A28488 - Managing Human Resources: Huntsman Hotel Case Study Analysis

This report analyzes the human resource management challenges within the Huntsman Hotel, a case study highlighting issues such as employee competence, high staff turnover, lack of a formal wage and promotion structure, favoritism, and motivational deficiencies. The analysis identifies key problems, including leadership styles, lack of employee engagement, and the absence of effective training and development programs. The report recommends several solutions, including company positioning to attract skilled employees, employer branding to create a positive workplace image, the implementation of employee retention programs, and streamlining the job application process. Furthermore, the report suggests prioritizing recruitment, involving all departmental heads in the hiring process, and implementing comprehensive training and development programs to enhance employee skills and knowledge. The report also emphasizes the importance of motivational strategies, leadership development, and fostering employee engagement to improve overall hotel performance and achieve the company's strategic objectives, such as expanding its market presence and potentially attracting a takeover.

Running head: MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCE A28488 1
Managing Human Resources A28488
Name
Institution

MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES A28488 2
INTRODUCTION
The hospitality industry involves being around people, i.e. the guests and employees serving
them. Considering the fact there is a lot of competition, the human resources department faces
many problems. It is the responsibility of the Human Resource Manager to mitigate these
challenges using preventive measures. This paper will discuss various people issues in the
hospitality sector in the cases study and the role that should be played by the HRM to find
solutions to these problems. Consideration will be on essential factors such as leadership, team
building, motivation, and planning and employee engagement. Having the right person for the
job is crucial (Nickson 2006). Various areas are essential to the Human Resource Management
such as recruitment and selection of new employees.
Part 1
Identification of main HR issues in the case study using relevant theory
The employees that are employed in a hotel can transform and the quality of service and the
entire working environment. This means that the HRM need to be careful and hire people with
good knowledge about food and drinks among other factors required in the hospitality sector
such as being hardworking and dedicated towards the work. The human resource managers
should ensure that good employees are chosen. It isn't unlikely to find employees working in
certain hotels just because they cannot find work elsewhere. In the Huntsman Hotel plc, there are
many employees who lack competence are employed because they are family members with the
owner (DeNisi & Griffin 2001). This has reduced the quality of service of the workers and the
main reasons for cancellation of bookings within short notice which has to damage the reputation
of the company and causing frustration among the staff.

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Retention is another issue faced by the human resource management. There are some employees
who only want to work for a short period, and others are terminated due to substandard work
ethics and poor performance. It is the work of the HRM to motivate employees to perform well
and stay longer through the provision of good training and incentive programs. There is a high
rate of turnover of staff in Huntsman Hotel and especially that of the senior management team.
This has been brought by owners' lack of human resources management skills. The Hotel also
lacks a proper framework for salary increment, and this seems to be de-motivating the employees
(DeNisi & Griffin 2001).
The issue of employee promotion is essential for success in the hotel industry. Hotels which have
ways of advancing employees skills by training them so that they can add skills necessary for
advancement in their career are vital in increasing the retention rate of employees. It is important
for the management to perform such services since the expense incurred is minimal in
comparison with the expense in the constantly hiring and training new employees. Huntsman
Hotel plc has a problem retaining its employees. The hotel does not have a promotion strategy in
place. The company has no formalized wage structure and promotions are made on ‘ad-hoc' basis
usually when there is the need to reward loyalty or prevent an employee from leaving. Regular
promotions are decided by the human resource management together with help from supervisors.
‘ad-hoc' type of promotions means there is no set framework for promotions (Nickson 2006).
Workers in Huntsman Hotel have accused the top management of the company of favoritism.
The top management consists of Giuseppe's inner circle and family members who hold the senior
positions. Junior employees feel they are being sidelined by the senior management since they
are usually blamed for problems that might occur.

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Human resources management is essential to employee services. If the employees feel they can
approach the human resource team in case of issues, then it is easier for them to work in a good
atmosphere. Human resource departments usually have various activities to make the workplace
more interesting and fun for the employees. There some options a human resource manager can
choose from to make improve the employee morale. Ways for the human resource management
can sue to ensure smooth running and performance include proper recruitment, training and
development, motivation, leadership and employee engagement in decision making
(Minchington 2010). There is a big problem in Huntsman hotel due to the culture of them and us
against the management. This has led to the division between management and employees and
has led to underperformance and lack of morale.
There are motivational issues in Huntsman Hotel plc. The management should under people are
different and the need to have an individual relationship with each employee. The human
resource management should understand the content theory and process theory. The content
theory also known as Maslow theory is suitable for hospitality situations and outline the five
needs which include physiological needs, security, affiliation needs, esteem needs and self-
actualization needs. According to contingency theory, the manager must consider all the aspects
of the situation in the present. The human resource in Huntsman feels that the top management
does not have a motivational approach. Consequently, the staff is dissatisfied due to lack of
communication between the higher authorities and them (Minchington 2010). The employees do
complain that their performance is not well rated by Huntsman hotel. The use content and
process theory and not much help in today world, therefore, Vroom theory are much applied. It is
implemented to ensure the satisfaction of employees, and it encourages the use of motivational
forces to increase the performance standards of the staff. The Huntsman Hotel does not have

