22 Human Resources Management Assignment – Hilton Hotel

1.1 Analyse the role of human resource management in a selected service industry with reference to Hilton hotel Stratford

The Hilton hotel Stratford is a large hotel offering various kinds of hospitality services to a wide range of customers from business travellers to holiday makers. It has many services like dining, lodging, valet, banquet etc which are managed by people both in the front end as well as the back end. Hence human resource management is of utmost importance to this hotel since without proper direction and planning the employees and staff members would not be able to offer the high quality services to the guest and win their support and confidence (Nickson, 2013).  In general in the service industry the human element plays a key role in the overall success of the organisation since it is the people who make a difference in this sector depending on their temperament and the willingness to serve the high profile guests and the customers. For effective service to the customers the right kind of people must be recruited, to begin with , and they must be given the right kind of training and development so as to make them fit to take up their individual job roles and responsibilities that satisfy the customers and make them feel at home. For example to conduct the recruitment process the human resource department has to play an active role in sorting and screening the right candidates from a large pool of applicants. The Human resources department should use the best hiring practices to recruit the waiters, the valets, the bell boys and the room service and housekeeping staff. The main objective of the staff members in the hospitality industry is to strive to make the guest feel a warm welcome to the surroundings of the hotel and this can be achieved only if the people concerned with the delivery of this vital service are managed properly (Baum, 2006).  Also human resource management techniques are required to ensure that the relationship between the guest and the staff members are cordial and the staff members themselves find good reason to serve the customers with a sense of responsibility and a caring attitude. Also the staff members are needed to have access to proper training once they are selected for the job as to how to carry themselves in front of guests and customers and how to deal with difficult situations like cancellation of rooms and allocation of rooms, booking rooms etc in a smooth and effective manner. In order to conduct this important and mammoth task of training and imparting the necessary skills to the staff an active role is needed to be played by the human resource management department of the hotel (Bratton & Gold, 2012). Since the service industry mainly deals with people rather than products it is essential to develop the people skills of the staff and for this the right kind of training and sales planning and operations by the human resource management department is necessary so as to render effective service and value for money to the esteemed guests.

1.2 Justify a human resource plan based on the demand and supply in the hospitality industry and with reference to the Hilton Hotel Stratford

  A proper human resource plan is essential for the smooth functioning of the hotel depending on the current nature of demand and supply forces operating in the business environment. It is a well known fact that the business of hotels and other services in the hospitality industry is largely seasonal and hence adequate staffing solutions need to be developed by the human resource department to cope with the demand and the rush of travellers in the peak season. Usually the peak season occurs during Christmas and the year ending festive season when most of the holiday makes come to visit and stay in the Hilton Hotel Stratford (Boell & Goss-Turner, 2013). During this time a large posse of personnel from waiters to valet are required to cope with the rush. Hence it is necessary to plan before hand when to recruit the staff members and how to train them so that they can render effective service to the guests when the situation so demands. Usually recruitment should start during the month of June and July when fresh batch of students graduate out of leading hospitality training schools of the country and they must be put straight away into the training and development programme so that they have sufficient time to pick up the skills and the tricks of the trade in this immensely dynamic industry (Hoque, 2013). The hotels should utilise the lean season of June to October for this recruiting, training and development of the staff members of the hotel so that they can serve the guests fully equipped and trained how to do their job smoothly and effectively. Also the terms and conditions of the employment contract of the newly recruited staff members should impose the condition of serving at least one year in the Hilton hotel Stratford so that they can justify and put to use the amount of money that has been spent in training and recruiting them (Riley, 2014). This will also ensure that the hotel does not run out of adequate staff members in the year ending festive season when it has to cater to a large number of customers from holiday makers to business travellers. Also the promotions should be given just before the beginning of the peak season so that the newly promoted staff members are full of enthusiasm to serve in the capacity of their new status within the hierarchy of the hotel staff. Encouraged by the promotion they would devote more time and energy to their job role and responsibilities and hence the customers would be more satisfied than ever. Thus this kind of human resource planning is essential for the overall and eventual success of any hospitality organisation in general and for a five star hotel like the Hilton Hotel Stratford in particular. Without proper human resource planning it would not be possible to run such a hotel in a smooth and efficient manner.

