Unit 18 Human Resource Management Assignment Copy - Hilton

Program	Diploma in Business
Unit Number and Title	Unit 18 Human Resource Management - Hilton
QFC Level	Level 5

Introduction

The unit 18 human resource management assignment copy - Hilton provides a detailed description about the human resource management in the hotel industry with the example of Hilton Hotels and Resorts. The study investigates about the roles and purpose of human resource management in hospitality industry and also helps in identifying the effects of employee relations and employment laws on the human resource practices in the business. Furthermore, this unit discusses about the recruitment and selection processes in the hotel industry and also gives the clear view and understanding about need training and development in the industry. HRM practices of Hilton hotels have been studied for the in depth research.

Task 1

1.1 Analyse the roles and purpose of human resource management in a selected service industry with reference to Hilton Hotel Stratford

Human resource management  is the system that deals with the management of the employees in an organisation. This system involves the processes that are related to the human resource in the organisation. Human resource is the basic requirement of the organisation in every industry and treated as asset for the same. If we talk about service industry, human resource has its immense importance. Service industry provides intangible goods and services to the customers. Hospitality is a kind of service industry that deliver services satisfy the customers and it includes hotels, restaurants, spa, salons, tourism etc.(Armstrong and Armstrong, 2009)

Let us understand the roles of HRM in hotel industry by taking example of Hilton Hotels and Resorts. Hilton Hotels and Resorts is an international hotel chain with 540 properties located all over the world. The HRM department of the hotel is very efficient in its working. It is very important for the hotel industry to manage its human resources as it is a customer oriented industry and works for customer comfort. It is not only the skills but the attitude of the employees should be appropriate in this industry to deal with the customers directly. The HR people of Hilton ensure that they recruit the finest graduates as their employees and have one of the best HR departments. The HRM practices in Hilton are very effective as they focuses on maintaining the employee relations and providing benefits and compensation to the employees. They value the views of the employee at the time of shaping any new strategy or making any decision for the organisation.(Fine and Getkate, 1995)

Roles and purpose of HR department in Hilton

• Employment relations: Employee relations refers to maintaining the inter employee relationship as well as the relation between the employee and the employer. HR department of Hilton focuses on maintaining the communication between the people working in the organisation.
• Benefits: Benefits are the perks that have been given to the employees in addition to the salaries. It refers to the extra profit an employee earns with the basic salary for his work. Hilton Management Services (HMS) provides employees with various perks and benefits other than the basic salaries.
• Compensation: Compensation can be defined as the monetary rewards earned by the employees in return of their extra efforts for achievement of organisational goals.
• Collective bargaining agreements: Collective bargaining refers to collective decision making on the issues. In this agreement employer considers the views of employees during resolution of any problems or issues.
• Recruiting and tracking: The management services of  Hilton Hotel  uses different tools to recruit and track employees. People Soft and Success Factors are the systems that have been used by Hilton for the recruitment purpose. This organisation is leader in internet recruiting and electronic applicant tracking. Applicant tracking is the process of verifying the backgrounds of the applicants through the information updated on internet.  (Hiltonworldwide.com, 2016)
• Training: Training refers to educating employees regarding the processes in the organisation. After selecting the employees or candidates, HMS concentrates on providing training to those employees. Hotel authorities ensure that quality training has been given to the employees.

2.2 Justify a human resources plan based on an analysis of supply and demand for a selected service industry with reference to Hilton Hotel Stratford.

Human resource planning is the process of mapping out the needs of personnel in the organisation at a particular time. Organisational needs have been analysed by HR department to determine the requirement of the human resource in the organisation. The analysis of organisation results in designing the job in concern with achieving organisational goals. HR planning should be linked with the organisational goals and objectives because these act as the determinants for the number and type of people required in the organisation. Human resource is the asset for the organisation and therefore, it is very important to manage this resource properly. HR planning is a continuous process of analysing the needs of human resource.(Dessler, 2008)

According to the case, Hilton is opening a new hotel in Stratford with all the facilities for the travellers. Here, the need of human resource is required to fill the vacancy. As it is a new property so the recruitment can be done either from internal sources or from external sources. The sequential process of HR planning is required here for analysing the need of human resources in the new hotel at Stratford.

