Analysis of HRM Issues, Trends, and Solutions in the Hotel Industry

This report delves into the contemporary issues and emerging trends within Human Resource Management (HRM) in the hotel industry, using the Dorchester Hotel as a focal point. It examines challenges such as communication breakdowns, ineffective job descriptions, and complexities in employment agreements and policies. The report also highlights emerging trends including the implementation of automated response systems and the adoption of flexible work arrangements. The report provides a detailed job description and person specification for a Front Desk Supervisor position. It further explores approaches to performance management and people development, and includes development of training material for new HR managers on effective HR policy and practice, with specific focus on the hotel industry. The report concludes with insights into how HRM practices can be enhanced to improve employee satisfaction, retention, and overall organizational success within the dynamic hospitality sector.

Issues in HRM

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Contemporary issues as well as emerging trends related to Human Resource Management in
Hotel industry and reflection..................................................................................................1
Development of Job Description along with Person Specification........................................5
Approaches to performance management along with people development...........................7
Development of training material for new HR managers on effective HR policy and practice
Covered in Leaflet..................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
In modern world, there are wide numbers of issues faced by human resource professionals
while managing people at workplace. Human resource management can be defined to a business
division that is have responsibilities for attracting, sourcing, hiring, developing, assessing,
motivating, rewarding and compensating employees. Addition to this, this function of company
guides administrative tasks, ensures compliances, coordinates departmental functioning and
handles employee management so that competitive advantages are acquired by the firm. It also
acts as liaison among staff members and corporate structure so that stability in performances are
achieved. To gain information about issues in HRM, Dorchester Hotel is selected. It is one of
iconic hotel in the world that was opened on April 18, 1931 in Mayfair, UK (Dorchester Hotel.
2020). The hotel offers luxurious services and facilities along with also organises prestigious
literary gatherings for its clients. It has chain of approx five restaurants and all have attractive
exterior and interior that motivates people to enjoy its offered facilities. The portfolio highlights
about contemporary issues together with emerging trends related to HRM in the hotel industry.
Further, it involves job description addition to person specification for one of supervisory
position in the hotel. It also demonstrates approaches related with performance management
together with people development.
MAIN BODY
Contemporary issues as well as emerging trends related to Human Resource Management in
Hotel industry and reflection
In today’s era, human resource managers are important in all fields to manage wide
functions and workings of human capital. Hospitality industry basically revolves around guests
addition to employees (Ayentimi, Burgess and Brown, 2018). Within Hotel Industry, Human
resource Management plays crucial role in managing satisfaction and offering quality services
for satisfying customers. Hospitality managers are required to have adequate knowledge about
rising labour costs, changing employees’ attitudes, proliferation of legislations, enhancing
competition among quality staff along with evolving guests expectations which influences
policies and activities laid by the department. Following are some on the issues and emerging
trends that are related to HRM in Hotel Industry:
Issues with HRM
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As per the view points of Lye (2007), human resource management face huge difficulties
in understanding behaviors of human capital as well as maintaining employee relations in the
nation they works. Many managers fails in having experiences to know and lead employees.
Certain issues and challenges that are associated to human resource management in the
hospitality sector are as follows:
Communication: It is one of issue that human resource professionals face in the sector.
It is because of huge grapevines along with gossip thrive among employees that hampers
communication of messages delivered by these personalities. For example, in Dorchester Hotel,
it is seen that departmental supervisors do not share information for the requirements of
workforce for upcoming duration and also conveys information that is delivered by human
resource management for the employees through changing the words due to which issues of
communication are faced by managing people in the sector. When proper communication does
not take place then human resource managers are unable to plan and fulfill requirements of
employees due to which manpower becomes demotivated and this results in staff turnover (Bell
and Orzen, 2016).
Job description: In present world, preparing job description is key for companies.
However, in hospitality industry, this is among the main issues related with human resource
managers. They fail in devising proper job description that covers overall employee area of
company. It has been analysed that human resource management of Dorchester Hotel faced huge
complexities because of preparing simple job description that did not highlight main
responsibilities, skills required and other elements for particular job role. The issue associated
with the element is fact that it is essential for human resource manager to incorporate employees
at all levels for delivering better services to guests.
Employment agreements: An agreement of employment sets expectations addition to
boundaries of employment relationships in business (Boella and Goss-Turner, 2019). It entails
employee obligations together with benefits. Human resource management within hotel industry
faced complexities in writing employment agreement because of diverse types of manpower in
house. This can leave the hospitality company opens to courts as well as tribunals interpreting
the obligations to managers. In case with Dorchester Hotel, it has ample number of employees
such as wait staff, office workers, maid, head chefs addition to apprentices, maintenance workers
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and so on. To write employment agreements for all is one of issue that is faced by the managers
in the industry.
