Human Resource Management in the Hotel Industry - Case Study Example

Human Resource Management in the Hotel Industry Human Resource Management in the Hotel Industry The modern workplace is characterized by a rich mixture of generations categorized into baby boomers and generations X and Y. These demographic proportions are as a result of several factors. These include labor shortages and an increasing average age of retirement due to increased retention and financial reasons that force individuals to remain employed well into advanced ages (Murphy and Raines, 2007; Johnson and Johnson, 2010). A multicultural workplace is also a characteristic of the modern-day organization (Connerley, 2005). The implication of this in the hotel industry as in all other industries is that the management has to come up with strategies to accommodate the priorities, attitudes and working styles of the different generations and working groups at their disposal. This study analyzes the way to find the best strategies to handle all these employee groups and methods of integrating them into the workplace. Focus is then shifted to managing baby boomers after which the culture and traditional values from each generation are analyzed according to how they affect preference to job training. The next stage is an analysis of what each generation values in the workplace and how best to optimize their operations, followed by a conclusion of the study. Generation of Strategies to Manage a Multi-generational and Multi-cultural Workforce The first step in finding the best way to handle different employees involves establishing the different categories of these considerations that are present in the hotel workforce. Knowledge of these categories is a prerequisite for a manager’s efforts towards establishing a strategy to manage them according to the different functions of the HRM including recruitment, training, retention, discipline and rewards (Lievens and Chapman, 2009; RLN, 2008). In this step, the manager is required to undertake an extensive categorization of their staff, grouping them into their respective generations and further classifying them according to their cultures. This undertaking will result in baby boomers, generation X and generation Y classified into their respective cultures such as Spanish, Asian and American among other cultural backgrounds (Hogan, 2007). The next step involves establishing the characteristics of the various categories generated from step one in terms of their work outlook (Johnson and Johnson, 2011). The hotel human resource manager (HRM) here needs to rely on experiential knowledge on how the different categories operate and evidence from the wide range of literature generated on the subject. It is also necessary to involve the staff in the process of taking stock since several aspects may not be apparent (RNL, 2008). Some of the considerations that may be realized for each generation and cultural background here will be based on attitudes to work, loyalty, attitudes about respect and authority, training styles and needs and attitudes towards supervision among various other considerations. The third and final step is developing a strategy of managing the workforce based on the categorizations and characteristics from the first two steps respectively. The method should be geared towards addressing the different scenarios, contexts and objectives that may arise at the hotel (Ball and Gina, 2010). For example, the HRM manager may use the information already generated to predict conflicts that may arise during staff interactions across the generations, how each generation reacts, and thus develop an intervention strategy and an appropriate discipline model. The manager’s strategy may contain support strategies for different employees rather than employ a generic one which may not augur well with all groups. Similarly, the manager may establish training models that perfectly suit each generation, and integrate knowledge from the first two steps in the process of recruitment of hotel workers. Managing Baby Boomers in the Workplace The three steps generated are here used to establish how the HRM proceeds to manage baby boomers working alongside other generations in the workplace. To begin with, baby boomers are a category of employees who are identified to have been born between 1946 and 1964, and thus are the oldest generation in the workplace (Ball and Gina, 2010). A brief background on the baby boomers reveals that they got the descriptive name from the about 17 million extra births that occurred within that period (1946-1964) relative to all other census figures of generations. It is crucial to understand the background of this generation in order to establish the underlying causes of some of their observed traits. It suffices to say that baby boomers have had the greatest impact on America mainly due to their sheer numbers and the social and political dynamics. Among these, it is notably observed that they witnessed or got involved in historical issues such as the Vietnam War (Cowell and Kupritz, 2007), the epitome of the civil rights movement, the assassinations of President Kennedy and King, the Watergate scandal and the sexual revolution (Gaylor, 2002). During their most influential times, protest against authority was prevalent, which is of special note since most of the individuals in powerful positions now are from this generation (Tolbize, 2008; LLH, 2007). This is the background upon which their interaction with