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employee recognition program. There need be a program to reward an employee who performs
well.
There are leadership issues in Huntsman hotel and the theory used is authoritarian leadership
despite the fact that the leader has no human values. Giuseppe himself makes most of the
decisions, and there is a flat structure. The success of the entire Human Resource management is
dependent on employee engagement. Huntsman Hotel lacks employee engagement which is a
key constituent in achieving high-quality performance at individual, team and organizational
level (Nickson 2006).
Task 2
Recommendation in developing human resources
There are various recommendations addressed to solve the problems realized in Huntsman Hotel.
In this case, Jacques has the task of ensuring that the hotel is running smoothly and performing
effectively and efficiently. The following steps can be followed to ensure smooth operations. The
steps to be followed should ensure the employees are happy and have a favorable work
environment. It should also ensure the following aims are met:
 To enhance the competitive advantage of Huntsman Hotel
 To increase its market into Europe
 To help development of strategic partnerships
 To invite a takeover by a larger group in the next few years
The recommendations to be addressed should be in such a way that they are in line with
organization's core values. The following values include:

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 Provision of excellent levels of customer services
 Provision of clean and comfortable environment for employees and the customers
 Recruitment and retention of excellent staff
 Support and development of program so enable staff to realize their full potential
 To continuously improve all business aspects
 To ensure proper maintenance of the hotel infrastructure
Recommendations
Company Positioning
The company should try to attract skilled and talented employees by advertising the benefits and
services to the potential HRs. It will make it possible to attract managers who speak French as
needed. Jacques should conduct regular job evaluation survey to keep the staff competitive. The
human resource manager should act on advancement for opportunities, working conditions, and
benefits. Apart from company positioning, the human resource manager should introduce
promotional programs (Aswathappa 2005).
Employer Branding
The company should be branded as an employer which is usually the image of the company as a
great workplace. Employer branding should be beyond HR interests. Huntsman hotel should take
some events or processes. For example, they should have staff engagement program, promote
work-life balance and quality of work programs and this will market the market to the targeted
talent market. The hotel should also highlight its corporate traditions and culture to potential
candidates.

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Promoting Employee Retention Programs
Have staff retention programs can help reduce employee turnover and also stimulates potential
employees. When the employees are retained, they are satisfied, and this means that they have a
good word for the employers. Huntsman hotel should formulate sufficient after employment
security and long-term programs on financial programs. Such programs include insurance,
pension program, and profit sharing schemes and they help deal with the issue of employee
turnover. They should also consider short-term financial and non-financial incentives such as
performance bonus, free lunch, transportation among others which encourage new employees to
stay. The hotel should understand that staff retention is cost effective as it saves the cost of
training and recruitment (Aswathappa 2005).
Promoting job Application Process
One of the major concerns of human resource managers is the proximity swiftness of recruitment
procedures. Since Jacques has only four weeks, the job application process should be fast, easy,
adaptive and flexible. There should be E-recruitment or online recruitment which is fast. They
should use apply social and professional online networks like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
which are free and cover a large area hence the probability of getting best talents. Jacques should
ensure that the company has good social network skills act as recruitment finder.
Prioritization Recruitment as HR Strategic Activity
Due to the emergence of new systems, the HR is presented with new opportunities and
challenges. It has become challenging to review needs and priorities of staff due to the dynamism
of the market. Jacques should use valued customers as for the source of recruitment and use the

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existing staff to refer potential employees. After the success of such a strategy, the company
should ensure that it appreciates the efforts of those involved (Pattanayak 2005).
Recruitment
It is an essential process in the human resources management, and there are several steps to be
followed. It involves finding the right the suitable candidates and then short-listing the
candidates for final interview. Jacques should ensure that all the departmental heads are involved
in the recruitment and selection process to boost confidence and the right employee being hired.
Since Jacques has only four months, the company can decide to hire a recruitment agency to
shortlist the most suitable candidates. The HR should ensure there is no favoritism as earlier
witnessed (Ivancevich 2004).
Training and development
There should program to enhance the knowledge and inform them about trends and change in
policies in the hotel sector. Training also improves the confidence of workers in their daily tasks
and consequently benefits the hotel due to the consistency of the quality services. The Huntsman
lacks training and development programs, and the employees don't have faith in standard
operating procedures (Barrow and Mosley2011). For example, there are no promotion
procedures and the senior management favors some staff to others. The HR need to implement
proper training programs.
Motivation
It is the driving force that leads to the realization of goals and therefore it is an essential aspect of
the human resource management. There various motivational theories that Jacques can adopt to