Procedures and policies: In hotel business, all the policies and procedures must be
structured well by human resource managers to develop employees. For this aspect, human
resource managers are required to be largely proactive as managing operations in international
business environment requires incorporation with distinct types of cultures (Davies, 2016).
Furthermore, HR managers of Dorchester Hotel face operational issues to incorporate effective
policies and procedures to deal with distinct legislations and regulations based on different
nations in which they works.
Emerging trends concerned with HRM
As per Willmore (2019), human capital is backbone of entire hospitality sector. Hospitality
sector employs around 10% of international workforce that represents around 313 million jobs.
With human resource management, sourcing and retaining right talent is grueling task. However,
turnover of employee is high in the sector and pooling of talent is low. In order to stay ahead in
upcoming duration, human resource management needs to overlook towards the discussed
emerging trends:
Executing automated response system: It is essential for human resource managers to
implement effective systems for the purpose of recruiting talents in dynamic world. It is
perceived that technology is modifying the manners in which managers searches candidates and
people apply for jobs. In hospitality industry, managers are using recruitment tools for reaching
potential candidates. In context to Dorchester Hotel, human resource managers needs to work
with the trends that is using applicant tracking system as well as chatbots so to pre screen
candidates together with reducing time spending on manual workings. With this, operations
performed by managers will be streamlined through gathering basic information about
candidates, measuring their past workings and backgrounds in order to rank them for fitness in
company.
Favour flexibility: In the globalised scenario, human resources requires favourable
workplaces and working timings (Delery and Roumpi, 2017). For attracting potential talents,
hospitality organisations are becoming flexible enough through advancing communication
technologies and implementing flexible schedules. In this context, human resource management
are also benefited in applying suitable practices of flexible approaches to hours of workdays. In
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Dorchester Hotel, human resource management has imitated a new program that is Work From
Home in which frontline service staff manages reservations addition to customer care department
addresses issues or provides customer support to clients by working from their homes.
According to Maria (2017), human resource management are considered as essential part
of business. It influences whole workforce and maximizes performances of manpower to serve
contributions towards attaining successful outcomes. The new trends in the area of human
resource management include influential technology, employee involvement and contingent
employees. At same time, challenges in HRM are categorized in three areas that are
environmental challenges, individual challenges as well as organizational challenges. In case
with Dorchester hotel, environmental challenges that human resource managers faces are rapid
changes in external surroundings and workforce diversity. The other is organizational challenge
that engrosses competitive position, workings of self managed groups, restructuring, quality
improvements and downsizing issues. Other than the both, essential HRM issues faces at the
hotel are in kind of individual challenge that includes training and development, brain drainage,
job insecurity and productivity of employees.
As a human resource executive in Dorchester Hotel, I analysed that implementing my roles
and responsibility towards managing employees was not an easy task. While doing so I faced
ample number of issues and challenges. One of the complexities faced by me in the hotel is
formulating people strategy which will support expansion plans, sharing culture with distinct
brands and leadership development. Another issues faced by me in the industry is turnover and
retention. Hospitality is considered as exciting field with wide number of potentials for actions.
But employees at the time of executing some new action feels resistant and fails to tolerate new
workings due to which situations related to turnover and retention arises. the entire hospitality
industry depends on changes in the external market that causes emerging trends related to
flexible work environment, maintaining equal workforce, utilising people analytics and hence
forth that results in difficulties for human resource managers to manage people. In the company,
I formulated various plans and programs such as 720 degree appraisal strategy, stress
management technique, surveillance addition to monitoring at work and so on. With the help of
these plans and programs, job satisfaction among workforce was build that reduced level of
turnover and retaining potential talents with company.
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Development of Job Description along with Person Specification
In hospitality industry, various number of people work at different supervisory position. It
is crucial for business concern that operates in the sector to develop proper job description for the
vacant position so that it can attract pool of candidate towards the job (Dickmann, Brewster and
Sparrow, 2016). Further, on the basis on the job description, person specification is prepared that
determines eligibility criteria for candidates for the vacancy. Dorchester Hotel is recognised
brand in hospitality sector. The company has different departments and supervisors of each that
manages their team and performances. In recent time, it is analysed that the Front desk
Supervisor of the hotel has recently resigned from the position due to personal reason. For this
context, human resource executive has designed job description along with person specification
for the role to attract people for it.
Job description
This is an informative document which outlines essentials for specific position in the
organisation. It involves detailed information about conditions along with responsibilities of the
job. With the help of this document, human resource management aids in further planning as
well as implement training (Domínguez-Falcón, Martín-Santana and De Saá-Pérez, 2016).
