Employee Retention and Training Challenges at Four Seasons Hotel HRM

This report examines the human resource management (HRM) challenges faced by the Four Seasons Hotel, focusing on employee retention and training and development. The report begins with an overview of the organization, highlighting its history and global presence. It identifies employee retention and training as the two major challenges. The employee retention problem is analyzed, considering factors like work-life balance, work schedule flexibility, health and wellness, and mental stress. The training and development problem is also discussed, emphasizing the importance of effective training programs and their impact on business outcomes. The report then applies the Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) model to assess the situation, including Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory for motivation and Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Training Model for evaluating training effectiveness. Finally, the report provides recommendations for addressing the identified challenges, suggesting intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors for employee retention and emphasizing the need for effective training and development programs to improve employee performance and engagement.

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................2
2. Overview of the organization......................................................................................................2
3. Two major challenges in the organization...................................................................................3
3.1 Employee retention problem..................................................................................................4
3.2 Training and development problem.......................................................................................5
4. SHRM model to access the situation...........................................................................................6
5. Recommendation.........................................................................................................................9
6. Conclusion...................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................11

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1. Introduction
Human resource management is one of the major aspects of organizational development
so it is important to have good management process in an organization to have the sustainable
position in this globalised competitive business. The most important aspect of human resource
process is to recruit more people those are effective enough for the organization and to have
enough handling experience to formulate the work. The culture of the organization and choosing
employees for the development of the organization is important in that case and human resource
managers have to take care of that (Brewster 2017). The most important aspect, in that case, is to
analyze employees' potential and then include them in the job process.
In this paper, Four Seasons Hotel in Australia two major challenges will be highlighted,
which they may face in future (Fourseasons.com 2018). The problems are needed to be
highlighted rather mitigated to get better long-term sustainability in future. The process is not
easy but the human resource department has to identify such situation for the better development
of the process.
2. Overview of the organization
The Four Seasons Hotel is one of the largest hotels in the world and that also clears that
number of employee need for the operation in the entire hotel. The hotel first started in 1961 and
the process is under the continual innovation as the new innovations are still happening with the
hotel and that is the main aspect of the hotel. Isadore Sharp was the founder of the hotel and the
creation of the man was completely innovative in sense of imposing guest and their comfort
situation is the key aspect is the basic manner of this hotel (Fourseasons.com 2018). There are

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some defining moments in the hotel and that needs to be highlighted to guests. The hotel
expanded their business in 1980 in the USA and transform into an owner-operated management
company. In 1990 to 1999 they expanded their market in across the world and their exceptional
service distributed in all parts of the world (Fourseasons.com 2018). There are some exceptional
and exotic destinations selected by the organization so that guest can feel the best-suited places
from their end. In case of the fifth decade, the hotel becomes a global luxury brand as the
extended numbers of hotels are 50 and guests are still welcomed with that warmth and affection.
Even in Antarctica, Four Seasons has a hotel and that expresses the limitation of the hotel
(Fourseasons.com 2018). The hotel is still inventing the new process and also delivers the best to
guests.
3. Two major challenges in the organization
The two major challenges in this organization are the employee retention and training and
development issues. These two problems are directly linked with the strategic human resource
management process and that is the reason most of the organization tries to mitigate these
problems in a quick manner (Fourseasons.com 2018). The problem of employee retention is
quite impactful as most of the hospitality sectors are facing the same problem not to retain
experienced people for a long period of time and the causes forecasted by the employees are
valid prospect from their end (Fourseasons.com 2018). On the other hand training and
development is one of the major issues that employees are facing due to their experienced and
unprofessionalism behavior. In that case, the organization management rather human resource
department has to come up on that occasion and deliver their best to mitigate the occasions.

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3.1 Employee retention problem
This is one of the major problems that most of the hospitality sectors have faced in this
globalised competitive business market. The process also shows that employees are facing some
difficulties and that is the reason they are not willing to serve the company for long. The major
aspect of working and their motivation for the work has gone and that is the concerning aspect of
the organization. Work schedule flexibility is the concerning aspect of retention and most of the
organizations are running on roaster basis schedule and in that sense employees cannot take a
fixed of in hospitality sector (Briscoe, Tarique and Schuler 2012). The work time is very long
and workers have to serve for that hour and 23% of people from 1.4 million employees in a
particular country are very unhappy due to that reason. Health and wellness factor like workplace
health and safety is the major issue in that organization and in most of the organizations has
taken care of this. Employees need to be fit and fine then only they can deliver their better
process for the organization. In opposite way, if they are not taking care of such situation some
of the employees feel uneasy and seeing their consequence rest will also leave.
Mental stress is another aspect that creates some pressure on employees. 83.1%
employees are feeling that pressure in the workplace and then they leave the job. If organization
management takes care of their employees then they have to motivate them by different means
and also taking care of their stress that involved with the workplace activity. Reward and
recognition is another aspect that employees are concerned about the situation (Jiang et al. 2012).
The top performer will get the reward and the second best may work hard in that month but
beaten by the first by some margin and then it will be the heart-breaking situation for the second
best as no such recognition will be for the person. Rather retain them in a proper way
organization has to take responsibility to make some responsible employees as well.