Process of HR planning:

1. Assessing the objectives: The basic determinants of human resource requirement are the goals and objectives of the organisation. Assessing the goals of the organisation aids us to make a plan regarding the quality and quantity of human resource required in the organisation. This step also involves linking the organisational strategies with the HR strategies. This linkage helps in making a great HR plan. In the case given, HR planning is done according to goal of providing satisfaction to the customers.(Dessler, 2008)
2. Estimating available human resource: In this step, HR department needs to analyse the already available human resource in the organisation. The analysis of capability and skills of the available employees help in determining the source by which recruitment has to be done. The required jobs can be filled by internal sources (from the former working employees) and by external forces (recruiting from outside by different medium). As Hilton is opening a new hotel so, most of the recruitment is done by external sources. Internal sources can also be used by transferring the employees from other branch of the hotel.
3. Forecasting demand and supply: Forecasting demand refers to estimation of the number of people required in the organisation to fulfil the vacant jobs. Job description ad specification needs to be done to match up the skills of the person with the job. After forecasting the demand of the human resource, decision of fulfilling that demand needs to be made. This decision considers from where the supply of the personnel should be done. Matching the job description and specification with the availability of human resource is another important aspect to estimate the demand and supply.(Gannon, Roper and Doherty, 2015)
4. Estimating manpower gaps: This step provides us with the knowledge of deficit and surplus of human resource. Deficit refers to more recruitment in the organisation and surplus refers to termination of jobs that are not required in the company. In case of Hilton, the condition is deficit as we require filling all the vacant jobs in the new hotel.(KAYA, 2015)
5. Action plan: Action plan refers to implementation of the final HR plan.

Task 2

2.1 Assess the current state of employment relations for the Hotel industry.

The term employee relations is defined as the communication or relationship shared among the employees of a particular organisation. Maintaining employee relations is the job of HR department in the organisation so that there is no communication barrier between the employees and also between the employee and employer. Employee relation not only focuses on maintaining the relation between employee and employer but also pay attention towards the betterment of the inter employee relations. Better communication between the employees also plays a major role in creating good working environment in the organisation.(Guerin and DelPo, 2006). Hotel industry is mainly concerned about maintaining employee relations in their organisation like all other industries. If we take the example of Hilton, there are almost 600 properties and around 100000 members working for the same. There is a need to manage and maintain relation between this large workforce. As Hilton is concentrating on being customer as well as employee oriented at the same time so, the current state of employee relations in Hilton is quite vigorous. Employees are asked to share their views regarding any issues and also to participate in decision making process of the company. Change has been observed in the culture of Hilton as the employees of the company have enough power to take best decisions for the company and are allowed to communicate with the top management regarding the issues they are facing. The HR department of Hilton allow the employees to carry out collective bargaining activities in which the employees and management discuss the concerning matters. These types of activities motivate employees in the organisation for efficient working. Participation of employees in decision making creates a sense of belongingness among the employees and this in turn reduces the rate of turnover.(Hardy and Butler, 2007)

Employee relations  can be maintained by the equal efforts of management and employees so, the employees of Hilton also need to follow all the rules and regulations described in the policies of the organisation. The management services in Hilton clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the employees so that it becomes easier for the employees to conduct their tasks accordingly. Hilton has a very sound grievance handling procedure. The grievance handling team properly observe the situations and resolve the issues of the employees. If the employees are facing any problems then the grievance cell activates and handles the situations very carefully. The employees are bided by the policies of the organisation and if an employee fails to follow the rules then the organisation takes action against the employee for the same. The hotel chain also focuses on adapting the safety measures and precautions for any wrong doings by the management or the employees. Hilton has changed its strategies and shifted its focus from customers to employees. This has proved to be very beneficial for the organisation as the satisfied employees remain in the organisation for long. These practices for employee satisfaction also motivate them to perform for the achievement of organisational goals. Hilton focuses on maintaining the balance between achievement of organisational goals and satisfaction of employees simultaneously. (Armstrong and Armstrong, 2009)

2.2 Discuss how employment law affects the management of human resources for the Hilton Hotel as selected service industry business.

