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Cultivating a Dynamic and Fulfilled Workforce in the Hospitality Industry

By Cynthia Schuler Principal, IntegriStar HR Consulting | October 2024

It is critical for the hospitality industry to employ and retain a dynamic and fulfilled workforce. A very large percentage of hospitality industry employees were furloughed during the global pandemic, and the industry is still challenged with successfully returning to pre-pandemic level staffing. It is important more now than ever for the industry to move forward with innovative ways to hire and retain talent.

As background, the hospitality industry is comprised of three different areas -- accommodations, food and beverage, and travel. Accommodations are related to the actual places that customers stay temporarily. Food and beverages are provided by multiple establishments such as fast-food establishments, hotels, and restaurants. And travel and tourism are the means by which people travel such as airplane, car, or cruise ship.

The Importance of Cultivating an Engaged and Fulfilled Workforce

The hospitality industry services a diverse customer base and it is critical for organizations in the industry to cultivate a dynamic and fulfilled workforce for several reasons:

  1. Employees who are satisfied are more likely to stay with an organization, and if effective strategies are implemented, organizations will be able to improve job satisfaction and retention which reduces the cost of recruiting and retaining new employees as a result of turnover.
  2. Employees who are satisfied and happy will provide a level of customer service to guests that goes above and beyond the expected level of service and will be more productive and effective. This enhances brand, reputation, and brings new customers and retains current customers. Positive reputations also attract talent.
  3. Promoting employee well-being will reduce the risk of liability.
  4. Promoting employee development will assist in employee satisfaction and retention.

Current Challenges in the Hospitality Industry

So how does the hospitality industry achieve the goal of cultivating a dynamic workforce when the challenges in the industry include labor shortages, employee turnover, lack of talent who have specific skill sets (digital competency, customer service skills and the ability to adapt and adjust as necessary?) In addition, with a hybrid workforce, areas such as the reservation desk, customer service and other administrative positions can be remote, making things more complicated.

There are several ways to tackle the current challenges above. Some of those areas are:

  1. Engaging and empowering employees.
  2. Providing employees with training and development.
  3. Providing work-life balance.
  4. Fostering diverse and inclusive work environments.

Engaging and Empowering Employees

In an effort to engage employees, organizations must encourage alignment of those values with employee values. Leaders must embrace the organization’s values and display the behavior’s associated with those values to show employees they are valued and supported. Open dialogue through employee meetings or “all hands meetings” where all employees are invited to listen to an update on the organization’s financial status, how they are looking against competitors, etc. are important. Asking employees for their feedback on how to improve upon certain things or giving them the autonomy to make decisions in their own departments contribute to empowerment.

When employees are engaged and empowered, they are more productive and efficient. If an employee is happy and fulfilled, they are more likely to go above and beyond to provide an experience for a customer that will lead to customer loyalty. Customers will return to an organization or establishment, and they will talk to others about their experience. That enhances brand reputation and business for the organization.

In addition, word of mouth is powerful. When employees speak highly of the organization for which they work, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and customers listen. Customers return to an establishment where they see the employees are engaged and feel empowered to deliver their best performance. They also tell others about their experience. And if there are happy employees who are talking about their happiness with an organization, that speaks to the organization’s commitment to their mission and values.

Training and Development

Providing training and development opportunities in addition to creating career opportunities and paths for employees is another way to cultivate a dynamic and fulfilled workforce. Providing learning opportunities for employees to gain additional skills is critical for employees to feel fulfilled. As stated earlier, there is a challenge to find employees with specific skill sets. Developing a technology training program or a customer service training program are ways to train and upskill those potential hires who may not have polished skills in either area.

Allowing for and providing cross-training to employees not only enhances the skill sets of employees, but it also helps organizations when they are short on talent in a specific area or they are in need of succession planning. And while we know that there is a challenge retaining employees, providing leadership training or conducting leadership retreats for those employees who are in leadership positions or who are potential leaders is a way to retain current employees. Most employees would rather stay with an organization who cares about their growth enough to provide training than to leave and find another job or career with another organization. Grooming future leaders is succession planning, and it puts an organization in a great place when employees retire or leave unexpectedly.

Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is very important to employees – especially to employees in the hospitality industry. Generally, the hospitality industry is known for its demanding schedules and high stress environment. Organizations should think about offering the flexibility to swap shifts (i.e., empowering employees with the ability to collaborate with their colleagues if a shift swap is necessary.) If possible, allow employees to choose the shift that works best for them. The creation of job sharing for employees who may want or need to work part-time is also another way to build a dynamic workforce who will be fulfilled. If the organization is willing to understand the need for a part-time schedule or a schedule that does not run a full shift from morning to evening or evening to morning, employees will likely appreciate the fact that the organization understands and wants to create work-life balance for their people.

Allowing employees to take time off is another way to build trust with them and help create that work-life balance. Many employees are caring for loved ones and need to really be away from work when they are away from work. In addition, when an employee is on vacation, those employees who have cross-trained or who have been upskilled or re-skilled can step in confidently and allow the employee for whom they are covering to really take time off. Encouraging employees to use their vacation time and to not be worried about logging on to check email or checking in with a team on a daily basis shows that the leadership of the organization cares about allowing employees to completely detach when they have taken time off.

Fostering Diverse and Inclusive Environments

Saying that an organization supports diversity and is inclusive is one thing. Displaying the behavior with how employees are treated is key. When employees feel included and their voice is heard (no matter their background, gender, age, or socio-economic status), a sense of belonging begins to develop. When employees feel that sense of belonging, they will be motivated to engage and to produce for the organization.

A reputation for having a dynamic and inclusive work culture will also assist organizations in attracting other talent. Management is responsible for creating these diverse and inclusive environments in organization. But the organization must value diversity and inclusion and it must come from the President of each organization. It must trickle down through the ranks and to employees to be successful. Education and open dialogue in the areas of generational differences, cultural awareness, and micro behaviors is essential in any organization. And finally, an organization’s policies must embrace and support all employees. It is a representation of the organization and its values.

Fostering Fulfillment Through Metrics

Organizations can provide all of the above to their employees, but how is that fulfillment fostered and maintained? Organizations must measure success and realign their goals as necessary. Distributing quarterly or yearly engagement surveys to gauge how employees are feeling is necessary. But more importantly, using that feedback to capitalize on opportunities is a must.

Looking at employee turnover on a quarterly basis by department is also a metric to track in an organization. Why is there turnover? Is it a department where there is no opportunity for growth? Does the manager of the department lack the skillset to build an inclusive team environment? Is the manager difficult? Or quite simply, does the employee not have the skillset to produce for the organization?

Finally, employee “stay” surveys or “exit” surveys are great tools to learn about strengths, opportunities, and challenges for any organization. If organizations are committed to interviewing those employees who stay with the organization and those who have given notice to leave, some interesting information can be obtained by interviews that will create opportunities for the organization to improve in certain areas.

Conclusion

Overall, cultivating a dynamic and fulfilled workforce is essential for the long-term success of any organization in the hospitality industry. Happy and fulfilled employees are more likely to stay with an organization if they feel valued. Through engaging and empowering employees, providing training and development for employees, offering a work-life balance, and cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment, can achieve the goal of building and cultivating dynamic workforces who will produce for them and who they will retain for the long haul.

Those organizations who provide customer service to guests by way of accommodations, food and beverage, and travel and tourism will experience success if they develop values, live those values and display the type of behavior they want to see from their employees. In addition, organizations who show that they care, set goals, allow for their employees to have autonomy and to feel empowered are the organizations who are talked about outside of the establishment.

And this is a win for all because repeat customers return, and word of mouth travels to others who are looking for an employer who values what they have to offer and who cares about providing growth opportunities to employees. And finally, organizations who allow their employees to provide feedback through surveys or open forums or exit or stay interviews are ahead of the game. But those organizations who actually use the information to create and cultivate those dynamic workplaces will be the ultimate winners long term.

