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Human Resource
SWOT analysis
Modern-day HR training in hospitality gets more humane than
ever as it tries to strike a balance between imparting technical knowledge and
emotional support to employees for them to deal with the work environment better.
By Sanjeev Bhar
Photos credit: PT Education, PACT session |
The Human Resources (HR) department in hospitality is getting
revived to make it more potent and effective to raise motivation levels throughout
the organisation. In order to achieve this, training directors are keenly looking
at identifying the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) of employees,
which directly translates into output.
Identification of training schedules for employees therefore becomes crucial
to achieve the company's goals. Focus on individuals then becomes top priority.
According to Zubin Ghiara, director (training) at Sarovar Hotels, it is vital
to ensure that the focus of training should be individuals. "This can be
achieved by getting to know the individuals in the team, assessing each one's
potential and conducting scientific training-need analysis specific to the individual,"
he says.
Ghiara adds that the employee's potential can be identified by a thorough cross-exposure
training at higher levels with specific assignments that go beyond regular job
descriptions (example, departmental training), case studies to assess their
ability to take decisions and justify them, and involving them in decision-making
process.
| Anil Sehgal, head (operations) HR of The Metropolitan
Hotel New Delhi says, "The formal ways are more statistics-oriented
and informal ways are more observant in nature. As a tool, we have a set
of questionnaire (not detailed), which we get filled at the time of hiring
an employee and take the help of the questionnaire as and when required.
The data is kept strictly confidential."
Organisations have understood that emotional quotient
has a strong impact on the result and it is considered at par with intelligence
quotient. Some methods followed in this regard are:
- Feedback session with new employees after the first 10 days
- Monthly departmental meetings with staff and GM
- Involvement of staff in monthly HR initiatives
- Continuous growth and learning through training and development
Information garnered from the above is evaluated
and steps are taken to take care of the emotional aspect of employees.
Seniors, colleagues, guest comments and general observations by the non-departmental
seniors broadly help to calculate employee potential. Pushpinder Kumar,
VP & GM of Uppal’s Orchid - An Ecotel Hotel, opines, "Even
group (social) activities help bring out positives about staff like initiative,
team spirit, energy levels, innovativeness, etc. While it should not be
seen as if the staff is under scrutiny all the time, it is certain that
in a sector like hospitality, a 24x7 approach for the 'best' is a must."
Meanwhile, Anil Sharma, MD of AVA Merchandising,
believes that sometimes it is difficult in a young company because everyone
has high energy levels and everyone wants to do well and shows enthusiasm."
But, he adds, HR managers need to use their scientific tools to assess,
which include peer group reactions, EQ tests, and involvement levels at
official and social functions. It seems hospitality has figured out a
clear understanding about addressing HR-related issues by striking the
emotional chord of employees with a humane training approach.
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Physical quotient
Training is also viewed as need-based. Anil Sehgal, head (operations), HR at
The Metropolitan Hotel New Delhi, says, "Some of the HR programmes are
department-oriented and technical in nature. Therefore, employee training should
focus on the final outcome desired from them."
There are some formal and informal ways as follows to go about it:
Formal ways
- Data on employee grievance
- Data on guest feedback, specifically on employees
- Data on employee turnover
- Data on employee suggestions
- Data on overall attendance and punctuality
- Data on employee discipline
- Data on regular meetings with employees, etc.
Informal ways
Getting feedback on various aspects of the service conditions from
an employee during informal meetings viz. routine rounds of the department
feedback received from other staff members.
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Nevertheless, HR activities use various physical aspects
to judge an individuals' capacity (or SW of SWOT). Ghiara lists some outdoor
activities that can throw light on vital leads:
- Games and sports: Team work
- Outdoor training: Exposure to other operations,
solution finding
- Talent contests: Identifying and utilising
talents of juniors and colleagues effectively
- Dental camp: Personal hygiene
- Cafeteria theme lunches: Planning and organisation
skills
- Street cleaning campaigns: Community service
 Need-based
training is scheduled on the basis of identified strengths and weaknesses of
employees. Informs Sehgal, "It is scheduled during probationary and during
annual assessment period. In the former, the focus is on the employee's Key
Results Areas (KRA) and training input provided is based on strengths and weaknesses
specified. The latter is based on performance assessment by the employee's immediate
superior."
The cross-training requirement for an employee provides vertical as well as
horizontal growth patterns. Such training requirement is also part of the regular
training programme of many organisations. Pushpinder Kumar, VP and GM at Uppal's
Orchid - An Ecotel Hotel, says, "Someone may be better at communication
while another may be good at strategising and planning. These aspects are keenly
noticed and people are utilised accordingly to get the best team output."
Aviation and retail come close to hospitality as far as employee skills are
concerned. Anil Sharma, managing director of AVA Merchandising, an in-flight
retailing venture is of the opinion that as in hospitality, employees in aviation
and retail need to have great communication skills and technology knowledge
(software for call centres, inventory management, etc). Therefore, the tools
to identify employee strengths overlap by and large.
| Kerala has launched another ambitious programme for
the development of HR in tourism. Titled Let's Learn, the programme aims
at capacity building and skill upgradation of personnel involved in travel
and hospitality. Designed by leading HR institutions with inputs from consultants
and the trade, the course includes specially developed modules spanning
a wide range of areas pertinent to tour operations and the hospitality industry.
To be conducted by experts in the field, based on the syllabus approved
by Kerala Tourism, Let's Learn will be held every year during June-August.
This year, the programme will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode
for the convenience of participants. |
Further, there is a two-way approach that guides the training schedule. Either
an employee is nurtured as a multi-skill professional or their training is focused
as need-based. AVA Merchandising focuses on the latter. Sharma says, "We
need to have focus of training differently for different groups because of different
skill set needs and technology requirements. A training programme for the call
centre team is different from that of warehouse management team."
But beyond the departmental specifics, the HR department's effort to bring out
the best among the employees is pretty much common in hospitality. The training
schedule approach differs in a major way. Ghiara adds, "A structured and
scientific process of Training Need Analysis where each employee is assessed
against knowledge and skill required to perform at their level, help us plan
their training."
Balance in work life
Opportunities and threats that employees may face in the job are identified
through their emotional side and their mental aptitude. Abha Anand, VP (HRG)
at PT Education, says, "Motivation upliftment sessions are vital in order
to improve productivity level, humane touch in work attitude and conducive office
environment offer cushion to employees in the workplace." The mental aptitude
training focuses on the formal and informal ways to check the motivation level
of employees.
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