When businesses talk about improving employee experience, the conversation often turns quickly to benefits, reward platforms and incentives. Those things can all play a role. But one message came through particularly clearly at KAM’s latest Informants event: the foundations of a great employee experience are much simpler.
People want to feel listened to, included and valued.
In a candid conversation at the event, Sarah Gale, Head of People at Côte, spoke about the challenge of continuing to invest in people while hospitality businesses face significant cost pressures. When costs need to be controlled, training, development and employee initiatives can look like easy places to make savings. But reducing investment in people can create much greater costs in the long term.
Great employee experience is not simply a people initiative. It influences how teams perform, how guests feel and, ultimately, how the business grows.
Listening before acting
One of the most powerful lessons from Sarah’s interview was the importance of bringing teams on the journey when making changes. She spoke openly about a previous menu launch that did not land as expected. Although the decisions had been made with the right intentions, teams had not been sufficiently involved in the process or helped to understand the reasons behind the changes. Côte responded by listening more closely to feedback from its restaurant teams and involving them in the development of its next menu.
The result was not only a better response to the menu itself, but a noticeably different level of enthusiasm from employees. Teams understood the changes, believed in them and were able to talk confidently to guests about new dishes and returning favourites.
It is an important reminder that listening cannot happen only after a decision has gone wrong. When employees are involved earlier, they are much more likely to understand the direction of the business and feel some ownership over the outcome.
People do not want change done to them
Hospitality teams are already working through a significant amount of change, from rising costs and shifting guest expectations to new technology and evolving ways of working. Even positive changes can create frustration when they arrive without enough explanation. People are far more likely to support a decision when they understand why it is being made, how it will affect them and what the business is trying to achieve.
That does not mean every employee will agree with every decision. It means being as open and transparent as possible, communicating early and creating meaningful opportunities for people to contribute. Trust is built when employees can see that their feedback is being taken seriously. It is weakened when businesses repeatedly ask for their views but nothing appears to change.
Managers shape the employee experience
Employee experience may be designed centrally, but it is usually delivered locally. For most hospitality employees, their experience of the business is shaped far more by their direct manager than by the senior leadership team or people function. That makes the quality of everyday conversations incredibly important.
At the Informants event, hospitality people leaders repeatedly returned to the need to equip managers with stronger communication, listening and coaching skills. Managers are often balancing commercial pressure from above with the needs of employees on the ground. They may have been promoted because they were excellent operationally, without necessarily being taught how to lead people.
Supporting managers to have better conversations can therefore have a greater impact than introducing another standalone employee benefit. A genuine check-in, clear feedback or a conversation about someone’s ambitions can change how an employee feels about their role and their future in the business.
Recognition is often found is small moments
Reward and recognition do not always need to involve a major financial investment. Sarah highlighted the importance of acknowledging employees when they have done a great job, particularly when that success has been noticed by a guest or reflected in positive feedback. These small moments can easily be lost in busy hospitality environments, but they are often the moments that help people feel seen.
Formal rewards, incentives and employee platforms can strengthen this approach, but they work best when they sit alongside a genuine culture of appreciation. Simply having a reward scheme does not guarantee engagement. Employees need to understand it, see its relevance and feel encouraged to use it.
The strongest employee experience is created when recognition feels natural and consistent, rather than occasional or overly corporate.
Growth means different things to different people
Development is another important part of the employee experience, but businesses must avoid assuming that progression looks the same for everyone. Some employees want to move quickly into management. Others want to deepen their skills, gain confidence in their existing role or develop in a different direction. The aim should not be to push everyone towards the same career path. It should be to help people understand the opportunities available and support them in choosing the right path for themselves.
That requires businesses to identify potential, have regular career conversations and give employees visible examples of where development could lead. People are more likely to stay when they can see a future with the business, but that future needs to feel relevant to them.
Employee experience and guest experience are inseperable
Hospitality businesses often talk about creating memorable guest experiences, but employees cannot consistently deliver warmth, enthusiasm and care if they do not experience those things themselves.
A smile cannot simply be written into a service standard.
Guests can tell when employees are engaged, confident and proud of where they work. They can also tell when teams feel disconnected or under pressure. That is why employee experience cannot be treated as separate from commercial or customer strategy. The way employees feel affects how they speak to guests, how they respond to problems and how much energy they bring to each shift. When teams feel valued, guests notice.
Start by listening
There is no single platform, benefit or initiative that will create a great employee experience overnight. The strongest cultures are built through hundreds of everyday interactions: managers listening properly, leaders communicating honestly, employees being involved in change and good work being recognised.
Perks can add value, but they cannot replace those foundations. For hospitality businesses deciding where to focus their investment, the starting point may be simpler than expected. Listen to your people. Show them that their feedback matters. Bring them with you when the business changes.
That is where a better employee experience begins.
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