Settha YOK

People power is more than a slogan, it is at the heart of every good and successful business. There is no greater return on investment than on the investment in your teams, because their strengths are your strengths. This is how we do it at Thalias… People serve people, and if we want our staff to serve you with the respect, dignity and attention to care that you deserve, then it is our duty to treat them in exactly the same way. For us, it’s a very simple thing. We know too that we can train anyone in the technical skills they need to do their job adequately. But we want more than that. So we seek out those with the right attitude, ambition and desire to do their best, because that is something that comes from within, and cannot be taught. This means that if you think you have these attributes, never hesitate to send us your CV because even if we don’t have a space immediately available, we’ll find one for you eventually. And we do this not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of the whole industry, and Cambodia too. For a long time, Cambodian companies were afraid to invest in their personnel because in an uncertain world, the risk of staff members leaving was considered too high. That world no longer exists. The landscape has changed. Competition is higher than ever before, and so too are standards and expectations. As a result, every company in Cambodia today has to invest to survive, and that means investing first and foremost in their people. We’ve always tried to be ahead of this curve. “We know there is a risk of staff leaving once we train them, but it is our view that even if they do, they’re contributing to raising standards in the whole industry, and that benefits everyone across the industry,” says Settha Yok, Human Resources Director for Thalias Group. “We don’t mind taking that risk. “We invested in our own in-house academy that taught our staff everything from the core skills they need for their jobs, as well as English, French language classes, and life skills too. We’ve obviously had to scale that back over the last few years, thanks to Covid, but once everything else is back on track, so will the academy be”. Settha also highlights the roles that senior management of Thalias have played in supporting industry standards and training through their leadership of hotel and restaurant industry associations, in the foundation of the Cambodian delegation of Disciples d’Escoffier, and the establishment of a Training Centre for the ASEAN National Trainers and Assessors in Food Production. “We don’t like to sit and wait for things to happen when we know we have the leadership and the capacity to get it done ourselves,” says Mr YOK. If you think you have what it takes to join the Thalias team, send your CV with a cover letter to: jobs@thaliashospitality.com