other groups and management in the hotel workplace should be analyzed. Some of the characteristics that are noticeable among the baby boomer generation at the workplace include their belief in hard work and as the price for success, credited for the advent of the workaholic trend (Scheef and Thieldfolt, 2003). They are mostly team workers and value collaboration and group decision making (MacArthur, 2010), and according to Dobbs et al. (2007) they are characteristically loyal to their employers, plus they have been described as being confident in performing tasks, and being majorly process-oriented. Riccucci (2002) argues that baby boomers are mostly liberal and avoid conflicts at the workplace to the best of their abilities. In terms of values, it is observed that baby boomers value being well in terms of health and growth on a personal level. Other characteristics of baby boomers that have been put forth include loyalty to peers, defense for causes, value for chains of command and a majority of them are technically challenged (Tolbize, 2008; MacKinney, 2007). With this knowledge, the HR manager can develop a strategy to manage baby boomers in the work place to maximize their performance. To begin with, their optimism and drive can be harnessed to propel the hotel firm further. Their respect for authority, value of leadership by consensus and team spirit informs the manager that no problems will be encountered when they are involved in the decision making. In a similar fashion, their accommodativeness and team spirit ensures that they are not in numerous conflicts with the other categories of the workforce. This would have been the case if they shared the self-reliance, skepticism and non-committal nature with generation X (Murphy and Raines, 2007). Culture and Traditional Values: Effect on Job Training One of the areas where differences between the generations in the workplace are manifested is in preferences in job training. The approach to be used will be an analysis of based on the different generation categories in relation to job training, with information on the role played by their cultural backgrounds also established. The first group under consideration is the baby boomers, whose characteristics in the workplace have already been established. Gaylor (2002) compiles a list that may be used to establish the cultural background of baby boomers from which their training needs and preferences arise. Boomers place a lot of importance on the role of career and education in their lives and seek to obtain personal fulfillment from work (Johnson and Johnson, 2010). They also value work, personal growth and team orientation. Beside these, they are cause-oriented, have self absorbed interactive style. From such a background, we can establish that baby boomers are open to training in the first place as it makes them better. Their preferred model to training is one that is involving as they are bound to be heavily influenced by teamwork. As a result, their training preference is one involving discussion groups and peer interaction. The other main consideration is that they are not majorly technology savvy (Tolbize, 2008; LHH, 2007), although their approach to technology and change is an openness to master it (Gaylor, 2002). The portal or technology used to train them thus ought to accommodate for this; either use technology that they know or first undertake to train them on it. The next generation in consideration is the generation X, which represents individuals born roughly between 1968 and 1979. These individuals grew within conditions of financial, family and societal insecurities (Tolbize, 2008). They grew in an age of liberation of women and experienced or witnessed massive impacts of divorce (Murphy and Raines, 2007). They were raised during tough financial conditions and heard talk of inflation from their parents, with education being seen as a route to a better life. They also have an “us versus them” mentality and view careers as irritating and have divided loyalties; however, they enjoy technology and diversity (Gaylor, 2002). When this background is related to job training, we first appreciate that they learnt to be self reliant and flexible from the divorces and tough financial times. It is also difficult to be loyal and make commitments due to their background. Training, therefore, is not a high priority and thus should be optimized to their liking. Their self-reliance means they prefer on-job training and issuing of manuals and workbooks. The HRM should, however, design the training program to take advantage of their affinity to media and technology and diverse knowledge. The last group under consideration is the generation Y, born after 1980 and thus the youngest group at the workplace. Some of their distinctive characteristics that may shape their training preferences include their expertise in technology, tenacity, nature of multitasking, lack of alignment to structures and modalities, work inexperience, poor people skills (Kearns, Larson and Venugopal, 2007; Sujansky and Ferri-Reed, 2009). The implications of this background are that generation Y is open to training since it is majorly lacking in work experience. They also require supervision and guidance as they are usually oblivious of structural discourse. The preferable training should incorporate adequate use of technology, and thus they may be attracted to a computer-based training (CBT) model (Koller, Harvey and Magnotti, 2001). Values in Work Environment