Delaware North’s chief human resources officer discusses company culture in authored article

Eileen Morgan, Delaware North’s chief human resources officer, recently authored a long-form article in ExecBlueprints, a publication in partnership with Aspatore Books, part of the large media conglomerate Thompson Reuters.
 
ExecBlueprints is an online collection of concise, topically-focused best practices on high-level business issues written specifically for senior executives, emerging leaders, high-potential employees and anyone supporting executive initiatives. The articles are authored by “top industry executives regarded as leaders and innovators in their fields.”
 
Morgan – along with three human resources executives from other major organizations, including Omni Hotels & Resorts – discussed the importance of using company culture to successfully recruit talent.
 
“Delaware North’s unique culture manifests itself from the company’s values,” Morgan said in the piece, part of a 20-page publication. “Our values are heavily focused in the areas of integrity, relationships, family and community orientation, flexibility, and entrepreneurship.
 
“Cultural fit is our number one focus in weighing candidates. We have more success when we hire for culture and then train for skills as needed.”
 
Aligning the culture across Delaware North’s global operation is another key to success, Morgan said.
 
“Despite Delaware North’s diverse operations and locations as a global hospitality and food service company, the culture is aligned across departments and functions through shared values,” she said. “Culture can often be defined as the acceptable ways in which work gets done effectively, and Delaware North’s culture is often associated with a dedication to service, a sense of humor and sincere humility, and having fun. We can laugh at ourselves, but we take our business quite seriously.”
 
Among many other highlights – including using social media platforms in recruiting efforts – Morgan also discussed adjusting the culture to different types of service, with Delaware North’s clients covering quite a bit of ground in various industries.
 
“An example is the relationship we have with our employees at the scenic but secluded Yellowstone National Park, where Delaware North supports employee housing, recreation, and other lifestyle components that otherwise would not be available to them,” she said. “For the primary season in the summer, there is a strong caring relationship that goes beyond the work day. Whereas in our football stadium operations, where an employee might only work for 10 games over five months, there is a lower level of lifestyle focus – but creating a strong relationship is still a key objective, such that employees want to return the following season.”