Employment law or Employment Act contains the legal issues regarding the employment of the people. These laws are formed by the country government to safeguard employees working in the organisations. This helps in avoiding the wrongful acts by the organisation against the employees. The employment law affects functioning of the organisations as the organisations need to make their internal policies according to the legal employment laws enforced by government. Hotel industry is also bided by these laws for formulation of employee policies. (Guerin and DelPo, 2006). In order to study the effect of employment laws on Human Resources, we have taken the example of Hilton hotel. The Employment Relation Act empowered employees to make trade unions. These unions sometimes increase the liabilities of hotels towards the employees. It is not necessary that every time the organisation agreed upon the demands of the union and this creates a situation of disputes among the employees and the management. This becomes the reason for high turnover rate. High turnover rate affects the practices of HRM in the organisation. In case of Hilton, the turnover rate is comparatively low as the HR department of the company manages to train employees and treat them as the valuable assets.(Gannon, Roper and Doherty, 2015)

Other powers that have been enjoyed by the employees under employment laws are collective bargaining, parental leave, sick leave, involvement in decision making etc. Another act that is taken into consideration by the organisations is Human Rights  Safety Legislation.  This Legislation argues about the rights of the employees against the harassment in the organisation. If there is any kind of harassment towards any employee then the company has to pay for it. Management needs to make their organisational framework in such a way that it supports the rights of the employees in the organisation. The management services should keep a watch on the activities happening in the organisation so that they can take an immediate action against any unlawful activities occurring in the organisation. With the change in the legal policies related to employees, HR department of the organisations also need to change their internal practices.  (Hardy and Butler, 2007)

Task 3

3.1 Discuss a job description and person specification for a hotel industry job.

Job description defines the primary roles and responsibilities associated with a particular job. It is a subset of job analysis in which the job is analysed to dig out the responsibilities that need to be fulfilled by an individual who will be joining for that particular job. Person specification or the job specification involves the qualifications and skills required to perform a specific job. It is a statement that describes the minimum educational qualification and the basic skills that should be present in the employee who will be performing that job. There are many departments in a hotel with number of roles and jobs to perform. The figure below describes the different departments in Hilton. Each of the department stated below contains number of job designations with various responsibilities associated with it. (Fine and Getkate, 1995)

Every department has its own responsibilities and the departments are further divided into different jobs according to the roles of the job. To study about the job description and specification we have chosen a job of housekeeping executive from housekeeping department:

Job description:

• Job title- Housekeeping Executive
• Reports to- General Manager
• Job duties- Supervising all the housekeeping employees, hiring and discharging employees, assigning daily duties to the HK staff, training of old and new employees in HK department according to the company policies, etc.(KAYA, 2015)
• Job responsibilities- Maintaining cleanliness in the hotel as per the standards, assisting different departments like purchase department to supply of products needed by the HK department, resolving guest complaints related to their services, etc.

Person specification:

• Skills- Leadership abilities, thinking out of the box skills, good communication, pleasant personality, decision making skills etc.
• Education qualification- 3 years degree or diploma course in Hotel Management
• Experience- 5-6 years of experience in the same department and 2-3 years of experience in the same industry.

3.2 Compare the selection process of different service industries businesses

In order to study the comparison between the selection process of two different service industries let’s take example of Hilton hotel and a restaurant chain from UK known as Gordon Ramsay. Restaurants and hotels have some similarities and some dissimilarities in their selection process. Hilton carries out the selection process in different parts of the world where the company operates. Selection process starts after getting the applications of the candidates for the job. (Marie Ryan and Derous, 2016) The selection process in Hilton considers various methods given below:

• Short listing
• Interviews
• Assessment
• Testing

Short listing: Short listing is the pre selection process in which the HR department selects the applications of the candidates who have applied for the job. The selection or short listing of candidates is done by observing their CV’s or through the information updated on internet. (Piskurich, 2009)

Interviews: Interview is the method of selection that helps in judging the communication and other skills of the applicant. Interview helps in information sharing between the candidate and the management. Interviews can be of many types. Interviewers in Hilton use online interview, telephonic interview and face to face interview as the method for selection.

Online interview: Online interview is conducted by the HR or the relevant department head through video conferencing technique. This type of interview has been conducted when the candidate is not physically present at the venue of the interview.

Telephonic interview: It is the first round of interview taken by HR to judge the communication of the candidate according to the job he has opted for.

Face to face interview: It is generally the final process of selection in which the panel of interviewers sit for evaluating the candidates by asking so many questions. The questions asked can be related to the job or the background of the candidates.

Tests: Test is the type of selection process that helps in evaluating the knowledge of the candidate. There are many types of tests like personality test, proficiency test, intelligence test etc.