Details listed in job description become checkpoints to evaluate existing employees. It forms a
base for job specification. Through the document, human resource managements in hotel
industry works are benefitted in many ways that are the service as communication platform
among candidates and organisational employees to understand expectations of job role and then
recruit in better manner. In association to Dorchester Hotel, human resource executive has
developed job description for front Desk Supervisor that is as follows:
Job description
Title of position: Front Office Supervisor
Organisation: Dorchester Hotel
Reporting To: Duty Manager
Summary of Position: the Front Office Supervisor primarily supervise entire front office tea, for
ensuring smooth operations in order to provide excellent satisfaction to guest and produce
effective feedbacks. Along with this, the supervisor responds in professional ways with arriving,
in house addition to departing guests through providing timely information with services.
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Skills requirement:
 Strong management skills
 Operational skills
 Scheduling addition planning skills
 Customer service skills
 Interpersonal skills
Duties and responsibilities:
 Maintaining cheerful, courteous addition to friendly demeanour in the hotel premise all
time.
 Train people, resolves problems, direct workings and counsel front desk team for
ensuring quality operations.
 Supervise day to day process shift to all team members for standard operating practices.
 Responds towards in person together with telephonic queries related to guest concern and
reservation.
 Adheres organisational floor limit policies.
 Cross check billing instructions.
 Build strong relationships together with liaises with other departments.
Personal specification
The document which list out personal attributed that is desired within potential
manpower. It is specific in nature and involves limited attributes only. It describes about
qualifications, experience, skills, knowledge along with additional attributes which must be
posses by a candidate in order to perform duties for open position (Ljungholm, 2016). It assist
human resource managers to make interview procedures more streamlined addition to refined
from beginning. It helps in communicating opportunities policies within recruitment structure of
entity. In hospitality industry, organisational managers use personal specification to determine
candidate eligibility for vacant position. The personal specification as drafted by human resource
executives of Dorchester Hotel for the position of Front Office Supervisor is underneath:
Person Specification
Job position: Front Office Supervisor
Division: Front Office
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Essentials: The evidences which are required includes:
Attributes Essential Desirable
Skills  Management skills
 Operating skills
 Communication skills
 Scheduling skills
 Interpersonal skills
 Decisive skills
 Learning skills
 Negotiation skills

Qualification  Masters in hotel
management from
popular university.
 Certification courses
in desired field.
 Certification course in
Microsoft Office.
Behaviours  Connecting with
others.
 Shaping future.
 Making thing happen.
 Crisis mitigation
potentials.
 Creative.
Approaches to performance management along with people development
Performance management and people development approach is key components for an
organisation. With these approaches, business concerns makes effective efforts to develop their
manpower for working according to set benchmarks and managing performance upto desired
level (Kramar and Steane, 2012). Effective performance management and people development
tools are helpful and essential for a hotel to become more successful and also make it able to stay
ahead of its competitor through continuous improvement and betterment in efficiency and skills
of employees. The most vital and helpful performance management and people development tool
that are used by four star as well as five star hotels in order to make its process easier and more
effective are explained below with proper comparison through evaluation of their advantages and
disadvantages.
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
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It provides an effective way to measure performance of an individual or project in relation
and comparison to the set strategic goals and objectives that facilitates better information about
the performance and efficiency level of employees (Morgeson, Brannick and Levine, 2019).
Thus, use of KPI can provide vital navigational instruments for Dorchester Hotel that is giving a
clear picture of current levels of performance and desired level so that better efforts could be
made to have improvement and development of people to achieve desired level of performance.
The way KPI is used in five star and four star hotel is explained below:
Five Star Hotel Four Star hotel
KPI is used in five star hotels to facilitates more
measurable results and leads to a better check
and control over performance and efficiency of
people.
The use of KPI in four star hotel is short
term oriented and mainly based on
evaluating success at different levels to gain
understanding for reaching towards success
(Riccucci, 2017).
Reward and recognition programmes
Use of reward and recognition programmes as performance management tool ensures better
motivation and commitment in people towards their work and jobs that makes them more
efficient and productive. Thus, use of timely Bonus and other incentives and perks could be
made by Dorchester Hotel to have better performance management and development of people.
The use of Reward and recognition programmes as people development tools in different star
hotels are provided below:
Four star hotel Five star hotel
Use of reward and recognition system in five
star hotels is to keep employees happy, loyal
and committed towards the company that
motivates them to have better performance and
development (Schaltegger and Burritt, 2017).
Use of monetary rewards and bonus in four
star hotels is for acknowledging exceptional
performances of different employees and
encourage particular values in the company.
