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1874 W 15th Ave Vancouver, BC, V6J 2L1 November 21, 2014 Dan Normandin, Marny Felder, Todd Wong Hotel Managers Vancouver Four Seasons Hotel BC, V2K 9S1 Dear managers, Here is my report, Feasibility Analysis of Reducing Paper Waste at The Vancouver Four Seasons Hotel. Throughout the preparation I have learned a lot about the benefits of companies going “green” by reducing paper waste and hope these suggestions help guide your hotel business in a positive direction. Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect on this report. Companies’ going “green” is a growing trend that is not only environmentally friendly, but has financial and efficiency advantages as well. This paper outlines the first step towards becoming a “green” hotel, reducing the use of paper. Finding paperless solutions to problem areas and implementing policies to enforce new practices is discussed. I hope you are excited to explore the option of becoming a “green” hotel and wish you the best of luck! I have enjoyed working on this project and would be happy to answer any questions. Please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected]. Sincerely,
Cassie Ragan Cassie Ragan
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Feasibility Analysis of Reducing Paper Waste At Vancouver Four Seasons Hotel
for
Dan Normandin, Marny Felder, Todd Wong Management of Vancouver Four Seasons Hotel
Vancouver, British Columbia by
Cassie Ragan UBC English 301 Student
October 31, 2014
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Table of Contents
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….……… 4
Methods…………………………………………………………………………………………..……. 5
Collected Data………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
Literature on Subject………………………………………….……………………… 6
Paystub Issue……………………………………………………………………………… 7
Findings………………………………………………………….….……………… 8
Interpretation of Findings……………………………………………..…… 8
BEO Issue…………………………………………………………………..………….….… 8
Findings………………………………………………………………….………… 9
Interpretation of Findings………………………………………..………… 10
Employee Manual Issue……………………………………………………………… 10
Findings………………………………………………………………….………… 10
Interpretation of Findings,,,,,…………………………………………….… 11
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….…….…… 11
Summary and Interpretations……………………………………………………….. 11
Recommendations…………………………………………………………..……..……. ..12
References…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 13
Figures
Figure 1……………………………………………………………………………………………..……. 5
Figure 2………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..6
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ABSTRACT
Production of paper is labor, resource and capital intensive. This formal report
examines the over use of paper in a hotel settings, specifically The Vancouver Four
Seasons Hotel. Common paper intensive practices like, paystubs, banquet event
orders and employee manuals are analyzed and environmentally friendly
alternatives are suggested. Interviews and surveys of hotel employees from multiple
departments demonstrate an overall willingness and positive response to applying
the environmentally friendly practices suggested. Further recommendations on
what management can do to enforce the success of new practices and educate the
employees are outlined.
INTRODUCTION
Paper is a highly consumed commodity in today’s world, used for everything from
homework to official documents. The downside to high levels of paper consumption
is the energy intensive paper production processes that have detrimental effects on
the environment.
This report describes the feasibility of reducing paper usage in a hotel environment,
specifically The Vancouver Four Seasons Hotel. The source of the problem is
identified as specific paper products that have environmentally friendly
alternatives. Potential “green” solutions to each problem are outlined and analyzed,
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considering the benefits and disadvantages of each. Employee opinions and
willingness to adopt new methods is also investigated via interviews and surveys.
Solutions suggested include completely eliminating paper sources by installing
digital software systems and accessing information online instead of via paper copy.
Other paper sources cannot be completely eliminated, but can be greatly reduced by
strategic teamwork and sharing of fewer paper copies. Once specific paper
alternatives have been identified, further action by management is suggested to
make such practices official by implementing policies and regulations. Lastly,
employees need to be educated on the issue and the reasoning behind it.
METHODS
In order to reduce paper usage in a business environment, specific practices have to
be targeted for improvement. At the Vancouver Four Seasons the following practices
will be assessed for potential improvement.
1. Bi-‐monthly Paystubs Including Envelope
Pay cheques are composed of two pieces of paper in an envelope.
2. BEO (banquet event orders)
Figure 1 This American Newsweek article demonstrates how "green" companies are gaining popularity and media attention.