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motivates the hotel staff. Motivation can be described as the inner force that drives individuals to
realize organizational goals and their personal goals. These motivational theories that can be
used include:
 The content theory also known as the Maslow theory can be used in the hospitality sector
and outlines fives needs which are physiological needs, security, affiliation, and self-
actualization and esteem needs. It focuses on the needs of people as the main impetus for
motivated behavior (Ivancevich 2004).
 Process theory it deals mostly with the mental process which changes the motivational
force through a particular framework of behavior. Vroom says that motivational forces
drive the results and performances of workers. According to Maslow, it is essential for
the basic needs to be met to be motivated. After the organization has fulfilled the basic
needs of its employees, it can better manage its employees for motivation, training, and
delegation of responsibility.
Risks of the above recommendations
The above recommendations are good but will take the time to be affected especially with the
fact that Huntsman hotel has many people issues to be solved. Also, the cost of deploying these
recommendations is high. The company needs to devise a strategy to ensure these
recommendations are successfully adopted.
Rewards of the recommendations
Proper recruitment of staff will lead to excellent customer services to the guest, and this means
that the company will regain its competitive edge. The motivation the high qualified workers
means that the rate of staff turnover will be reduced. The support programs will help the staff

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realize their full potential and advance in their careers. The increase in competency levels of all
the stakeholders of the hotel and the favorable working conditions will improve all aspects of the
Huntsman hotel (Ivancevich 2004). These recommendations when fully adopted will increase the
quality of services and products of the company. The staff will be retained, and this means the
competitive advantage of the company will be enhanced.
Task 3
The wider implications for employees relating to the management of people at Huntsman
Hotel
Employee Turnover
The company relies on the human resources to realize its competitive advantage. The practices
adopted such as promotions and training will reduce the rate of the staff turnover in Huntsman
hotel. The employees will be happy since they can also advance their career goals due to the
training programs available. The number of highly qualified staff will increase due to the
efficient selection and recruitment process. The employees will be trained better, and the
company will also realize value for its human capital investment. Employees can now enjoy job
security and enjoy financial incentives.
Effects on the employee's attitudes
The good human resources practices by Jacques will play an important role in enhancing the
staff attitudes and behavior. The high-performance work practices such as promotion and labor-
management participation teams will lead to employee development enhancing their retention.
This improves their attitude towards the company leading to high performance. The high-
performance human resources practices will enhance the service capacity due to the good

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selection policies, training practices, competitive awards and empowerment of staff in decision
making. This, in the end, will provide enough support to employees' consequently satisfying
clients and perform their operations (Pattanayak 2005).
Conclusion
It is evident that among the HRM functions, recruitment in the most crucial and shows the
various HRM practices in the labor market. Recruitment is considered a relationship process
whose main aim is to develop a bond between an organization and potential job market.
Effective recruitment will reduce cost, enhance quality and help save time. The issues in the
Huntsman Hotel plc can be solved, and the employee's satisfaction level be enhanced considered
if the recommended factors are followed, and the theories adopted in the specific areas of
employee dissatisfaction. When the employees are well motivated, there will be optimum
performance, and the hotel will realize its goals. The company competitive edge will be
enhanced and will favorably compete with its competitors. The created sources of recruitment
will create a balance between the provision and demand of workforce in the organization. To
make Huntsman hotel more attractive in the labor market, the policies and functions should be
well developed.

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References
Aswathappa, K. (2005). Human Resource and Personnel Management. Tata McGraw-Hill
Education.
Barrow, S. and Mosley, R. (2011). The employer brand: Bringing the best of brand management
to people at work. John Wiley & Sons.
DeNisi, S. & Griffin, W. (2001). Human Resource Management, Houghton Mifflin Company.
Ivancevich, J.(2004). Human resource Management, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company
Limited.
Minchington, B. (2010). Employer Brand Leadership –A Global Perspective, Collective
Learning Australia
Nickson, D. (2006). Human Resource Management for the Hospitality and Tourism Industries,
Butterworth Heinemann.
Pattanayak, B. (2005). Human Resource Management, Prentice Hall of Indian Private limited.