When you hear the word “coach”, what comes to mind? Most of us think of sports – and people like renowned Hall of Fame NFL football coach, Vince Lombardi.

Lombardi once said, “Coaches who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen - the ones who win get inside their players and motivate”.

He was right – but the sports arena isn’t the only place where coaching can make the difference between average and winning teams. Coaching plays a key role in companies and organizations. That’s why many invest significant time, energy and financial resources to make coaching an integral part of their managerial toolkit.  MORE

For many employers, investing in attracting and retaining the best talent in the tourism industry is not as top-of-mind as it once was – understandably so, in light of today’s economic conditions and tourism industry challenges. Still, there is no question that to provide the consistent service and operational standards that drive business success, employers must continue to maximize return on their HR investment by fostering employee excellence.

The quality of employees and their on-going training and development are major factors in determining long-term profitability in any business. Knowing this, the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association recognized their need for a proactive strategy to ensure the quality and preparedness of their workforce. They contacted OTEC for help.

In September 2009, OTEC became ORHMA’s exclusive training company and developed a comprehensive program for their 11,000 members. The program includes both our award winning training products and recognized occupational certification programs. Tony Elenis, ORHMA’s President and CEO, said “ORHMA is thrilled to support our membership’s training needs through the resources of OTEC. In doing this we are building a stronger hospitality industry in Ontario. OTEC possesses the tools, the talent and a wide spectrum of training topics to deliver quality training.”  MORE

While the province still struggles to rebound from recession, attracting and retaining skilled employees may well be taking a back seat to the demands of day-to-day business. No matter how challenging the economy might be today, it’s a short-term phenomenon; yet, having the right people with the right skills is essential to a long-term business strategy.

Companies that implement effective attraction, retention, professional development and succession planning policies are able to attract the best people. And, as every manager knows, people make the difference when it comes to service delivery. Investing in a proactive workforce development strategy now will position tourism businesses to better adapt to the workforce challenges of the future.

While the recession has masked the acute need for skilled workers in the tourism sector in the short term, a series of labour surveys conducted by the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) indicate that, though now less visible, the factors underlying the looming labour shortage have not gone away. MORE

Arupa Persaud & Didier Dolivet, GM - Novotel Mississauga

When customer-focused Ontario businesses look for ways to enhance customer experiences and employee satisfaction, they look for training opportunities that can really make a difference. Novotel Toronto Mississauga Centre is one of them. For the past two years, Novotel has been working with OTEC to adopt emerit national occupational standards within its 325-room property.

According to Selina Louzado, HR Manager at Novotel, enrolling four valued team members in various emerit certification programs this year has helped them build confidence in their jobs with the knowledge they gained from the national standards. Today, they share this knowledge with their work team. Ms. Louzado says the newly certified employees are “outstanding performers in their own areas of work, and they have become experts that lead by example.” 

Professionally certified employees bring significant benefits to employers, including improved customer service, operational efficiency and consistency. Employers also benefit from reduced employee turnover and increased profitability – a combined result of service delivery based on national standard certification and corresponding job confidence. Ms. Louzado notes that businesses benefit in other ways too. “The emerit professional credentialing system serves as a means of rewarding hard work and helping to build skills, pride, and motivation among the hotel team.” MORE

OTEC Team at Disney Institute Event

The OTEC team is dedicated to helping you and your organization Develop, Perform and Succeed. That team includes both our valued employees, as well as our dynamic group of Board Members.

At OTEC’s Annual General Meeting on October 19, Directors for the 2009 -10 term were elected. Victoria Behune Lymburner, OTEC President & CEO notes that “OTEC is very fortunate to have this outstanding group of industry leaders who represent sectors such as education, tourism, hospitality, technology, facilities, and transportation dedicated to providing strategic guidance to the organization over the next year and beyond.” MORE

Emerit evaluator Jessica Frappier

As the certifying body for emerit national occupational certifications, OTEC relies on dedicated volunteers to help evaluate skills development in Ontario’s tourism and hospitality industry. This @ Your Service Volunteer Spotlight shines on Jessica Frappier, Team Lead - Events, Organizational Development at Research In Motion (RIM) Limited in Waterloo.

Jessica’s involvement with OTEC began in 2005 when she was researching self-study educational opportunities and came across OTEC’s Special Event Coordinator and Special Event Manager emerit certification programs. After completing both the coordinator and manager level courses within two years, she was awarded with inaugural emerit professional designations for both. Jessica says that she “enjoyed the certification process and had a great experience with the industry evaluator that completed my assessment.” MORE

Are you ready to bring the newest information on HR and customer service excellence to your conference this year? If so, OTEC’s team of facilitators and speakers are available nationwide to present topics including Service Excellence, Accessible Service Excellence, Engaging Generation Y and Engaging Multi-Generations at your event.

In today’s competitive market, customer service is more important than ever. Let OTEC show your organization how to gain a competitive edge! New for 2010 is OTEC’s management level program “Building a Culture of Service Excellence”. 

This interactive session explores the steps your organization can take to achieve a cohesive, customer-focused team environment that achieves the highest level of service possible.  Each participant will gain the knowledge they need, and the practical tools necessary, to build and manage exceptional customer service within their organization.

For more information about bringing a 60 minute OTEC Speaker Series session to your conference, please contact Wendy Paradis, OTEC’s Vice President Client Services at 416-622-1975 ext. 212 or email wparadis@otec.org.

Do you have something to say about your organization’s HR issues and challenges?  Join the new Workplace Matters Panel and help OTEC and the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) give businesses like yours the resources and tools they need to attract and retain skilled people and deliver customer service excellence.

Your opinions and experiences are vital as we navigate the future of the industry. Help us gain insight into your human resources concerns!  There is limited space available on the panel so click here to complete our short membership survey today .

The Workplace Matters Panel will be managed by Ipsos. Participants will be contacted approximately once a month with brief surveys on various business practices and human resource issues. In appreciation of your time and support, your name will be entered to win:

• $1,000 for becoming a panelist
  
• $1,000 in a quarterly draw of all active panelists
  
• $  250 for every survey you complete - the more surveys you complete, the more entries you’ll earn!

You’ll also receive newsletters with samples of the research results, labour market information, and useful workplace insights to help your business develop, perform, and succeed!
For more information, please contact Kamaljeet Singh, OTEC’s Manager, Workforce Skills Development at ksingh@otec.org or 416-622-1975 ext. 217.

Help your business develop, perform and succeed! Contact OTEC for more information about training and development products and services that can help your organization achieve real results. Call us at: 1-800-557-6832, visit our website at www.otec.org  or email us at: info@otec.org.
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