Employability Skills Development: A Travelodge Hotel Case Study

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students. This report analyzes employability skills at Travelodge.

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Employability
skills

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Contents
TABLE OF FIGURE....................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................3
TASK 1....................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 DEVELOP A SET OF OWN RESPONSIBILITIES AND PERFORMANCE
OBJECTIVES..........................................................................................................4
1.2 EVALUATE OWN EFFECTIVENESS AGAINST DEFINED OBJECTIVES. .6
1.3 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT.............................................8
1.4 MOTIVATIONAL TECHNIQUES...................................................................9
TASK 2..................................................................................................................... 12
2.1 SOLUTIONS TO THE WORK BASED PROBLEMS......................................12
2.2 FORMAL LETTER AND MEMO.....................................................................14
2.3 TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES.............................................................16
TASK 3..................................................................................................................... 17
3.1 ROLES OF PEOPLE IN THE TEAM...............................................................17
3.2 TEAM DYNAMICS..........................................................................................18
3.3 ALTERNATIVE METHODS.............................................................................20
TASK 4..................................................................................................................... 21
4.1 DEVELOP SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS WITH THE HELP OF TOOLS AND
METHODS.............................................................................................................21
4.2 APPROPRIATE STRATEGY FOR LABOUR TURNOVER............................22
4.3 POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION..................23
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................24
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................25

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TABLE OF FIGURE
Figure 1 Maslow's need theory.................................................................................10
Figure 2 McClelland’s Theory of Motivation..............................................................11

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INTRODUCTION
This assignment provides us with the opportunity to develop and determine the
understanding of the responsibilities and roles of the employees at the workplace.
The individual's skills related to the employability is identified and analysed in this
particular project report. In this particular project, the case study of the Travelodge
hotel is been taken into consideration and the personal performance and
responsibilities of the housekeeping manager are identified and analysed. The
interpersonal and the transferable skills are also identified that will be employed for
the development of the solutions to the problems that are work-based.
A variety of styles for solving the problems arising at different levels are also
identified and analysed along with the determination of effective time management
strategies. Further, in the project, the dynamics of the group working is evaluated
along with the team dynamic analysis. In the last segment, the method and tools that
should be employed for the solution development in the Travelodge are analysed so
as to support the individual in the organisation.

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TASK 1
1.1 DEVELOP A SET OF OWN RESPONSIBILITIES AND PERFORMANCE
OBJECTIVES
Hygiene and cleanliness is a very important aspect in Travelodge hotel, therefore,
compliance with the hygiene standards are very important. If the hotel is not cleaned
properly, it is unappealing and also is indicated towards the hazards related to the
safety and health to the guest staying at the hotel and also the employees working
there (Abrate and Viglia, 2016). So it the duty of the hotel housekeeping manager to
manage the employees working in the housekeeping department to keep the hotel
clean, tidy and overall in good shape (Akgunduz, 2015).
Job title
Housekeeping manager at Travelodge.
Department
Housekeeping department of Travelodge.
Job description
As a housekeeping manager in the Travelodge hotel, I have to oversee the
operations of the housekeeping department. My job responsibilities comprises of the
hiring the human resources and training them, creating the staff schedules,
purchasing the supplies and equipment used for the purpose of cleaning, providing
services to the guest who have some specific requirements related to the
housekeeping thing (Choi and Peng, 2015), maintaining the coordination with the
other department managers of the Travelodge for their housekeeping needs and
performing the cleaning tasks at the time of employees crisis or if the staff haven't
shown up the workload is high (Akgunduz, 2015).
Skills possessed
In general, as a manager, I am required to have a high school diploma or its
equivalent. And in the Travelodge hotel, I was required the bachelor's degree in the
hotel management which I have. I have also pursued the training and certification

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course from the International Executive Housekeeping Association, which is a
professional association for the managers of the housekeeping and the facilities
(Collet et al., 2015).
As a housekeeping manager the skills possessed by me are:
 Coordination i.e. adjustment of the actions with respect to other actions in the
Travelodge hotel.
 Management of the personnel resources i.e. motivating, directing, developing
the human resources working in the housekeeping department of Travelodge and
also identifying the suitable and best candidate for the job.
 Management of time i.e. designing and developing the schedules for the
workers, managing the work shifts for everyone and making sure the work is
done on time.
 Good communication skills i.e. having good listening and speaking skills which
helps in effective and efficient communication with the staff of the housekeeping
department of the Travelodge as well as the managers of the other department.
 Reading comprehensions i.e. understanding the written documents and the
instructions in an exact manner it is been written.
 Instructing i.e. giving the clear and precise instructions to the staff in the
housekeeping department of the Travelodge.
The officer who reported to you
All the staff working in the housekeeping department of the Travelodge hotel reports
to me.

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1.2 EVALUATE OWN EFFECTIVENESS AGAINST DEFINED OBJECTIVES
The manager’s job is not very easy as the manager should be aware of the staff
working under him and should have the complete knowledge of the job descriptions
of the job concerning the housekeeping responsibilities of the staff working in the
department (Collet et al., 2015). As a manager, I am able to communicate and
coordinate with the employees and the guest in an effective manner. I have excellent
self-knowledge and understanding of the behaviour and expressions of the human
behaviour and also as a manager, I am able to identify one's own strength and
weakness which helps in the allotment of the work to the staff as per their expertise
and skill (Erdem and Jiang, 2016).
For providing the offhand services to the guest related to the housekeeping services
at Travelodge, I am responsible to maintain the cleanliness and hygiene in the hotel
as well as the rooms and the lounge area. For ensuring the same, I held a meeting
with the staff members on the weekly basis and reminds the staff members their
roles and responsibilities and also their time schedules of work (Morden, 2016).
The effectiveness of the defined objective by the Travelodge hotel is as follows:
Acceptance of the responsibility of self-job
Being the housekeeping manager of the Travelodge hotel, the main responsibility is
to perform all the responsibilities mentioned in the job description prescribed by the
hotel (Moss, 2018). The work done should be in accordance with the standards set
by the hotel in order to provide the guest and the customers with quality services. I
also attended some of the training and the developments programs conducted by the
hotel in order to provide quality services to the guest (Moss, 2018).
Self-job management
The main job of the housekeeping department is to maintain the hygiene and
cleanliness in the hotel and also to meet the demands and expectations of the
customers (Natvig and Stark, 2016). The housekeeping manager is responsible for
maintaining the time management i.e. all the work should be done within the
allocated time and also in accordance to the quality standards set by the Travelodge
so as to help in maintaining the value of the services of the Travelodge, for which the
hotel is known for (Natvig and Stark, 2016).

