• Local, State and Nat'l News

The Signature at MGM Grand Las Vegas is Recognized for Innovative Diversity Education Strategy

The Signature at MGM Grand Las Vegas has been formally recognized by the local arm of a national training and development association for its employee diversity education efforts.

The Las Vegas Chapter of the American Society of Training & Development (ASTD) presented the staff of The Signature with its 2008 “Tribute to Learning Award” in the diversity category during a ceremony held in Las Vegas on Dec. 10.

The award spotlights The Signature for its creativity, innovation and futuristic approaches to helping the resort’s 900 employees understand why diversity awareness and recognition is the key to the success of The Signature — and is also important in their personal lives.

“Diversity is a challenge to any company with more than one personality, and at The Signature we have more than 900 unique personalities working together toward a common goal of providing superior guest service,” said Frederic Luvisutto, Vice President of The Signature at MGM Grand. “The Human Resources team, led by Krista Reiss, Director of Human Resources, has worked very hard to build a Diversity initiative that is specific to its employees’ needs, and, in turn, promotes the ideal work environment.”

Opened in 2006, The Signature created a Diversity Council representing every department and including employees from multiple cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The entire management staff attended a three-day Diversity Champion workshop, and all line-level employees are currently in the process of attending an eight-hour paid Diversity class.

To help facilitate discussion and continued education, The Signature hosts a monthly Diversity Day. New employees place a pin to mark their birthplaces on an enormous wall-size map in the employee dining room. Diversity Day events held each month focus on countries that represent the employee population, as well as on regions represented by the frequent guests staying at The Signature.

“We’ve built an incredible culture here that strongly supports our people philosophy and recognizes the value of every employee’s ideas, experiences and contribution to the team.” said Krista Reiss, Director of Human Resources at The Signature. “The belief that we are better together than we are alone at all levels of our organization speaks volumes to our employees and encourages their on-going participation in making this a great place to work.”

For more information about MGM MIRAGE, please visit the company’s website at http://www.mgmmirage.com.