Marriott and Their Labor Policy

MARIOTT

Marriott and their labor policy

Marriott labor policies: The commodification of service

The Marriott chain of hotels is famed not only for its luxury, but also for its service. According to Bill Marriott, employees who are treated with respect are "more comfortable and confident. In turn, they're better equipped to deliver their best on the job and to the customer. Everyone wins: the company, the employee, the customer. The philosophy of putting employees first is particularly important in our industry, because Marriott is in the people business, not just the service business" (The Spirit to Serve, 1997, HarperBusiness: 5, 35, 126-127) Some might say this is counter to liberal Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman's notion: "At the heart of capitalism's inhumanity -- and no sensible person will deny that the market is an amoral and often cruelly capricious master -- is the fact that it treats labor as a commodity" (The Accidental Theorist, 1998: 15).

The Marriott philosophy, however benign it may sound in comparison to the attitude of a cutthroat corporate entity, is actually perfectly commensurate with Krugman's notion. For all of its proud touting of its 'business values,' Marriott treats its employees well for self-interested reasons (Business values, 2013, Marriott). If employees are ignored, the company will lose invaluable data from the 'front lines' of its retail operations. If employees are disgruntled because of poor pay and working conditions, they will treat customers with contempt, who will not return. Marriott sells an 'experience' at its hotels: a good hotel (and even more so a luxury hotel) may need to have an attractive appearance, location, and physical amenities, but without good service, it will quickly falter. Smiling, helpful, and genuinely enthusiastic people are part of the 'commodity' being sold by Marriott, just as much as fluffy towels and good room service.

A number of companies, in addition to Marriott, have made taking care of employees a critical component of their business, such as Google and Facebook. By offering employees attractive perks, flexible work schedules, and a fun atmosphere, the companies can attract and retain the top talent necessary to generate new, innovative technological products. They too are in the 'service' business to some degree -- and also in the idea business. Without a steady influx of new, fabulous ideas, a technology company will fold. This is why the commodity of talent is so vital and so coveted.

Organizations which tend to be less service-oriented often value people less. Ironically, this is often true of budget retailers like Wal-Mart and McDonald's. Although consumers may notice surly employees, fundamentally buyers are attracted to shop at these entities because of low prices, and are willing to tolerate disgruntled minimum wage workers so long as the commodities that really attract them to the store are cheap. Of course, these corporations make an attempt to teach workers a formulaic manner of civility, but so long as the workers are not openly abusive to customers, it does not matter if they go 'above and beyond' the corporate script. In fact, the companies actively discourage deviation from this script.