Hoteliers' ideas that you can adapt.

Granted, an association does not function in the same manner as a hotel. And yet these for-profit partners of associations offer an active arena for the study of applied innovation. Here to elaborate on their progressive staff-management practices are hoteliers whose comments association executives would be wise to consider.

REQUIRED RESPITES

JOHN LONGSTREET Vice President, Employee Services and Administration, Bristol Hotels and Resorts, Dallas; e-mail: [e-mail]

Right around seven years is when many employees get the itch to move on. To help ours refocus and to build staff longevity, we launched an employee sabbatical program tailored after what we saw taking place in segments of the high-tech industry. After seven years of service as an exempt employee, all our exempt staff earn an eight-week, paid sabbatical, which they are expected to take. This benefit happens automatically; employees don't have to request it.

Sabbaticals do not have to relate to the job. In fact, they should not, since their purpose is to give employees time to recharge and reflect on their careers. Our only real requirement is that employees indicate how they plan to use the time - not because their plans must meet any organizational standards, but because we want employees to be intentional about how they spend the time off.

This high-impact, low-cost program also gives our organization the chance to develop new people by watching the performance of employees charged with covering for those on sabbatical. One big key to the success of this kind of program is having an environment where improvement and feedback are encouraged. If the employee filling in finds better or more efficient ways of doing things, which is often the case, we consider this a plus for all.

Keep in mind, however, that a fear of being replaced may be enough to keep some employees from wanting to take their sabbaticals. It's important to communicate that no one will come back from a sabbatical and be fired.

Sabbatical start-up steps. If your association is interested in implementing a sabbatical program, think through how to propose the idea to your board. We all know how expensive it can be to replace good employees, so be prepared to articulate how the program would contribute positively to staff retention. When launching such a program, you'll also need to determine a formula that awards credit for current years of service but allows you to space out sabbaticals.

We began our program when the organization was 10 years old. Each exempt staff member who had been with the organization since the beginning was awarded five years of credit. Those with nine years of service were awarded four years of credit, those with eight years were awarded three, and so on, until those with zero years of credit awarded to them had to earn the full seven years. Whatever formula you use, it's important to have employees earn some portion of the sabbatical requirement no matter how long they've been with your organization.

Prepare for a pitfall. Sabbatical programs have at least one potential pitfall. The clarity that eight weeks away from the job can bring may prompt an employee to decide that he or she no longer wants to do the same job. Where possible, transition that employee into another role or setting within the organization.

SELF-MANAGED STAFF

PAT MENE Vice President, Quality, Ritz-Carlton Company, Atlanta

The "I plan, you do" management philosophy is fast becoming obsolete. Therefore, the balance between measuring output and valuing employee joy and pride in work is becoming more important. One element of Ritz-Carlton's overall management approach that addresses this balance is its promotion and practice of self-directed work teams.

Our teams are composed of frontline employees within departments - for instance, the morning shift at the front desk, or the evening shift of room service. While management still sets objectives for such things as expected levels of productivity and customer satisfaction, it's up to each team to organize and decide how its members get the work done while accomplishing the objectives.

Teams also do all their own scheduling and training and even decide whom to hire. Because team members have such a vested interest in making sure the fit will be a good one, they invariably hold out for the right employee. While team members may at times be evaluated individually on performance, evaluation is usually a team process, whereby team members might perform 360-degree reviews on one another.

Only the team - not individuals - can ultimately succeed or fail; therefore, positive peer pressure forms among team members that is stronger than any discipline imposed by supervisory monitoring. This means that team members are often able to settle grievances with one another more quickly.

While self-directed teams are more an evolution than a revolution in management practice, we have noticed that, where teams are in place, customer satisfaction enjoys high ratings. In addition, staff turnover and absenteeism decline. Probably the greatest benefit to teams is the pride and joy that gets put back into work.

Changing worker roles. Self-directed work teams are really about "job enlargement." Part of job development is designing the amount of authority and responsibility each job will have. With teams, you really are designing in the type and degree of responsibility that a manager or supervisor of that job would have. In this way, employees of teams become mini-managers, which means managers are then freed up to become mini-executives.

Some people mislabel self-directed teams as a downsizing concept. While it may reduce the need for supervision, it's not about losing layers of management, but, rather, about radically changing worker roles.

Ready for the team approach?

Self-directed teams represent one technique within a larger movement toward employee empowerment and quality. When you entertain a move to something like this, know up front that it essentially requires a new world view. You can't expect to implement the team concept without a comprehensive change in your overall business management beliefs and practices.

This is one reason we don't force our properties to use this management approach. Currently about 25 percent of our workforce is involved in teams. One property is completely run in this fashion, while others have implemented teams within certain departments only. It's an evolving process that we began five years ago and which we're allowing to take hold at its own pace.

Much of whether self-directed teams are appropriate for a particular property - or for a particular organization - has to do with upper-management buy-in as well as the life stage of the organization. For instance, teams probably won't work best in a brand-new property, because the success of any team depends on the stability of the work environment. The level of success that a team can achieve also depends on the level of existing trust among workers and their willingness and commitment to work together.

If self-directed work teams sound like something you'd like to try, study the concept thoroughly to assess how this would fit within your association's overall strategic plan. Look closely at the management philosophies of companies that have won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. (The Web site of the American Society for Quality, Milwaukee - www.asq.org - offers information on the award and its recipients.) And start reading information from the gurus of self-directed work teams: Joseph Juran (www.juran.com) and W. Edwards Deming (deming.org).

GREAT NEIGHBORS

JONATHAN M. TISCH President and Chief Executive Officer, Loews Hotels, and President, Loews Corporation, New York City; e-mail: [e-mail]

We're open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, and we can't pick up and move if things aren't going well within our community. We recognize that we have a responsibility as major players in the communities in which we are located to address the various concerns of the people who live and work there. Therefore, we've incorporated an ongoing commitment to community outreach into a companywide policy.

Each Loews property, is required to participate in our Good Neighbor Policy in whatever ways it can. For instance, each hotel recycles hundreds of pounds of paper, cardboard, and newspapers each month. Companywide, we feed hundreds of people weekly through donations of excess food to local food banks, shelters, and hunger-relief programs. Different properties also donate linens and furniture and provide space and volunteer instructors for literacy classes. Numerous property-sponsored fund-raising events also support area charities.

How you can get involved. Associations can easily do likewise to support communities. Opportunities always exist to use and reuse resources in creative ways. For instance, your association might be able to make meeting and conference rooms available to the community whenever these would otherwise sit empty. Make it a policy to find local organizations that can use the office chairs, desks, and computers that you replace.

Your association can also get involved in welfare-to-work programs. You can do this whether you have 5 employees or 500. At our Loews Miami Beach property alone we've hired 44 individuals who previously were on welfare. Set up welfare-to-work seminars for your members, too. Find out about the welfare-to-work partnership in your area. It doesn't cost to join, and you'll get immediate access to the latest information.

To become involved in your community in an ongoing way, implement one program at a time and set tangible goals. Ask your employees about the specific kinds of outreach that are important to them. This will ensure that whatever your association does will be in everyone's best interest.

Karla B. Hignite, a Richmond, Indiana-based freelance writer and editor, compiled this article. E-mail: [e-mail].