INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN RESOURCES IN THE HOSPITALITY

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN RESOURCES IN THE HOSPITALITY

INDUSTRY

TEACHING TIPS

Suggestions for addressing the principal learning objectives contained in this chapter

include the following:

• Describe the travel and tourism industry and the hospitality segments within it.

The travel and tourism industry, which includes the hospitality industry, is large and diverse. As a result, hospitality instructors routinely teach classes in which student interests in various hospitality industry segments are quite wide. These interests typically include institutional food service operations, commercial restaurants, hotels, and a variety of other hospitality settings.

The purpose of this learning objective is to make students aware of the breadth of opportunities offered within the hospitality industry. Such an understanding sets the stage for instructors to reinforce to students the fact that effective human resource management is important in all of the segments.

In addition to presenting relevant information regarding the entire hospitality industry, this learning objective allows instructors the opportunity to present information to students related to distinctions between the following types of

hospitality operations:

• Commercial versus noncommercial operations • For-profit versus not-for-profit operations • Franchised operations versus independent operations • Multiunit operations versus single unit operations

This is also the proper time for instructors to point out that in many smaller hospitality operations the unit manager will be responsible for most human resource- related decisions, while in larger operations professional human resource managers may play a significant role in shaping the human resource-related decision-making of on-site unit managers.

• Discuss how the HR function relates to the management of hospitality

organizations.

Those instructors with a background in organizational management will readily recognize the authors’ use of Henri Fayol’s work in defining the role of management.This classic approach to the study of management identifies key activities that all managers perform. The purpose of this learning objective is to illustrate for students that human resource managers, like managers in all other organizational areas, (Human Resources Management in the Hospitality Industry, 2e By David Hayes, Jack Ninemeier) (Solution Manual all Chapters) 1 / 4

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perform the key tasks of:

• Planning • Organizing • Staffing • Supervising • Controlling • Appraising

It is important to note the authors’ use of “Staffing” and “Supervising”, as two distinct task areas (rather than the commonly utilized term “Directing” which includes both activities). This modification is by design. It allows instructors to place extra emphasis on the two key task areas that commonly occupy large amounts of the typical human resource manager’s time.

This learning objective also gives instructors the chance to discuss those external and internal factors directly affect HR management.

The external influences include:

• Legislation • Competition • Consumer preferences • Demographics (of the labor force and customers) • Global issues • Ethical concerns • Economy • Employee unions

This would be a good time for instructors to address topical (current) events in each of the above areas and to illustrate how the events directly affect human resource management decision making. Doing so will help students understand that these factors are not merely concepts but rather are factors that daily influence how hospitality operations manage a labor force. For example, at the time of this writing, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would be an excellent current example of how legislation directly affects the human resource management effort. Similarly, the topic of the economy and its direct effect on HR management activities might be addressed by discussing how a falling unemployment rate resulting from an increasingly vibrant economy impacts an HR manager's ability to secure high-quality employees.

HR management is influenced by internal as well as external factors. The internal

influences can include:

• Policies • Work procedures • Corporate culture • Long- and short-term plans 2 / 4

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• Management judgment and experience

Again, instructors may wish to utilize examples illustrating the impact of these internal influences. For example, many hospitality companies currently struggle with policy issues related to allowable employee tattoos and body piercings. Students might be asked to address how they personally would deal with this issue as they recommend policies for use in organizations for which they will have HR responsibilities. Similarly, the topic of how management judgment and experience impacts HR managers could be illustrated by pointing out to students that an individual manager’s own personal experience in the industry, and years of experience on the job could easily influence the way that manager would view the concepts of employee freedom of expression versus need for dress code conformity when addressing the issue of which visible body piercings and tattoos should be permissible at work. Because the classroom itself may contain students with various backgrounds and levels of experience this point may be well illustrated via the conducting of an in-class discussion on the topic.

• Identify specific HR responsibilities that are important in most hospitality

organizations.

This learning objective allows instructors the opportunity to address the specific job responsibilities human resource managers routinely assume.

While instructors could address this learning objective in a variety of ways, one good way recommended by the authors is that of displaying (or referencing) the job description for a director of human resources (see Figure 1.4) presented in the chapter.

Utilizing Figure 1.4 to address this learning objective has several advantages:

• It illustrates to students the practical reasons employers have for requiring HR

management skills and knowledge.

• It demonstrates the real-life need to understand human resource management

tasks.

• It illustrates the complexity of the HR manager’s job.
• It provide somewhat of a roadmap for students interested in pursuing human

resource management as a career area.

• Describe priority challenges that impact HR activities.

The authors suggest a number of challenges that impact many resource management decisions. While each of these can be addressed in turn with appropriate examples provided, students should also be asked to add to the list of challenges suggested by the authors based on their own experiences working in hospitality operations.

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• Explain the role of ethics in HR management.

While ethical behavior is important in all areas of management, ethical behavior in the management of human resources provides perhaps the most challenging area of all. This is so because issues of what defines ethical behavior in this area are often times quite subjective. For example, is it “ethical” to implement a policy that smokers will not be employed in an operation? Arguments for doing so, in this example, include reduced healthcare costs for the employer, resulting in decreased insurance costs for all employees.

An alternative position, however, could be that, in this example, the employer is prohibiting a lawful activity (smoking) which an employee of the organization could engage in within the privacy of his or her own home. (Note: Some state laws also address this issue.)

In this example, the question of ethical behavior when discriminating against smokers in hiring is not so clear-cut. Students will likely be able to see both sides of this issue.

The purpose of this learning objective is to reinforce to students that while all illegal activities are unethical, some legal activities may very well be unethical as well. For this reason, students must develop and adhere to a standard of ethical conduct with which they are personally comfortable.

HR MANAGEMENT ISSUES 1.1

1.1 “This would be a great place to work if the HR department helped us,” Jonathon said to Daysha, another manager at the Ocean Edge Hotel. “They send us job applicants who are not qualified, they don’t do an adequate job of orienting new employees to our hotel, they have no role in training, and they issue so many policies, many of which are ridiculous, that I simply can’t keep up with everything.”

“You’re right that communication could be better, and there is probably a need for the HR folks to learn details about what we do,” replied Daysha, “Before I started here I spent five years working for a smaller property that didn’t have an HR department.Each manager had to do whatever the general manager wanted. Some of the GMs we had over those years wanted a lot of responsibility for the HR function, and others wanted only a little.

“You know,” said Emma, “that really wasn’t a good situation either. Like everywhere else, the managers had primary responsibilities for a specific cost or revenue center, and they had to be concerned about HR details that affected their employees. The world of HR management has many legal, technical, and other concerns far removed from preparing and serving meals and cleaning guest rooms.”

“I guess I never thought about that,” said Jonathon, “I’ve been here a long time, and it

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