Spread the love

Hilton has again been recognised by the Great Place to Work® Institute as one of Australia’s best companies to work for in 2018. Hilton placed 4th on the top 50 list for companies with over 1,000 employees (link to video here).

This recognition is a great addition to Hilton’s recent win of being Asia’s Best Multinational Workplace, and is an incredible testament to Hilton’s leading practices and purpose-led culture that has built a strong team culture and outstanding working environment. In particular, Hilton’s Team Member value proposition, Thrive@Hilton, has been distinguished for creating a high-trust and high-performance organisational culture by offering Team Members great work environments, careers and rewards.

“We are again thrilled to have been recognised by the Great Place to Work® Institute. Our hotels and corporate offices are committed to providing meaningful career opportunities for our team; having already facilitated more than 375 internal transfers and promotions across the Australasia region already in 2018,” said Richard Todd, senior regional director, human resources, Australasia.

“This accolade is an attribute to all of our dedicated Team Members’ who work tirelessly and passionately to provide our guests with memorable and heartfelt experiences. We want to reward our Team Members and help them thrive as we know they are our greatest asset in supporting our commitment to be the world’s most hospitable company.”

In Australia, Hilton’s leading practices and programmes that build a strong team culture include:

Thrive@Hilton – In 2017, Hilton introduced Thrive@Hilton which completely evolves the way Hilton works and leads by creating more time for what matters most to Team Members so they can be at their best every day. The initiative aims to improve the health and happiness of all Team Members in Body, Mind and Spirit.
Flexible work practices allow for customisation and personalisation in order to meet the distinct needs of each Team Members’ lifestyle, their location and their role, to encourage work/life balance. Examples of the various options Team Members have include work-from-home, flexible scheduling, compressed workweek, flextime, job sharing, and part-time working options.


Initiatives such as Thrive Sabbatical which gives Team Members the opportunity to apply for a month-long paid sabbatical to either ‘Give a Dream’ or ‘Live a Dream’ and take time to recharge and enrich their spirit, returning to work feeling rejuvenated, accomplished and more inspired. To ‘Give a Dream’, Team Members will be looking to enrich the lives of others through a philanthropic volunteer activity of their choice, while those wanting to ‘Live a Dream’ will be wanting to achieve a personal goal, explore a new interest or embark on a meaningful exercise.

Travel with Purpose – Hilton’s corporate responsibility strategy that empowers Team Members to make a difference and develop local solutions that positively impact their communities and environment. Throughout 2017, there were 10,315 volunteer hours contributed by Team Members on over 210 community projects.
Hilton also has a national partnership with The Smith Family which sees them collaborate on the Work Inspiration program that saw 150 disadvantaged youths gain work experience at one of the eight participating hotels across Australia in 2018.
In Q2 2018, Hilton eliminated plastic straws from all hotels across Australasia with the aim of removing approximately 2.5 million straws from the environment annually.
Hilton Sydney partnered with the City of Sydney on the Sustainable Destination program and also the World Wildlife Fund to improve its food waste program, reducing food waste by 15 percent and recording an annual saving of $30,000 in 2017.
Hilton Brisbane houses two beehives on the hotel rooftop in collaboration with Bee One Third, a regional beekeeping organisation with the intention of educating Brisbane’s inner populace on the importance of bees in our global food system. The honey from the hives is then served in Vintaged Bar + Grill at Hilton Brisbane.

Celebrating diversity – Since launching in 2015, the Women in Leadership program has empowered more than 139 female Team Members in Australia, assisting them in their career journeys. So far, 29% of participants have already been promoted or transferred within the company. Additionally, 39% of females at Hilton are in leadership positions, including Heidi Kunkel, Hilton’s recently appointment Vice President, Operations, Australasia and Jane Lyons, General Manager of West Hotel Sydney, Australia’s first Curio Collection by Hilton property.

Opportunities for development – Hilton Australia launched a training program called ‘Driving Effective Career Conversations’. Since launching the course in 2012, over 1,000 Team Members have attended the course, which was designed to assist Team Members in better planning and communication of their career goals, including the completion of a Birkman Profile and Career Map.

Go Hilton – A travel program that provides exclusive travel discounts and benefits for Team Members, as well as their family and friends. This program allows Team Members to explore the world and experience any of Hilton’s 14 world-class brands comprising more than 5,400 properties, in 106 countries and territories.

Recognition – Hilton offers several opportunities for recognition through programs such as Catch Me at My Best, and the CEO Light & Warmth Awards that acknowledge Team Members at all levels from guests, peers and managers. Team Member Appreciation Week saw over 100 events organised to celebrate their Team Members in Australia in 2018.

Hilton promotes or transfers 20% of its Team Members every year in Australia, creating more than 1,300 employment opportunities each year in Australia across 12 hotels and corporate office.