2.1 Assessment of the current state of employment relations in the hotel industry with special reference to the Hilton Hotel Stratford

The employees of the Hilton hotel Stratford enjoy a culture of excellence within the organisation and they are encouraged to better their performance than what they had delivered previously. The staff members like the waiters, the boys, the laundry servicemen, the housekeeping staff enjoy a transparent relationship with their supervisors and those employees who are performing well and delivering a good customer service are never denied their due rewards in the form of promotions, salary hikes and bonuses. The relationship of the staff members with the management is more or less transactional in the sense that the employees are here to perform their duty well and having done so they become eligible for their due rewards (Baum, 2006). Similarly those employees who are struggling to deliver efficient service are told to improve and also warned that their jobs are at risk if they fail to deliver. Thus all employees are free to choose their actions and the results and consequences follow accordingly. Thus there is an open culture and a spirit of camaraderie among the employees whereby they help each other out in times of difficulty and share equal amount of pain and fun. The management for its part keep the employees informed about the happenings in the hotel and also pay their salary on time (Nickson, 2013). There are no labour unions of the employees as they are made to understand that the management treats them equal and as hospitably as their guests. Their career needs and aspirations are cared for by the management and this instils a sense of loyalty in the minds of the staff members. They are eager to serve well and enthusiastically as they feel that it is the best place in the world for them to work in. The management consults and takes the opinions of all the employees as regards the way things are done and carried out in the hotel. In case any disputes or conflicts arise between the managers and the staff or among  the staff themselves, they are sorted out in a friendly and amicable manner so that the matter does not escalate into larger tensions that would lead to the disruption of work in the hotel (Bratton & Gold, 2012). The quality of employment relations of the Hilton hotel Stratford is evident from the cheerful smile and warm disposition of the staff towards the clients and guests. Anyone can tell that the staff members are happy with their job and this make the Hilton hotel a great place to spend the holiday with his loved one. The staff members are happy with their career progress as the company routinely promotes star performers to the next higher level in the HR hierarchy so that they can get a hike in their salary and work with a sense of pride and achievement (Boell & Goss-Turner, 2013). Thus the overall state of current employee relations in the hotel is at its all time best.

2.2 Discuss how employment laws affect the practice of human resource management in the Hilton Hotel as the selected service industry company

The Hilton hotel follows all employment laws while dealing with human resource management issues at the work place. For example before recruiting a staff member a thorough background check is conducted to see that the employee does not have any criminal case pending against him or that he is not falsifying any information like educational qualifications or work experience that he has put in his resume during the conduct of the selection process (Hoque, 2013). Also it is checked that he is fully relieved of the duties and obligations of his previous employers so that the hotel does not land in any sort of legal trouble at a later point of time by hiring that particular employee. Each employee is handed a offer letter stating clearly all the terms and conditions of employment without any ambiguity so that no sort of dispute occurs later on for which the hotel or the employee has to suffer in terms of litigation or other problems (Baum, 2006). There are certain policies like leave which the employee has to agree and sign before he joins the service at the Hilton Hotel Startford. In addition to this  the permanent employees of the hotel whose services has been confirmed, are eligible for all the benefits of a regular job like salary, bonuses, increments, medical reimbursement etc. The hotel tends to offer a safe and secure environment for its workers to work in. In this regard it takes a zero tolerance policy for sexual or other kinds of harassment the employees of other hotels have to face (Riley, 2014). The hotel takes special care of its women employees safeguarding their right to work with dignity and modesty in the hotel premises under all circumstances. For example the women employees are not allowed to work in the night shifts and also in places where there could be danger like in the swimming pool or the heater and boiler room. They are granted 6 weeks of fully paid maternal leave along with the costs of hospitalisation to be borne by the hotel. The employees are offered health insurance as a part of the compensation package and all the full time employees are offered accommodation in the hotel premises so that they can save time and money in commuting to and fro from their work place (Boell & Goss-Turner, 2013). Thus it can be seen from these clauses that the hotel fully complies with the employment contract law as it is stated by the laws of UK and hence it occupies a strong legal position in the industry with no loopholes that could be exploited by rivals and competitors to tarnish the image and good reputation it has gathered over the years of excellent hospitality service. This allows the hotel to consolidate and expand its business on a firm footing since it is always on the right side of the law.

