Learn how MGM Improved Customer Satisfaction and Employee Retention

The following case study highlights how MGM Resorts International successfully launched their WeSpire solution to all 62,000+ employees — resulting in significant environmental and bottom-line benefits. Specifically, the study explains how MGM uses the platform to:

• Increase repeat customers
• Improve employee retention
• Reduce their environmental impact

The Strategy and Implementation sections outline how MGM strategically launched the program to successfully maximize employee adoption.
Results & Success Metrics highlights MGM’s success in terms of environmental reductions, associated dollars saved, and employee adoption and impact.

A sustainable approach to employee retention

MGM Resorts International (MGM) is a global leader in the hospitality industry and a WeSpire customer since 2013. MGM uses WeSpire’s platform to support their My Green Advantage program — a company-wide corporate initiative to engage employees to live more sustainably and drive positive impact in their home, work, and community.

As a forward-thinking leader in hospitality, MGM Resorts took an innovative approach responding to the challenges it faces being headquartered in Las Vegas. Not only did MGM need to positively impact energy and water conservation; but also high employee turnover and retention issues, which are typical to the industry.

“If we don’t have an engaged and enthused workforce, we cannot create the kind of environment that will keep people coming back. Happy guests are our best marketers.”

Jim Murren, MGM Chairman and CEO

Enabling Positive Behavior Change

Recognizing that employees are their greatest assets, MGM decided to focus on enabling positive behavior change to help reach corporate goals.

Over 80% of the 62,000+ MGM employees are hourly workers — including housekeepers, casino floor workers, janitors — without a company email address, let alone company desktop computer. As a result, MGM initially approached their employee engagement strategy as most companies do: leveraging traditional forms of one-way communications. After little progress, MGM searched for a new solution.

WeSpire offered the key ingredients MGM required: data-driven, relevant, fun, and mobile. Importantly, the content extends beyond work, to include community and home-based actions, which MGM recognizes as essential to engaging their workforce and employee retention.

In conjunction with WeSpire, the team at MGM launched their customized version of the platform to their entire employee base. According to Sarah Moore, director of Sustainable Operations, surveys indicated that employees appreciated the company’s green efforts.

“My Green Advantage drove home the point: this was an investment we were making for our employees personally, to help them better understand their impact on living and working greener.”

Sarah Moore, director of Sustainable Operations, MGM Resorts International

Success Metrics

To achieve their target of 20% reduction in energy usage by 2020, MGM needed to harness the power of their employees. WeSpire provides data on all the top metrics, enabling company leadership to understand the level of business-unit participation, as well as how they are collectively doing against their aggressive environmental reduction targets.

Today, the WeSpire platform is available for employees in all 17 MGM properties, with participation rates exceeding their initial one- year goal of 15%. In terms of environmental impact, the platform has tracked over one million employee actions taken at work, home, and the community in five environmental categories: Emissions, Energy, Water, Fuel, and Waste. Results show that in one year, savings surpass $600 per user.

Through the process, the MGM Sustainability Team has received hundreds of recommended actions from employees to help improve the company’s impact. As an example of their ability to use the platform for two-way communication with their employees, MGM took that input and created a custom project: “The People Spoke,” whch houses all of their recommendations. This unique project not only improves performance and participation, but also provides an opportunity to recognize employee contributions. “It was a win-win-win,” says Sarah Moore, director of Sustainable Operations.