According to Generations in the Workplace To effectively manage a generation-diverse workforce, it is imperative that leaders in the hospitality industry understand the mind sets and perspectives of the different generations. The importance of work value amongst employees has been evidenced, indicating that work personality and work values influence an employee’s attitude towards the job (Zopiatis, Constanti and Pavlou, 2010; Gursoy, Maier and Chi, 2008). The first category to be examined in terms of work values consists of the baby boomers, a group observed to value work and live to work (Johnson and Johnson, 2010). They have respect for authority and hierarchy in the workplace, besides having loyalty and willingness to wait until their turn for recognition. Baby boomers also tend to be confident and positive in the workplace and have no qualms taking charge of situations. They value personal gratification in their jobs besides the team work. When these conditions are provided, baby boomers will operate successfully and be a vital asset to the hotel firm as they also have much experience and are willing to be loyal so long as the loyalty is repaid by the firm. The work values for generation X include working to live, instant gratification and recognition for their efforts, immediate solution of problems and lone ranging in their duties. They value their lives outside work and are unwilling to sacrifice this for the firm (Ball and Gina, 2010). They also tend to work for the minimum requirement and do nothing more than that. They are also intolerant to bureaucratic rules and would rather flexible schedules. They also expect extra benefits from the firm (Gursoy, Maier and Chi, 2008). To keep generation x performing and happy, hotel managers should create a working environment that is fun and not too busy. The last generation in consideration is generation Y, whose characteristics at the workplace include optimism, willingness to run, have spiritedness and value teamwork and collaborative efforts. Although they prefer centralized authority, they will still question rules and rigidity. They naturally crave for respect and recognition since they believe their youth makes the senior workers ignore them. They are also quite expressive and have a high self-esteem and are always on the lookout for role models (Gursoy, Maier and Chi, 2008). To harness their potential, the hotel HRM manager should plan trainings to which they are unusually receptive, recognize their efforts appropriately and provide direction while balancing this with flexibility. Establishing units that work as teams is also a particularly convenient way to optimize their working environments as is implementation of technology-dependent strategies (Sujansky and Ferri-Reed, 2009). It is becoming increasingly evident that managing a diverse workplace is important in modern-day organizational success (Riccucci, 2002). In terms of the different cultures present in the workplace with relation to generations, Robinson, Pfeffer and Buccigrossi (2003) acknowledge that the proportion of non-whites according to generation is skewed towards new entrants in the job market (generation X and Y). In this regard, African American generation X and Y come from a cultural background involving much emphasis on the community which influences their work values (Scott, 2005). Chinese culture has for a long time been known to be centered on hard work, and this is especially observed among the Chinese baby boomers while the generation X is more materialistic (Kristina, 2009). Kumar’s (2005) study found out that Asian Indians valued stability, variety and ability utilization in the workplace while Caucasian Americans valued competitiveness in the workplace alongside considerable freedom. Cultural bridge-building and other participation improving strategies (Hogan, 2007) should therefore be integrated into the HRM’s strategy to manage the workforce alongside multi-generational considerations. Conclusion It is imperative for the HRM in the hotel industry to properly manage the various generations of employees who also hail from different cultural backgrounds. The common categorization of the workforce generations are the baby boomers, generation X and generation Y, all of whom due to various reasons have found themselves in the same workplace in the modern days. These categories of employees have their work values traceable from their cultural backgrounds. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the HRM to develop a balanced strategy to properly harness their potential for their successful operations in the workplace. References Ball, K. & Gina, G. (2010). Surviving the baby boomer exodus : Capturing knowledge for gen x and y employees. Course Technolgy, USA. Connerley, M. L. (2005). Leadership in a diverse and multicultural environment: Developing awareness, knowledge, and skills. Sage Publications, California. Cowell, E. L., & Kupritz, V. W. (2007). Human resources and the future of communication in the workplace: A cross-generational perspective. University of Tennessee. Retrieved 28 October 2011 from http://www.cci.utk.edu/files/u14/symposiumdocs/kupritz.pdf Dobbs, J. et al. (2007). The multi-generational workplace. The Center for Aging and Work, Fact Sheet 9. Retrieved 28 October 2011 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/FS09_MultiGenWorkplace_000.pdf Gaylor, D. (2002). Generational differences. Springfield. 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