STAFF
Even in the most challenging times, the employees have maintained their service attitude and felt proud of their workplace.
In the financial year 2021–2022, we have invested in the development of immediate supervisor work and management, as this has a great impact on the satisfaction of our entire staff. Before COVID-19, we organised training for about 130 of our employees in supervisory or management positions, and now these lessons have been revised through additional training during the spring. As a result of the training, we prepared the Daily Management Handbook for Lapland Hotels & Safaris and our slope company.
Although the financial year was excellent from a business perspective, the effects of COVID-19, among other things, will be visible in the hotel and restaurant industry for a long time to come. In addition, we still have challenges related to labour shortages and coping. The aftermath of COVID-19 has been particularly visible in destinations in Lapland, where last autumn season was launched with limited staff.
However, employee satisfaction, which is continuously studied, has remained at a good level all along, and there have been no major changes.
At Lapland Hotels & Safaris, there is little turnover among the staff, which means that employees stay with us longer than average. Our staff is very competent and professional – this is also directly reflected in our customer experience and excellent customer satisfaction.
Many new, inexperienced employees have now entered the field, and this challenges us to develop even better orientation capabilities. The large number of new employees also requires adaptation and flexibility from our permanent staff. The hotel and restaurant industry has also experienced enormous internationalisation. Lapland Hotels' internationality rate was 7% before COVID-19. At the moment, it is around 20% and we believe that the rate can increase up to 30%. At Lapland Safaris, the internationality rate of the staff has been around 40% for years.
Despite the challenging times, we have highly motivated experts who are proud to work for our travel companies. These good experiences have also spread to job seekers, and we are an interesting employer, especially in city hotels and from the point of view of specialist roles. This is due to both good customer and staff experiences and Lapland Hotels & Safaris’ brand recognition.
Next, we will invest in the development and clarification of the employer image, the development and maintenance of competence and the in-depth orientation training model that is currently being worked on. In order to overcome the labour shortage, we will also continue cooperation with educational institutions. Promotion of internal communications and well-being at work are also priorities for the coming financial year. Depending on the season, we employ approximately 620–1,650 professionals.