In episode 369, host Mike Petrusky speaks with Rene van Camp, chief hospitality officer at ISS North America, the global facility management company, and principal of Guckenheimer, its culinary brand. Mike asks Rene about the role of hospitality in the workplace and why he believes developing a culture of service, where everyone focuses on the customer first, is essential for organizations. They explore the ISS way of hospitality, which involves setting clear expectations, providing the necessary tools, continuous training, and strong quality assurance programs. Rene explains why building communities is important for workplace leaders who need to magnetize the office and how they can achieve this through a thoughtful, carefully crafted approach to customer service.
Agenda
- Role of hospitality in successful workplace management
- Strategies for fostering a culture of service at organizations
- Innovation in the workplace and the evolving role of facility managers
What you need to know: Workplace takeaways
Takeaway 1: Fostering a culture of service is essential for creating a great workplace experience
“Hospitality in our culture means developing a culture of service where our teams, no matter where they work, are focused on the guests, on the customer first.”
Rene explains that this culture can be brought to life by setting clear expectations for service standards and ensuring employees understand their role in delivering a great experience.
“The first step is to be very clear on what your expectations are, what are your service standards. So, a good example is you walk through a corridor or you’re in an environment where you meet other people. It is your job to say good morning or whatever day-appropriate greeting you have and ask how someone’s day is going.”
He also stresses the importance of continuous training and quality assurance to maintain these standards.
“How you then enforce these standards is to make sure that you have a good and strong quality assurance program. So you go back and actually check.”
Takeaway 2: Innovation in the workplace can be simple and practical, focusing on better serving the needs of employees
“When I first started working for ISS,” Rene says, “I was leading the innovation arm of ISS. And that really made me think a lot about innovation at the workplace, and it was clear that for different customers, people that we work with, innovation can mean different things.”
For Rene, it’s about a collaborative approach that ensures innovations are aligned with the broader goals and values of the organization.
“Workplace innovation is about partnership. It’s about really understanding your customer and your customer also understanding you and being together side by side when you talk about what’s next, what’s new, what do we want, what do we want to get better at and what do we want to be best in class at.”
Takeaway 3: Creating a strong community in the office can attract employees and enhance their experience
“I think fostering communities is the answer to that because I think that’s what we got to do. I think we got to foster communities. I think we have to help and support our customers, build that community inside their offices that their employees are attracted to,” Rene says.
Rene also draws inspiration from the startup world, where the office is often a hub of excitement and collaboration.
“You see that in the startup world a lot actually. People are really… they love to go to get to the office because they see their buddies there that they are setting up a company with, and it’s an exciting time.”
Workplace management insights
- “The ISS way of hospitality” involves a four-step process: setting clear expectations, providing necessary tools, continuous training, and quality assurance.
- Innovation in the workplace is often about renewing and improving existing practices rather than implementing radical changes.
- Fostering communities within the office is crucial to attracting employees back to the workplace.
- Quality assurance and guest feedback are essential for calibrating and maintaining high service standards.
Do a deep dive into more workplace insights by exploring all Workplace Innovator podcast episodes.