If we talk about Gordon Ramsay, there is a simple selection process for the candidates shortlisted. Hilton goes for a long process on interviews and tests but in Gordon Ramsay, direct interviews have been conducted for the selected candidates. There is no such complex procedure to be followed. The similarity between the process of selection in Hilton and Gordon Ramsay is that both the organisations recruit peoplefrom diverse culture irrespective of their caste, race, colour etc. (Marie Ryan and Derous, 2016)

Task 4

4.1 Prepare a Power point presentation and present that to the senior member of the hotel emphasizing the contribution of training and development activities to the effective operation for the selected service industry business Hilton Hotel.

According to the case, Hilton is opening its new hotel in Stratford. Whenever a company launches its new branch, it needs to provide training to the employees to work in that new environment. In the case given, training should be provided to both the former as well as the new recruits because the working environment is new for both of them.

Need of training in Hilton Stratford:

• New recruits: As the organisation is opening its new branch, many new recruits have joined the organisation. It is necessary for the organisation to make the new recruits familiar with the organisational culture and structure. Introduction of training programs for the new employees help the employees as well as the organisation for the effective working.(Sekhri, 2010)
• Transferees: There are employees who have moved from another branch of Hilton to this branch. These former employees also need training as the environment is totally new for them. They have to adjust themselves in the new working environment even if they are working with the same organisation since years.

Impact of training: Introduction of training and development programs for the employees proved to be beneficial for the organisation, employees and also for the society. Training to the employees helps them to develop their skills to perform in effective manner. It also motivates them to work and hence they can earn different perks and benefits from the organisation. Organisation with trained employees has a competitive advantage over other organisation as they need not to invest time and money in monitoring the employees. If the employees know well about their work then managers can easily focus on other important activities rather than teaching the employees. (Hiltonworldwide.com, 2016). Training and development of the employees not only helps in reducing the supervision but also helps in managing the risk in the organisation. The employees should be trained in such a way that they can take the decisions on their own in any complicated situation. If we talk about the Hilton hotel, it is very necessary to train employees there because the employees need to communicate directly with the customers. It is crucial for this industry because it is a customer based industry and it works only for the satisfaction of customers.(Piskurich, 2009)

Conclusion

Hilton hotel has one of the best HR systems in terms of recruitment, selection, training and development. The recruitment process of the organisation is effective in recruiting the best candidates from the best schools of Hotel Management. Hilton’s HRM team is working in a very efficient manner over the years. Management of Hilton gives equal importance to the employees as well as customers. HR department of Hilton have made such strategies to satisfy their employees so that they can work in an efficient way. All the policies and rules of the organisation are formed in concern with the legal laws by the government. Employees of Hilton enjoys all the benefits of compensation, leaves, etc and are also empowered to participate in the decision making process. Hilton has a very standard selection process and it focuses on selecting the best fit candidates for their organisation. The company believes in providing training to the new as well as the former employees whenever needed. It also focuses on developing the individuals with the development of the company. Therefore, Hilton hotels have one of the best HR management systems.

References

Books:

Armstrong, M. and Armstrong, M. (2009). Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. London: Kogan Page.
Fine, S. and Getkate, M. (1995). Benchmark tasks for job analysis. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates.
Guerin, L. and DelPo, A. (2006). The essential guide to federal employment laws. Berkeley, CA: Nolo.
Hardy, S. and Butler, M. (2007). European employment laws. London: Spiramus Press.
Piskurich, G. (2009). Rapid training development. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
Sekhri, A. (2010). Human resource planning and audit. Mumbai [India]: Himalaya Pub. House.

Journals:

Gannon, J., Roper, A. and Doherty, L. (2015). Strategic human resource management: Insights from the international hotel industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 47, pp.65-75.
Marie Ryan, A. and Derous, E. (2016). Highlighting Tensions in Recruitment and Selection Research and Practice. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 24(1), pp.54-62.

Website:

Hiltonworldwide.com. (2016). Hotel Training | HR & Recruiting | Hilton Worldwide. (2016)[online]Available at: http://hiltonworldwide.com/development/management-services/hr-and-training.html [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016].
Elen Rozario. (2013). Blog 2 – Functions And Divisions In A Hotel And How They Relate To The Room Divisions. (2016) [online] Available at: https://elenrozario.wordpress.com/blog-2-functions-and-divisions-in-a-hotel-and-how-they-relate-to-the-room-divisions [Accessed 23 Aug. 2016].