Downtown
Des Moines Marriott
Including Persons with Disability in a Diverse Workforce
Polk County Area Office
 Iowa
Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS) and Iowa Department for the
Blind named the Downtown Des Moines Marriott as the 2007 Business of the
Year for excellence in workplace diversity. At the Polk County Annual
Business Recognition Ceremony, General Manager Jeff Hilt and Human Resource
Manager Kim Compton were presented the award.
Richard Clark, Polk County Office Supervisor for IVRS, states that Marriott’s
commitment to diversity includes attracting, developing and retaining
a multicultural workforce that includes persons with disabilities.
This multicultural understanding of the workforce fits the hiring philosophy
of Chef Richard Grace at the downtown Des Moines Marriott. “I want
to make a difference in the community,” he says, adding that “everyone
deserves an opportunity. “ Chef Grace extends the opportunity; industrious
workers earn a place on the team. “I have to have productive workers
who can help me deliver a quality product within my budget,” he
says.
Chef Grace’s multicultural team includes persons with disabilities
and persons from Africa, Europe, North America and South America. “Some
team members don’t speak English and others don’t read,”
he says. Chef Grace adjusts his instruction methods as needed. He explains
that “some workers learn best with a hands-on demonstration; others
need a list of the required tasks.” Accommodating for communication
and learning differences helps Chef Grace meet the bottom line and deliver
a quality product.
Productivity is essential but Chef Grace says worker safety is paramount
in his hiring decisions. Safety is one area where the downtown Des Moines
Marriott calls upon the disability expertise of IVRS and the Iowa Department
for the Blind. This win-win business relationship has resulted in Marriott
gaining some outstanding associates.
Once hired “the same rules apply to all; I don’t change the
rules for team members with disabilities,” says Chef Grace. “I
consider the strengths of each team member when I assign work tasks. Some
can’t handle the quick pace and that’s okay,” he says,
adding that “they do quality prep work and I need them doing what
they do best.”
Chef Grace accommodates for the individual differences among his team
members and they help him deliver the quality product Marriott guests
expect. “All of my team members can walk around with their heads
held high because all of them do quality work,” he says.
Bill Marriott, chairman and CEO of Marriott International, wrote in his
July 11, 2007 blog that “Embracing diversity is more than the politically
correct thing to do. It just makes good business sense.” Downtown
Des Moines Marriott general manager Jeff Hilt, knows a diverse workforce
is good business. Referring to the team members with disabilities, he
says “They come to work on time, ready to go and with a smile on
their face; they are happy people.”
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