Personal development plans (PDP)
Use of this plan as performance management and people development tool provides a better
on reflection and awareness on individual’s performance and it mainly used to identify specific
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training and development needs of employees thus, it can be helpful for Dorchester hotel to have
improvement in skills of its workforce. The ways in which PDP plan is used as performance
management addition to people development tool in distinct types of hotels are as follows:
Five star hotels Five star hotels
Use of PDP plan in five star hotels facilitates
better evaluation of strengths and weakness of
individuals thus, lead to better management of
skills to have efficient professional and
personal growth.
Four star hotels uses personal development
plan at limited extent only. They utilises the
tool when they feels employees needs learning
for career development or to earn new
qualification (Stewart and Brown, 2019).
As per above comparison, it can be said that managers of Dorchester Hotels should
develop effective performance management along with personal development tool. The company
can opt personal development plan as being a five star hotel the tool will assist in evaluating
individual’s needs for further learning, gaining new qualification and so on. With this tool, the
entity will be able to develop more efficiency and spirituality among workforce to undertake
critical tasks and gain success (Viitala, Kultalahti and Kangas, 2017).
Development of training material for new HR managers on effective HR policy and practice
Covered in Leaflet
CONCLUSION
From the above portfolio, it has been concluded that all business concerns have effective
human resource management that make wider attempts in gaining objectives and building
motivation among employees. The main practices that are performed by human resource
department engrosses sourcing, recruiting, selection, orientation, development, performance
appraisals and compensation. In present era, main challenges and issues that human resource
managers of form faces are maintaining communication, devising proper job description,
preparing employment agreements and stating procedures and policies. With changing time
frame and expectations of manpower, the emerging trends that are related to human resource
management involves implementing automated response systems and flexibility on working
conditions. An organisation prepared job description addition to person specification so to have
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understanding about required type of candidate who can fulfil vacant position and also have
competent skills as required in the job position. Performance management as well as people
development tools are the important approaches that are used by leading companies for
managing performances of different departments along with developing people. Some of tools
that top companies uses are performance development plan, Key performance Indicators,
Reward and recognition programmes.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Ayentimi, D.T., Burgess, J. and Brown, K., 2018. HRM development in post-colonial societies:
The challenges of advancing HRM practices in Ghana. International Journal of Cross
Cultural Management. 18(2). pp.125-147.
Bell, S. C. and Orzen, M. A., 2016. Lean IT: Enabling and sustaining your lean transformation.
CRC Press.
Boella, M. J. and Goss-Turner, S., 2019. Human resource management in the hospitality
industry: A guide to best practice. Routledge.
Davies, P. W., 2016. Current issues in business ethics. Routledge.
Delery, J. E. and Roumpi, D., 2017. Strategic human resource management, human capital and
competitive advantage: is the field going in circles?. Human Resource Management
Journal. 27(1). pp.1-21.
Dickmann, M., Brewster, C. and Sparrow, P. eds., 2016. International human resource
management: contemporary HR issues in Europe. Routledge.
Domínguez-Falcón, C., Martín-Santana, J. D. and De Saá-Pérez, P., 2016. Human resources
management and performance in the hotel industry. International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Ljungholm, D. P., 2016. Organizational social capital and performance management. Linguistic
and Philosophical Investigations, (15), pp.108-114
Kramar, R. and Steane, P., 2012. Emerging HRM skills in Australia. Asia-Pacific Journal of
Business Administration. 4(2). pp.139-157.
Morgeson, F. P., Brannick, M. T. and Levine, E. L., 2019. Job and work analysis: Methods,
research, and applications for human resource management. Sage Publications.
Riccucci, N. M. ed., 2017. Public personnel management: Current concerns, future challenges.
Routledge.
Schaltegger, S. and Burritt, R., 2017. Contemporary environmental accounting: issues, concepts
and practice. Routledge.
Stewart, G. L. and Brown, K. G., 2019. Human resource management. John Wiley & Sons.
Viitala, R., Kultalahti, S. and Kangas, H., 2017. Does strategic leadership development feature in
managers’ responses to future HRM challenges?. Leadership & Organization
Development Journal.
Online:
Dorchester Hotel. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
https://www.dorchestercollection.com/en/london/the-dorchester/
Lye, P., 2007. Human resource issues in Hosipitality Industry. [Online]. Available through: <
https://www.4hoteliers.com/features/article/2205>
Willmore, S. 2019. HR Trends. [Online]. Available through:
https://www.traveldailymedia.com/hr-trends-2019/
Maria, 2017. Emerging trends and challenges in HRM. [Online]. Available through:
https://blog.essaycorp.com/emerging-trends-and-challenges-in-human-resource-
management/
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