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BEO’s describing all the details and requirements of each daily event are
printed and distributed to each banquet employee each shift. Each consists of
1-‐10 pieces of paper.
3. Four Seasons Standards Manual
Each new employee is provided with a 57 page manual on The Four Seasons
procedures and standards.
Figure 2 Process of the energy, resource and labor intensive production of paper. Describes the processes of logging, chemical pulping, mechanical pulping, pressing, drying and finishing. All of these resources can be conserved with paper reduction practices.
COLLECTED DATA
Literature on Subject
In addition to environmental benefits, paper reduction improves business, “green”
status, efficiency and finance. The marketing value of “green” companies in today’s
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world where global warming and environmental consciousness is a prominent
issue, is substantial. “Green” companies are trendy and attract like-‐minded
costumers. Sustainable business practices have been proven to enhance brand
reputation (Earth Share, 2012).
Documenting data, filling orders, managing business, corresponding via letters, and
editing documents are vital operations of a business but labor intensive. A Lawrence
Berkeley Lab study estimated that the cost per ton of handling paper is 20x the cost
of purchasing. Digital technology can increase productivity by 50 percent (Sarantis,
Heather, 2002).
The financial benefit extends beyond paper itself to, storage units, printers, reprints,
disposal and labor inefficiency. For example the storage of 2 million documents can
cost between 40 and 60 thousand dollars in just filing cabinets (Ecopreneurist,
2014) and these filing cabinets also require expensive floor space. The
supplementary expenses associated with paper use can add up.
Paystubs The Four Seasons Hotel distributes bi-‐monthly pay stubs in paper copy. This
generally includes two pieces of paper and an envelope. Throughout Canada the
Four Seasons employs approximately 2000 people and distributes 96000 pieces of
paper and 48000 envelopes annually.
One potential solution to this waste is to convert to a paperless payroll software
whereby employees can access their paystub information online. There are several
programs available such as EasyPay, Quickbooks and Capterra.
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Findings
Questionnaires and interviews of banquet, housekeeping, kitchen and accounting
employees yielded these results.
• All 12 employees interviewed have access to the internet on a daily basis and
feel proficient using and navigating online services.
• 11 out of 12 expressed willingness to convert to an online payroll system.
• All 4 accounting employees were agreeable to an online payroll conversion.
Adequacy of program training and the existence of a helpline for the system
in case technical problems are encountered, were the only concerns
expressed.
Interpretation of Findings
Based on employee surveys and questionnaires there is a definitive preference to
convert to an online payroll system. The only concerns expressed were those by the
accounting department and are easy to resolve. EasyPay, Quickbooks and Capterra
(brands of payroll software) each offer in person training and a help line to assist
with troubleshooting during regular business hours. The three programs mentioned
range in price from $32-‐$90 /month which is more economic than the price of paper
and envelopes.
BEO (Banquet Event Orders)
BEO’s are composed of 1-‐10 pieces of paper that describe the details and
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requirements of every banquet event scheduled that day. They are distributed to
each banquet employee at the beginning of their shift so they are aware and can
plan accordingly. While they are very informative and useful to the employees, they
consume approximately 80 pounds of paper per month, which inadvertently
requires 40 kWh electricity, 27 gallons of oil and 1000L of water to produce.
An alternative to printing BEO’s for each employee would be to print just one copy
and display it on a wall accessible to all. The banquet office would be an ideal
location to portray it. This way all employees can have access to the BEO and be
informed at a lesser cost to the environment.
Findings
Questionnaires and interviews of banquet employees yielded these results.
• After discussing environmental consequences of BEO’s, 7 out of 12
employees expressed a preference to having one master copy of the BEO
posted somewhere accessible. The remaining 5 expressed the inconvenience
of having to walk to the other side of the (very large) hotel to check the BEO.
“The BEO is referenced constantly throughout our shifts and it would be a
pain, not to mention inefficient, to have to run back and forth across the hotel
to read it.”
• 3 out of 3 banquet supervisors preferred the master copy method of BEO’s.
There reasoning was based on environmental concern and the relief of not
having to print them each day.
