Course of Study8. Managing Human Resources

Recruiting SelectingHiringStaff SchedulingStaff Motivation

Managing Human Resource•Recruiting:It is the process of seeking and screening qualified applicants to fill open positionsThe process involves announcing or advertising job vacancies through proper sources and interviewing and evaluating applicants to determine the best person on the jobIt can be done both from internal sources or external sources

Internal Recruiting•Internal Recruiting:It involves the transfer or promotion of current employeesIt helps to boost employee morale and productivityEmployees tend to show loyalty to hotels that provide opportunities to increase their skills, knowledge, status and income

Internal RecruitingIt includes:•Cross-Training, •Succession Planning, •Posting Job Openings, •Paying for Performance, •Maintaining a Call-Back List, etc.

External Recruiting•External Recruiting:Individuals may also be recruited from outside the hotelNew employees can contribute innovative ideas, unique perspectives, and ideas for creative ways of doing things

External RecruitingIt may involve:

•Advertising, •Networking, •Temporary Employment Agencies, •Employee Referral Programs, •Tax Credit, •Workers with Disabilities, etc.

Selecting•Selecting:It should always involve the HOD from the concerned departmentDepending upon the policy the HOD may directly hire an applicant or may recommend the top managementSince front office involves a high degree of guest contact, managers usually seek following personality traits in applicants:

Selecting•Good Language as it helps in good communication•Mathematical ability will help to understand front office accounting and transaction processing•Computer and Typing Skills are especially useful for record-keeping•Besides, other traits like congeniality, flexibility, professional attitude, self-motivation and a well-groomed appearance are also given due consideration

Selecting•An effective front office selection process usually focuses on a set of skills, attitudes and personal qualities•A candidate for reservation or telephone may be interviewed by asking a few questions over the telephone in order to check the voice and the presentation over the telephone•Proper selection of employees will help ensure that the hotel’s image and values are upheld in all guest contacts

Selection Tools•Selection Tools:The two most important Selection Tools used are:

Job Descriptions and

Job Specifications

Selection Tools•Job Description:It lists all the tasks and related information that make up a work positionIt outlines the reporting relationships, responsibilities, working conditions, equipment and material used, etc.It is helpful in recruiting and selection as it clearly state the duties required for a particular job

Selection Tools•Job Specification:It lists and describes the personal qualities, skills, traits, educational background and experience a person needs to successfully perform the task outlined by a job descriptionDescriptions of personal qualities must be relevant to each individual property’s needs

Evaluating Applicants•Evaluating Applicants:FOM evaluates applicants by reviewing:

Completed application Form,Checking applicant references andInterviewing selected applicants

HRD may screen applicants on the basis of F.O. Job Descriptions and Job Specifications

Interviewing•Interviewing:It helps in creating mutual impressionUsually HRD conducts the preliminaries and after that the Interview panel including the concerned HOD conducts the main, in-depth, interview and decides whom to hireThe interviewer should be thoroughly familiar with the job and its duties, benefits, wage scale, and other important factors

InterviewingThe interviewer should be a positive role model and a skillful communicatorFocusing on the applicant shows a sincere interestPreferably conduct the interview in the actual work areaNo telephone calls or other interruptions should be allowed during the interview

Interview ProcessThe interview process has at least five objectives:To establish a basis for a working relationshipTo collect enough accurate information to make an informal hiring decisionTo provide enough information to help the applicant make a decisionTo promote the company and the work position to the preferred applicantTo create goodwill between the hotel and the applicant

HiringWhen an employer extends an offer to a prospective guest, hiring period startsIt involves making all the necessary arrangements to prepare the recruit and current employees for a successful relationship and processing personnel recordsAn applicants may have to pass through series of interviews before being hired or Job Offer. It would be wise to inform them that more than one visit may be required

HiringJob Offer involves three steps:

Extending the offer

Negotiating the offer

Completing the offer

HiringExtending the offer includes job title, job requirements, starting salary, etc. It is always in the form of carefully worded document to avoid any misunderstandings. It should not be delayed deliberatelyNegotiating the offer includes considering the applicant’s background and expectations as discussed in the interview. Management should negotiate a job offer only when it is reasonably certain the offer will be accepted

HiringCompleting the offer includes signing the written job offer by the candidate as evidence of his or her agreement with the terms of the offer. Successful candidate should be assured that their decision is correct. Then the orientation of the recruit is planned and executed

HiringOrientation: It should include information about:

The hotel The benefitsThe working conditionsThe jobThe front office teamThe rules and regulationsThe building

HiringOrientation: It should include information about:

The hotel (history, reputation, key personnel, future plans, company policies)

The benefits(wages, Insurance, discounts, vacations, paid holidays)

The working conditions(schedules of training, work, break, meal periods, OT, safety, security, log books, bulletin board, etc.)

HiringThe job

(performance standard and the task the job entails)The front office team

(introduction to fellow employees, reporting structure, responsibilities of each employee)

The rules and regulations(smoking, entry &exit, disciplinary action, parking area, etc.)

The working conditions(layout, employee entrance, locker room, dining room, uniform room, front desk, recreation areas, library, meeting rooms, guestrooms, emergency exit points, etc.)

Staff SchedulingSchedule refers to a plan that lists all the work that one has to do and when one must do It can be extremely complex, especially when FO staff are trained to perform only specific tasksEmployee scheduling affects payroll costs, employee productivity and moraleCross-training helps in performing FO tasks with fewer staff.

Staff SchedulingCross-training provides expanded job knowledge and Skill It makes employee confident and improves their moraleThe employees start to love their job and have fun working

Staff SchedulingAlternative Scheduling Techniques: It varies from a typical 9am to 5 pm workday. Variations include:

Part-time scheduling Flextime schedulingCompressed schedulesJob sharing

Staff SchedulingPart-time scheduling: It includes students, new/young parents, retirees, etc. it provides extra flexibility in scheduling and reduces labor costFlextime scheduling: It allows employees to vary the time they begin and end their shifts.

Staff SchedulingCompressed schedules: it offers employees the opportunity to work the equivalent to a standard workweek in fewer than the usual number of days, e.g. 40 hour workweek into four 10 hours daysJob sharing: It is a combined efforts of two or more part-time employees fulfill the duties and responsibilities. It helps to lessen turnover and absenteeism and helps increase staff morale

Self MotivationMotivation means the art of stimulating an employee’s interest in a particular job, project or subject to the extent that s/he is challenged to be continuously attentive, observant, concerned and committedMotivation is the result of satisfying human needs associated with personal worth, value and belongingAn FOM can motivate FO staff in a number of ways. They are:

Self MotivationAn FOM can motivate FO staff in a number of ways. They are:

TrainingCross-TrainingRecognitionCommunicationIncentive programsPerformance Appraisal

Self MotivationTraining:

It decreases frustration and increases efficiency, educates staff about performance expectations

Cross-Training:Teaching an employee job functions other than hired for. Such employees are valuable and flexible

Recognition: Guest, managerial and peer recognition are strong staff motivators

CommunicationKeeping employees informed about front office operations helps produce positive results

Self MotivationIncentive programs

Excellent employees deserve special appreciation. It should challenge the staff and create a spirit of friendly competition

Performance AppraisalIt is an interaction between the staff and management from time to time