Creating a dynamic and fulfilling workforce takes work, but it is possible if the organization is committed to cultivating an environment where employees thrive. That means they are engaged, fulfilled, and growing with the organization and in their position or career. Ultimately, the organization wins because employees are happy and fulfilled and the organization is able to attract and retain talent and cater to new and returning customers.

Ms. Schuler

Cynthia Schuler, PHR, SHRM-CP, CPRW has more than twenty years of experience in the human resources and talent management space. During her career, Ms. Schuler has seen the transformation of human resources and has a passion for sharing her experiences to help other human resources professionals nationally and internationally. As the Principal at IntegriStar HR Consulting, she provides organizations with strategic direction and training and development in the areas of talent acquisition and retention, culture and engagement, benefits and compensation administration, employee relations, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Ms. Schuler received her bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, and she received her master's degree from Strayer University in Washington, DC. She is a member of the Association of Legal Administrators, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. She also has a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University and an Adult Mental Health First Aid certification from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Extended Biography & Contact Information

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You hereby authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card to pay for your membership to HotelExecutive. You further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card for any and all purchases of products, services in association with HotelExecutive. You agree to be personally liable for all charges incurred by you in association with your access or other use of any content provided by HotelExecutive or any third party in association with HotelExecutive. You acknowledge and agree that your liability for all such charges shall continue after termination of your access or any type of membership arrangement with HotelExecutive.

In the event that you have chosen to have your membership automatically rebilled, unless and until you notify HotelExecutive that you wish to cancel or terminate your membership to HotelExecutive, you hereby agree and authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to automatically renew your membership to HotelExecutive on a continuing basis and to charge your credit card (or other payment means you have selected) to pay for the ongoing cost of your membership. You hereby further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card (or other approved payment means you have selected) for any and all purchases of products, services and entertainment provided to in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive.

13. PRIVACY POLICY

The following is the Privacy Policy for HotelExecutive

We can be reached via telephone, email, or online at our contact page. When you visit our site we do not log any information regarding your domain or email address. Information Sharing: We do not share user information with any third parties other than via press release distribution as described below.

Hotel Newswire is a newswire service that distributes press releases on behalf of our users. If you decide to submit a press release for distribution through our system we will transmit your entire press release including any personal information therein contained to our media contacts and online distribution points including search engines. This is the only redistribution of your information that we engage in. Your submission of press releases through our system indicates consent with this policy. The information we collect during your registration process is used to notify users about updates to our service and inform users of any special events hosted by Hotel Newswire. This information is not shared with other organizations for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

Cookies: Our system requires the use of cookies to enable the user to log back into our website to access information from the newswire, without having to log in each time using the required username and password.

If you do not want to receive email from us in the future, please let us know by following instructions included in our communication with you. Users who supply us with telephone numbers online may receive telephone contact from us regarding their account, or informing them of new products and services available on the HotelExecutive website. If you do not wish to receive such telephone calls, please edit your account and remove your phone number from your account profile. This can be done from your user account menu.

Ad Servers: We do not partner with or have any relationship with any ad server companies. From time to time, we may use customer information for new uses not previously disclosed in our privacy notice. If our information practices change at any time, we will post the policy changes to our website to notify you of these changes and provide you with the ability to opt out of these new uses. If you are concerned about how your information is used, you should check back at our website periodically.

Upon request we provide site visitors with access to all information (including proprietary information) that we maintain about them. Users can access this information by logging in to their account.

Security: We always use industry-standard encryption technologies while transferring and receiving user data exchanged with our site. We have appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information that we have collected from you on our site. We do not store credit card information in our systems.

If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us.

Scott Socha
Andrea Grigg
Mark Johnson
Robert H Rechtermann
Shawn Tarter
Conor Kenny
Adam Mogelonsky
Miguel Diaz
Bendegul Okumus
Jared Meyers
Po-Ju Chen
Mary Holt
Coming up in March 1970...