one consider working for Four Seasons is the proposed workforce diversity. Thus, the company shows the willingness to accept any employee to their team regardless of the age, sex or cultural background of the former. According to the Four Seasons’ annual report, their workforce is comprised of multi-cultural professionals united by a common aim to develop the company’s performance.
One should put a particular emphasis on the fact that the management is especially attentive to adjusting the exercised policies to the cultural environment within which a particular hotel operates. Thus, some specialists elucidate the example of the company’s experience in France. According to the words of the Four Season’s manager responsible for the French department, the corporate leaders had to make a lot of effort in order to integrate the locals into the corporate policy. The success was reached via a careful consideration of every minor detail such as the approach of preferential treatment of guests that required altering (Hallowell, Bowen, & Knoop, 2002). On the whole, the French experience is considered to be an exemplary from the point of view of workforce diversity management by many analysts (Puffer, 2015).
Ethics and Morality
The next key aspect that determines one’s intention to work for a particular company is the ethical and moral principles that comprise the basis of the corporate policy of a relevant organization. In the framework of this question, one should primarily focus on the points of employees’ ethical treatment and the company’s responsibility for the local environment, to name but a few.
One of the strongest arguments in favor of Four Seasons in the context of ethics and morality is the basic principle they often announce: “Treat others as you wish to be treated.” (The Luxury Consumer in the New Digital World: Then & Now, 2012). The following intention is not a beautiful motto but a real practical approach that the company exercises. Thus, it is not only the clients that are supposed to benefit from the hotels’ facilities, but the staff members are also encouraged to feel the advantages of the high-quality services. The management sees to the fact, that the personnel receive equally healthy and nutritious meals and operates within a friendly and tense-free atmosphere (Hackett, 2015).
Furthermore, the company shows the concern in the questions of environment within which it operates. Thus, according to their Sustainability Report, one of the critical branches of the management’s activity consists in encouraging the personnel and the clientele to treat the beautiful surroundings of the hotels with care and attention. The company has recently launched several “green” programs that are aimed at preserving the nature and making the corporate activity less harmful to the environment (Courtland, 2010).
Technological Innovation
The last but not the least is the aspect of the company’s attitude to innovations and modern technologies. One would hardly like to work in the environment that fails to integrate the latest development into its activity. From the following point of view, Four Seasons has perfect characteristics as it seems to be aware of all the trends in the innovation market.
The Four Seasons’ corporate report states that the company timely follows all the changes of the digital age and adopts successfully innovative technologies. One of the critical advantages is that the management policy is particularly concerned about the personnel’s technological proficiency and enables the workforce to receive the relevant training every time a new technology or device is implemented. According to the report mentioned above, Four Seasons use the latest web platforms and registration systems in order to optimize their work and increase the efficiency of the performance (The Luxury Consumer in the New Digital World: Then & Now, 2012). Therefore, working for Four Seasons is likely to provide one with a chance of getting acquainted with the latest innovations in the hotel sphere and learning to use the most modern programs.
Specific practices and policies
One should, likewise, mention the specific practices typical of the company, which seem to constitute its principal advantages. First of all, Four Seasons have a clear and transparent system of professional advancement. Thus, every member of the team is inspired to improve the skills and take a higher position as soon as possible. The self-development is encouraged at every level by providing various training courses and seminars.
Another important aspect that determines the company’s attractiveness is the skillful motivation policy that the management pursues. Hence, the company assigns awards for the best employees on the regular basis. The reward they provide is represented both by moral and financial treatments that encourage the staff to show the best performance every month.
Finally, the workforce diversity remains one of the basic principles of the corporate policy. In the context of the US organizations, this factor seems to be particularly important as the national environment implies careful treatment of human’s rights and eliminates any expressions of discrimination. Four Seasons has proved to show due respect to the employees of all sexes and nationalities. The fact that their management is equally represented by men of women from different countries serves to be relevant evidence. Hence, the key target of the company is to advance the corporate strategy minimizing the diversity’s influence. Whether it is the self-development appeal or a motivating policy, Four Seasons’ management sees to the fact that any activity is duly performed regardless of the cultural or any other peculiarities of the personnel (Puffer, 2015).
Conclusion
The performed analysis has shown that Four Seasons can be considered the ideal place to work. First of all, the company offers favorable conditions and fine advancement opportunities. Secondly, their policy coincides with the principles of ethics and morality. Moreover, Four Seasons encourages the workforce diversity letting people of different sex and nationalities work together. Furthermore, being an employee in their hotel means operating within the most developed and up-to-date environment. Finally, it is evident that the successful image of the company has a positive influence on the individual behavior of the personnel.
Reference List
Courtland, M. (2010). Environmental Mission Statements: Four Seasons’ Golden Opportunity. Environmental Leader. Web.
Hackett, R. (2015). 5 great reasons to work for Four Seasons. Fortune. Web.
Hallowell, R., Bowen, D., & Knoop, C. (2002). Four Seasons Goes to Paris. The Academy of Management Executive, 16(4), 7-24.
Puffer, S.M. (2015). International Management: Insights from Fiction and Practice: Insights from Fiction and Practice. New York, New York: Routledge.
Stahl, G.K., Mendenhall, M.E., & Oddou, G.R. (2012). Readings and Cases in International Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior, New York, New York: Routledge.
The Luxury Consumer in the New Digital World: Then & Now. (2012). Web.