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Maintaining the safety of the guest
The safety of the guest with respect to the health and hygiene is of utmost
importance for the hotel, therefore the main role for the same is of the housekeeping
department (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2015). The
level of the cleanliness and the health and safety concern of the hotel helps in the
creating a good value and image of the hotel which also results in the customer
loyalty of the customers (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,
2015).
Managing changes
As a housekeeping manager, it is my responsibility to keep up with the demands of
the customers (Rowley and Ramasamy, 2016). There are few guests who have their
own demands related to the hygiene and safety of their accommodation there I make
sure that my team is ready for fulfilling the demands made by them and also other
impulsive changes in the Travelodge (Rowley and Ramasamy, 2016).

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1.3 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT
The recommendations mentioned are for the improvement of the services in the
Travelodge hotel:
 The team formation should be done as per the level of the skill and expertise of
the person. Different teams should be formed for the different areas and each
team consist of the staff members of different level of expertise and skills
(Senaratne and Gunawardane, 2015).
 Staff members should be given clear and precise instructions so that they are
aware of their responsibilities and are able to prioritise their work (Tan, 2016).
 There should be some employee engagement activities like the group activities
and the simulation exercise which helps in the encouragement of the employees
which results in the enhancement of the performance and also the employees
feel that they belong to the Travelodge (Senaratne and Gunawardane, 2015).
 The review management technique should be employed so that the individual
response can be identified with respect to the changes (Tan, 2016).
 The opportunities should be evaluated in a better manner and pros and cons for
each opportunity should be noted and then the best one should be selected
(Serra and Kunc, 2015).
 Personal practices should be used in the way that it helps in the enhancement of
the performance done by the employees and the quality of work is improved
(Tan, 2016).
 The goals and objectives set should be SMART in nature i.e. it should be
specific, measurable, achievable, reliable and the timely (Serra and Kunc, 2015).

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1.4 MOTIVATIONAL TECHNIQUES
Motivation is the reason which helps in defining the people's action, goals and
willingness to work. It can be defined as the combination of the spirit, productiveness
and the performance of the work of the employees. These motivational factors help
in the enhancement of the work done by the employees and also they are
encouraged to give their best in the Travelodge (Fallatah and Syed, 2018). For
keeping the employees motivated, there are various theories that help in keeping
their employees motivated. The theories adopted by me are:
Maslow’s need hierarchy theory
One of the best motivational theory is the Maslow's need hierarchy theory which
says that the actions of the humans are motivated as per their needs. The theory is
displayed in the form of the pyramid having the lowest level representing the
physiological needs followed by the safety needs, belongingness needs, and self-
esteem needs and at the top, it is the need of self-actualisation (Fallatah and Syed,
2018).
As per the belief of the Maslow, these needs are very much similar to the instincts
and plays a huge role when it comes to the motivation of the people. The lower level
needs i.e. the physiological needs, security needs, social needs, self-esteem needs
are termed as the deficiency needs which is the result of the deprivation and the
fulfilment of these needs are really important so as to avoid the feeling of
dissatisfaction from the employees. The highest level of the pyramid is called the
growth needs and this need is the result of the desire of the person to grow in both
the personal and professional life (Fallatah and Syed, 2018).
Therefore in order to reach the top level of the pyramid, one need to cross each and
every level. Therefore providing the people benefits and rewards that will help in the
accomplishment of the needs in the pyramid will result in the high level of motivation
in the employees (Fallatah and Syed, 2018).

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Figure 1 Maslow's need theory
Source: [Fallatah and Syed, 2018]
MCCLELLAND’S HUMAN MOTIVATION THEORY
The theory is given by the psychologist in America who studied the way in which the
people satisfy their needs. As per David, people are like the motivating drivers that
are linked to the needs in both direct and indirect ways despite their gender, age,
race or culture (Rybnicek et al., 2017). Types of motivational needs that are
identified are:
Need for achievement
Everyone working in the world is wishing to accomplish something or other in their
life. This can be anything, a well-paid job, a good career etc. and the author
conducted to the study which acts as the driver of the motivation to achieve
something (Rybnicek et al., 2017).
Need for power
People having the desire for power are the one who attracts the great value for
attaining status, recognition and reputation. This type of person enjoys the
competition as well as winning. The need of the power is of two types i.e. personal
and institutional power i.e. a desire to have control over others and the willingness to
organise the efforts of the person in the organisation (Rybnicek et al., 2017).
Need for affiliation
Need of belongingness in important as everyone wants to belong somewhere. When
the need is high, the people want to get liked and for that, they will work as per the

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behaviour of the group. For the same, they will be cooperative instead of being
competitive. Therefore the need for affiliation and the power don't go hand in hand
(Rybnicek et al., 2017).
Figure 2 McClelland’s Theory of Motivation
Source: [Rybnicek et al., 2017]