The Serena Group and Its Personnel System - Assignment Example

The Serena Group and Its Personnel System Serena hotel is a group of luxury hotels that have branches in Africa and Asia. In Africa, it operates in Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda while, in Asia, they operate in Pakistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The Serena Group of hotels has 36 luxury resorts, hotels and safari lodges which are centrally managed. They offer same services to their esteemed customers at reasonable prices. In the past few years, it was given the Hotel of the Year Award having shown outstanding performance in its service. This was because of the efforts of it workers to serve the customers. The group has approximately five thousand employees working in various departments. For efficiency of service, the industry has various departments where employees are deployed (Tanke, 2009). In its operation, the industry operates under Tourism Promotion Service (TPS). The industry has three major departments: food and beverage, accommodations, and travel and tourism. These departments are managed by the general manager. Executive committees are under the general manager. These are the Executive housekeeper, Front office manager, food and beverage manager, chief engineer controller, room division manager, chief chef, personnel manager and marketing manager. These staff members work congruently in all the branches. Below the executive committees are the heads of different sections. These are the restaurant managers, room service manager, banquet manager, security guest relation accountant, horticulturist preventive maintenance manager, cashier, reservation manager stewards, laundry manager and the bar manager. All these employees work in ensuring that their customers get the best services. Reasons for high turnover in Serena Group Although the industry has exceptionally shown outstanding performance, it has internal challenges that are facing. One of the distinct challenges is the high turnover ratio. Most of the employees lay off their duties haphazardly due to the nature of the work they do or for other reasons. Although every workplace has its challenges, hospitalities industries, more so, Serena group has high turnover rates due to the following: a). Seasonality Most of the luxury hotels, if not all, depend on the tourists and travelers for their operation. As the tourists travel across the continents, they exploit on these luxurious hotels for their meals, accommodations and stay. This is simply because they provide excellent services that attract them. Serena hotels depend mostly on these travelers during their visits. However, tourists travel seasonally to various tourist sites, depending on n the climate change and seasons of the year (John & Jack, 2009). For instance, during the summer, the industry thrives very well. This is because the weather is very conducive (warm) and the temperature is favorable thus encouraging both the tourists and the locals to venture in outdoor activities. This is the peak season for the hotels to make money and maximize fully the profits. However, seasons change and come the winter where the temperatures are extremely low. This discourages outdoor activities for visitors and they prefer to spend this season indoors or in their homelands. Few customers, therefore, will venture into the hotels for enjoyment forcing the industry to cut down its operational costs by laying-off some of its workers (Kusluvan, 2003). This activity is only for this season, but during the peak season, they can be reinstated. Employees who entirely depend on such industries have no guarantee for their jobs and thus they seek other jobs that guarantee stable sources throughout the year; come rain-come sunshine. Combating seasonal change Marketing campaign is the most appropriate technique of reducing seasonal declines. If the industry is recording low incomes due to business declines, it can opt to offer specials at this period, which may attract customers. For instance, the managers can give offers like free desserts, 25% discount for all the services, free appetizers, etc. although the company loses money by offering free samples and services, coupon entice business and eventually aid in increasing the bottom line (Tanke, 2009). b). Organizational culture and leadership Every business set up has its own unique way of operation and management. The organizational culture may promote or undermine the operation of the employees. If an organization has a positive culture, the work environment will be pleasant thus high worker retention. Conducive work environments encourage creativity, innovation and freedom to express oneself. Most of the hospitality industries have unique policies that may not be favorable to many workers. For instance, the uniform policies, lack of breaks and lack of benefits totally kill the morale of the workers and many may quit. In some occasions, the workers are forced to work out of their line of specialization. Worse than all, the routine duty of working within a confined place may be boring and tiresome. Managers, especially during the rush hours, tend to embarrass the other workers in trying to prove to the customers that the organization in very organize and quick-service. Although there is need for supervision in every work, hospitality industries go beyond the limits (Kusluvan, 2003). For Serena hotels, one of the laid-off worker said that her supervisor embarrassed her before the guest due to a slight mistake she had done. Out of her pain, she promised never to go back in such a confined area full of strict rules and supervision. Combating Organizational culture and leadership The managers and the shareholders have a mandate of providing concrete positive leadership to keep their workers contented and happy. Leaders should respect the workers and rectify them accordingly. In other words, the managers should lead by example; more so, apply relevant leadership style to mobilize the workers. The management should provide freedom of expression to allow the workers express their views and grievances. Lastly, respect for other people’s background. Leaders should understand that workers have diverse their unique way of doing things, and they should be molded technically to match the system without infringing their rights (Kusluvan, 2003). c.) Low pay Most of the hospitality industries underpay it workers. In essence, the number of hours that the worker works is not proportional to the salary/wages they get. Hotel industry is a 24/7 business that workers work tireless to run a business. In several occasions, workers work overtime to meet the survival threshold. This makes them look for look for extra jobs that can pay better so as to sustain them. Mostly, hotel industries employ workers who are ill skilled or have some skills train them to suit the organization and pay them a little money. According to John & Jack (2009), they argue that skilled personnel are rarely employed as they require more pay that the industry may not. Therefore, they employ more semi-skilled personnel than the skilled so as to pay them low. Even though the minimum wage bill has been put into force, the industry takes the opportunity of the ignorance of the people. After all, many people are desperate for jobs. However, it does not take long for somebody to know that what he/she gets cannot sustain, therefore, he/she opts to quit. In fact, they use such jobs as stepping stone to greener pastures, or for gaining experience before securing better opportunities elsewhere. Combating low pay There is no better option of reducing turnover rate due to low pay than paying the workers well. Good pay allows the employees to settle in one place since their wage can keep them. It also motivates them to work whole heartedly. Workers should be empowered to know their rights; the number of hours they should work and the minimum wage they should get. This will prevent them from exploitation and overworked (Lockyer, 2013). Method of improving job satisfaction in hospitality industry Recognition and Rewards When workers are rewarded and appreciated, they feel satisfied in their work (Lockyer, 2013). The management team should recognize the outstanding behavior and performance of the workers by organizing pizza parties or going for holiday trips. Furthermore, individual recognition is very important. This can be done using awards, monetary bonuses or even public recognition. The Serena hotel share “wow stories” during their staff meetings. When an employee provides an outstanding customer service, for instance, like looking for special meals for the allergic guests, such an employee should be recognized for his/her efforts (Lockyer, 2013). On the other hand, the non-performing should be motivated to work better to achieve the rewards. By so doing, the workers will always strive to keep the candle burning and they will not think of quitting. References John, W., & Jack, M. (2009). Supervision in the Hospitality Industry: Leading Human Resources. Carlifornia: John Wiley and Sons. Kusluvan, S. (2003). Managing Employee Attitudes and Behaviors in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Nova Publishers. Lockyer, T. (2013). Global Cases on Hospitality Industry. London: Routledge. Tanke, M. (2009). Human Resources Management for the Hospitality Industry. NY: Delmar Thomson Learning. Read More