Hilton highlights link between staff loyalty and e‐learning : Survey investigates value and usage of online portal

Purpose – The paper aims to examine an anonymous employee survey conducted by SkillSoft's client, Hilton International, in the summer of 2005. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the results of the annual survey, which is part of an ongoing program to establish how Hilton's online learning portal, Hilton University, is being used and to find out how employees are applying the learning at work. Another important reason for the survey is to discover whether there is indeed a link between development opportunities and staff loyalty and retention. Findings – The paper demonstrates that 90 percent of respondents said they found Hilton University learning activities easily accessible, with almost three‐quarters of the opinion that learning opportunities specific to their needs could be located quickly. Around 85 percent ranked Hilton University as either good or very good and 90 percent of respondents were convinced that the resources they accessed through Hilton University helped them with their professional development. Some 74 percent agreed that management supported them through the learning process. From a management perspective, 64 percent of managers found it straightforward to monitor and support the learning process of individuals in their teams. Around 95 percent of respondents said they appreciated the opportunity Hilton was giving them to develop their knowledge. This figure gives credence to the theory that training benefits company‐employee relations: 98 percent went on to say that they would recommend Hilton University to colleagues. Practical implications – The paper backs the view that continuous professional development is an important factor in staff retention. Originality/value – The paper reports that 37 percent of respondents said that being offered development opportunities was “the most important” factor in them deciding to continue their career with Hilton. An additional 50 percent said that although it was not “the” factor, being given the opportunity to develop professionally was very important to them.