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In care of Four Season Hotel, the major problem employees are facing is the work-life
balance. The work-life balance is the key process that employees are facing challenges in the
organization. Employees need to spend time with their family and if they do not proceed to do
that then it will be the internal dilemma that happened in between the person and their family and
that impacted on the workplace also (Alfes et al. 2013). Another major problem that the hotel is
facing is the personal development issues of employees are not formed in the proper way and for
those reason employees are not motivating enough to do the work process regularly.
3.2 Training and development problem
Training and development are one of the major issues in the organization and they have
to take care of employees so that effective training will be provided to them. The development
phases are also important for employee and special attention needs to be there for the
development of the employees. The training processes are doing high influence on business and
that also impacted on the development of the work process. 69% of employees are going in
between learning and development phase and that is the reason business administration and help
from human resource management is required (Renwick, Redman and Maguire 2013). The
impact of training and development is extensive and that strengthen the affectivity in business.
The analyze gap skill is the most influencing factor that needs to be recovered in a proper way
and for that case, some of the categories like motivation, critical thinking, skill mastery all these
aspects are important and needed to be accessed properly.
The layered approach is important for the development of business and that is the concern
reason blending extra maximization is influencing employees (Buller and McEvoy 2012). In case
of employee training, the organization gains profit growth, reduced employee turnover and they
have a talent succession pipeline in business also. The process of individual engagement and

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improve speed helps in productivity also. In case of individual process employee also get
motivated by the effective use of improving training. The improve engagement with the
company and the work culture is important in that case.
In case of Four Season Hotel, the etiquettes are the most important factor and employees
have to know the process for the successful treatment of guests. In that case, the competitive
elements are also associated with the process as most o the companies provide training to their
employees so that they can engage more guest in their behavior and attitude (Jiang et al. 2012).
There is some operation processes are also there for the development of the organization and that
influences guest management also. These two confrontations are also important for the effective
development of the organization.
4. SHRM model to access the situation
The major reason of employees are not retaining in the organization is the lack of
motivation. The organization is not delivering the motivation to their employees and that is the
reason employees are not feeling the same engagement that needed for the development of the
productivity (Daley 2012). Motivational theory needs to be used in that case to improve the
retention of employees.
The theory of Herzberg has two factors and the theory processes the best situation
implement for employees in terms of motivation and states the possible motivating factor for
employees. There are hygiene factor and that consist of some general satisfaction factors that
employees want from the organization. Salaries, wages and other benefits are crucial in this
aspect. The company policy needs to be strong so that administration will support employee
performance. The good interpersonal relationship is important in that case so that employees and

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managers interact with each other and that will solve different problems also. The ob security is
important in that phase and quality of supervision and leadership is important in that case (Kehoe
and Wright 2013). The working condition needs to be effective and that will only impact on the
job satisfaction also.
Figure 1: Herzberg Two Factor Theory
(Source: Daley 2012)
On the other hand, motivating factors are also important for employee engagement and
that can develop through the imposing responsibility for employees or promotional activities.
The positional growth will also help the employee to get engage them with the organization and
that will provide high motivation. Strong commitment also approached by the situation and that

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will help the organization to get fit in the organization. Employee satisfaction ratio also improves
and that impact on organizational productivity and services.
Training and development is an important challenge that Four Seasons Hotel is facing
and this is the reason this implementation needs to be established. The effective way to evaluate
the process of training and development, Kirkpatrick's four-level training model is important in
that case and the model evaluates the situation of the employee after getting the training process
has been done (McCauley 2012). The four steps are Reaction, Learning, Behavior and Results.
The level of reaction is the key prospect in that case and most of the organizations want their
employees’ reaction after the successful completion of training.
Figure 2: Kirkpatrick’s model of training and development
(Source: Created by Author)
KirkpatrickModeloflearninganddevelopmentReactionLearningBehaviorResults

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A learning process is following the behavior process and employees need to take the
essence of the learning curve by the use of behavioral matter that signifies behavioral change
through the process (Dries 2013). The ultimate findings are shown in form of the result and that
is the clear identification of business development as well to improve the penitential level of
employees.
5. Recommendation
In case of the employee, retention organization can use a more intrinsic motivational
factor like motivate employees is the most influential manner in business. Extrinsic motivation is
also needed in some cases and if an organization will deliver extra incentives for extra hours or
grant an extra holiday for the extra shift allocation. This will help employees to maintain their
work-life balance and also provide the best intent process for that.
In case of training and development, Four Season Hotel can introduce on-job and off-job
training for the development of business and that is the reason job processes are swiftly
formulated. The formulation of training and development process needs to use the innovative
techniques so that effective learning process needs to be handled that effects on the hotel as well.
6. Conclusion
Therefore it can be concluded that Four Season Hotel has different problems and in
between them, employee retention and training and development are the two major issues have
been selected in this paper. The paper also suggests the possible problems that employees are
facing and for that reason, they are up to that condition. On the other hand, the paper also

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declares the training and development phases that encourage employees' engagement within the
organization.

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References
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