Hotels and hospitality are defined by their people. It’s a customer-driven industry, and the people within the business are the key to success. If a hospitality business takes care of its staff, then they will look after the clients. Happy clients lead to a growing, thriving business. You get the idea. But while the role of HR in some other businesses might seem simple, there are a few differences for this vibrant and ever-changing industry. So, what is the role of HR in hospitality, and how can your business use it to succeed?
Recruitment And Training
There is never a shortage of people willing and ready to work in the hospitality industry – but that doesn’t mean you should just hire anyone. Your HR department is there to assess exactly what your business needs, create a job description for a new employee and then go on a recruitment drive to find the right person for it. They can then support management through the interview and hiring process, make sure that all the training materials have been created and oversee the training and integration of a new employee into the team.
Morale And Mentoring
The HR department is the champion of employee morale, making sure all employees feel looked after and treated well by their employer so that they provide the best service to the customers. This means acting as a mentor to help employees learn and grow, creating programmes to keep employees engaged in the business and helping them achieve their own goals. Happy employees mean happy customers in hospitality, and while it’s managements job to handle the day to day job satisfaction, HR puts the framework, tools and support in place to make it happen.
The Legal Bits
Making sure employees are protected from dangerous or illegal employment practices and keeping the business safe from employee complaints is a pretty big responsibility for the HR department. And because hospitality is such a high turnover industry that mostly works on shifts, keeping everything balances between employees is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Your HR department is there to make sure everyone is treated legally and fairly, and no one feels they are being discriminated against.
At the moment, HR is a particularly important role, since 43% of UK’s hospitality workforce is made up of foreign nationals. So hospitality businesses need to be aware of the current political climate and what impact it might have on their workforce. Another thing that impacts hospitality more than other sectors is the age of their workers. 2% of people who work in hospitality are under 21. This could be due to many things, from the rising cost of tuition fees to students wanting a temporary, flexible job to fund their travels. But with a young workforce comes a range of HR issues, including maximum working hours, different minimum and National Living wages and so on. So when it comes to managing the legal bits of employees within hospitality, your HR department is your best friend.
The Strategic Partner
In a nutshell, HR is all about people management. In this role, HR becomes a strategic partner for hospitality businesses. As the organisation grows or shrinks, the HR department will be there to provide support in employee growth plans and recruitment, or in implementing any downsizing that needs to be done. Your HR department also keeps a close eye on the costs of employing staff and running the people focussed elements business, making them a key strategic part of any hospitality business.
Of course, not every business chooses to hire someone on staff to manage their HR needs. Whether that’s due to lack of budget or simply not being able to take on more permanent staff, it’s not uncommon. But rather than go without HR support alltogether, there is another option. At AJ HR Solutions, we specialise in providing outsourced HR support for all types of hospitality business. With our help, you can benefit from a fully-fledged HR department at a fraction of the cost of hiring staff, that will become a part of your extended team. For more information on how we could help your hospitality business with happy employees, just get in touch with us today.