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3.1 Discuss a job description and person specification in the hotel industry job scenario

The job of the front desk receptionist is critical in any hotel industry as this person is entrusted to run the show in the front desk of the hotel, interacting with guests and clients, allotting rooms and also taking down reservations in advance for the holiday makers. The person in the front desk should be polite and have a cheerful smile under all circumstances and even in difficult situations he should not lose his cool (Hoque, 2013). He has huge responsibilities of doing the advance booking and also to welcome the guests to the hotel as this is often the first point of contact between the clients and the hotel staff. The behaviour and demeanour of the receptionists speaks a lot of the hospitable nature of the hotel staff. The receptionist should be a person with both hard and soft skills. He must be fully equipped with the knowledge to work on computer software packages since nowadays most of the bookings are done online through smart phone apps. He should be a tech savvy person and must be comfortable in using technology to simplify his job as a front desk receptionist (Bratton & Gold, 2012). He must have the ability to think on his feet and be able to make last minute adjustments like cancellations or extra rooms as effectively as possible. He has to complete all the procedures from the time when the guests arrive to the time they leave. He has to take down their addresses and telephone numbers and also confirm their identity before allotting rooms to them. For this reason the receptionists have to be very tactful since many times the guests are unruly and create a commotion in the lobby so as to attract everybody’s attention to them. The receptionist must also be very conversant with numbers since he has to prepare the bill and keep track of all the expenses made by the guests be it in the dining room or the banquet or the gym. It is a difficult and hectic job so the person should be patient and have strong nerves to deal with any kind of untoward situations which commonly arise in the course of day to day activities in the hotel premises. Another duty of the receptionist is handling of complaints and grievances brought forward by the guests and this handling of problems should be done in a polite and calm manner. The guests may have the right to lose their cool and create a scene in the lobby in case they are unfairly treated but the receptionist always have to keep their cool and act in a calm and composed manner (Nickson, 2013). They cannot behave rudely with the guests even if the guests are behaving rudely with them. Thus for this job a high level of administrative and customer service skills are essential so that they are able to do their job in  the right manner as far as possible and as much their capacity permits.

3.2 Compare the selection process of different service industry businesses.

The selection process varies in different service industry businesses. In the Hilton hotel Stratford the new employees are hired from the leading hospitality training colleges in the UK while the experienced persons are hired laterally by giving advertisements in the newspapers and job portals. The campus hires are selected after multiple rounds of screening to ensure that only the best and most the capable of the graduates are hired. First a written test is conducted to test the depth of the theoretical knowledge of the candidates and to see that they can apply the theories learnt in a classroom scenario to solve problems in the real world. Sometimes knowledge of the legal aspects of the hospitality business is necessary to work in the hotels and this is tested in the written test round (Boell & Goss-Turner, 2013). Then in the next round a group discussion is held wherein a topic is given two minutes before and the candidates have to initiate a discussion among themselves on the given topic. They must put forward good points and arguments that are relevant to their job in the hotel industry and the current events that are taking place within the industry that have impacted the business in either a positive or a negative way. In the groups discussion the communication skills of the candidates are tested to see if they can take a stand on the arguments chosen by them and to articulate ideas through their peers and class mates (Baum, 2006). This also throws light on their temperament as it is essential to be of an extrovert personality for most of the hotel industry jobs since they have to deal with different types of clients on a day to day basis in the course of their jobs. Thus the group discussion is an important part of the selection process. For example the candidates who cannot take a stand are eliminated after this round. The next round in the selection process is the personal interview wherein the company gets to know the candidates at a personal level like his family background, his interest and hobbies as well as their strengths and weaknesses (Bratton & Gold, 2012). Those who qualify in the interview are handed down their employment offers which are subject to checking of documents and other legal verification. For the experienced hires the advertisement for vacancy is given in the leading newspapers and magazines of the country and they are mostly asked questions from their work experience like if they have faced a difficult situation in the past and have been able to resolve it in an amicable and peaceful manner thus making them eligible for the new job.

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