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Interpretation of Findings
Unlike the paystub issue, there was some resistance to eliminating personal BEO’s.
BEO’s play a vital role in the day to day operations and having quick access to them
at all times is essential to event success. A compromise that would be more
environmentally friendly and still ensure efficient operations would be to post
BEO’s in a few key locations. This way, employees might have to walk a short
distance to view the BEO, but would never have to walk across the entire hotel.
Four Seasons Standards Manual
The 57 page manual outlines the company’s standards and expectations regarding
everything from setups to grooming policies. It is given to each new employee on
their first day of work, which means in Canada the current workforce consumed
4560 pounds of paper to create manuals. In today’s technologically advanced
society, this manual could easily be a digital copy accessed by employees on a
website or via email. Not only would this save the company printing and paper
costs, it would be less labor intensive.
Findings
• 12 out of 12 employees said they never referenced the manual again after
their first day.
• 12 out of 12 employees preferred a digital copy to paper copy.
• 3 out of 3 banquet supervisors preferred a digital copy to paper copy. “The
manual is very important to reference if employees have a question about
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any Four Seasons standards. It is full of useful information, but doesn’t have
to be accessed daily so a digital copy would suffice.”
Interpretation of Findings
There was a clear consensus that paper manuals should be eliminated. While
employees expressed little interest in the existence of manuals at all, supervisors
insisted on the manuals importance. There was 100% agreement that the manuals
would be just as beneficial as a digital copy. This conversion to digital copy had the
most uniform response of all three issues investigated, and would also have the
most significant environmental impact because it consumes the most paper of the
three.
CONCLUSION
Summary and Interpretation
Converting paystubs and the Four Seasons Standards Manual to digital copy had an
almost exclusively supportive response by employees. Motivated by a combination
of going “green” and efficiency, employees welcomed the potential change
unanimously. The only concerns expressed were by the accounting department
regarding the software operations, training and troubleshooting. These concerns
were resolved by selecting payroll software systems that offer in person training
and an online help guide.
Unlike paystubs and manuals, the topic of reducing paper waste via printing only
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one master BEO had some resistance from employees. Concerns about having to
walk long distances to access BEO’s and the resulting inefficiency were the
prominent concerns. A compromised solution was suggested; printing 3 BEO’s and
posting them in key locations so employees could access them easily and efficiently.
Recommendations
This report has proven the employees of the Vancouver Four Seasons hotel are open
to and willing to convert to environmentally friendly options. Specific paper
alternative solutions have been identified, which is the first step in the right
direction. Two further actions have to be addressed. Management needs to
implement official policies and regulations regarding the new paper reduction
practices. This will enforce the practices as a necessary priority, rather than being
shrugged off as a suggestion. Secondly, employees needs to be educated on the new
practices and why they are being implemented. This could be achieved by holding a
meeting to discuss the new policies. Paying employees for their time in the meeting
would be an incentive for high attendance to the meeting.
The Four Seasons is an international chain and in order to maintain consistency
between locations there may be limitations to what changes the Vancouver Manager
can make.
Digital paystubs, digital employee manuals and fewer BEO’s printed are three
adjustments employees approved to improve the “green” status of the hotel. This
gets the “green” ball rolling to start thinking of other areas of the hotel that could
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start reducing their paper waste.
REFERENCES
“Greening Business.” Earth Share. 2012. Web. 24 October 2014. <http://www.earthshare.org/greening-‐business.html>
“Green Tips for Creating a Healthy Planet.” Global Stewards. n.p., October 2014. Web. 28 October 2014. <http://www.globalstewards.org/paperless-‐office.htm>
“10 Business Practices that Reduce Your Footprint.” Ecopreneurist. Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., 2014. Web. 28 October 2014 <http://ecopreneurist.com>
Sarantis, Heather. “Business Guide to Paper Reduction, A Step-‐by-‐Step Plan to Save Money by Saving Paper.” Forest Etthics. September 2002: 1-‐67. sustainability.tufts.edu. Web. 28 Cotober 2014 <http://sustainability.tufts.edu/wpcontent/uploads/BusinessGuidetoPaperReduction.pdf>