Employer Community Partner Spotlight: Hyatt Hotels
The Denver workforce is as diverse as its job seekers, and JFS is here to connect metro area businesses with qualified candidates for employment success. Our Employment Services team partners with Colorado businesses to provide candidate referral assistance and ongoing support to both the employer and newly hired staff, which ensures a successful experience for all. Our typical job seekers are often newly unemployed, looking for a career change, or facing additional barriers to employment, so they value the comprehensive level of support they receive from their employment specialists. One JFS employer partner has gone above and beyond to achieve their hiring needs while helping our resettled refugee clients start a new life in Colorado: Hyatt Hotels.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit the service industry hard, and as people stopped traveling, business came to an abrupt halt and hotel employees were let go. In the post-COVID world, there was a significant need to backfill positions, especially housekeeping and kitchen roles. While it can be challenging to hire for these positions, there are also a limited number of opportunities for those who are non-English speaking or have limited proficiency in the language. And that’s where Hyatt’s willing, innovative mindset to hire a variety of diverse workers has made them our employer partner who has hired the most refugee clients.
“Hyatt is very willing to find solutions and be creative in overcoming barriers to employment,” shared JFS Career Services Manager Heather Seiden. “They expanded their training program and were the first partner to allow for an interpreter on-site for onboarding. We’ve truly seen Hyatt cultivate an environment for long-term employment.”
Since our partnership with Hyatt began in 2021, 17 JFS refugee clients have been hired at the Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt Hotels, and we are proud to share that one employee was recently awarded the employee of the quarter.
The Hyatt organization believes in hiring employees with the intention of creating clear pathways for growth, working to develop an employee’s skills, and promoting from within. “We talk about the ‘Hyatt Way,’” shared Molly O’Connor, Hyatt’s Area Talent Acquisition Manager. “As early as the interview process, we make sure candidates know we’ll work with them individually to master their skill sets. We regularly ask, ‘Where do you want to go next—a different city, department, hotel type, role?’—and we see what that looks like, which could be shadowing a person in the desired role or just learning more. There are so many opportunities under the Hyatt umbrella, and we encourage all our employees to explore these opportunities.”
It’s not just providing a job with full benefits that makes employment with Hyatt positive. As O’Connor said, there are “a lot of new” opportunities for resettled refugees, and staff often thinks about how they can help new employees acclimate to the city and life in the community.
When asked what she’d like other employers to know about working with JFS and their clients, O’Connor said, “JFS is instrumental in changing lives. They set employers and clients up for success and do the research necessary to place the right people in the right roles, so it’s a good fit all around. It may feel like a leap of faith, but you need to know that JFS will prepare clients in every way, from how to get to work to job expectations. It really is a case of ‘the more you know’—ask questions, be open-minded, and know what JFS’s expectations are to help clients find meaningful employment with career pathing opportunities. We appreciate working with JFS because it’s easy, we’re in it together, and they bring us great candidates.”
Learn more about why you should partner with us and hire JFS job seekers.