c







 

 
V à 



 
 

: Employees need to
be educated about the policies and working procedures of the
hotel. Keeping them transparent, fair and consistent will help
employees see you in good light as fair employersV
V à  
 : Make development initiatives and
training programs a part of the job. Repeated training is a
good way to ingrain particular concepts into employees' minds.
Such initiatives help employees sharpen their skills at the
same time allowing you to use them as per your requirement.
Employees are also glad at the prospect of career development
through continuous trainingV
V a

   : Essentially with six weekly offs per
month, accommodation and other welfare facilities, an
employee would rarely give itself to competition, even if
offered higher salaryV
V 
   : Forming social groups within the
organisation, wherein the staff can interact, outings,
newsletters would inculcate the sense of one ness amongst
them, thus resulting in higher productivity and lower turnover.V
V 6 

: Finding out the reasons for the employee
turnover rates can be effectively done through exit interviews
of those planning to leave. Train your HR department in doing
these and derive an inference from the answers to such
questions. This will give you an insight into the needs of the
employees and allow you to sort out problem areas.V

a


 


½  

It is a well acknowledged factor that the key to retention lies in right recruitment. Stringent
hiring processes are necessary to not just test the on-the-job skills of the individual but also
his ability to adjust in the work culture and be a part of the team. Unfortunately, in most
cases, the cultural-fit is often not analysed well and tend to lead to problems for both the
individual and the organisation.

Most experts agree that there is a direct co-relation between hiring and retention. "It is
important to evaluate the job requirement correctly, assess and source the right candidate.
A good assessment will yield more than a good candidate. It will shorten the learning curve
and integration of the candidate into the system will be very smooth," says Balaji. He points
out that candidates who have the ability to adapt to people from other backgrounds, with
good listening skills, patience and the ability to make quick decisions would be very
successful in the hospitality sector.

In fact, the job role and individual career paths also need to be worked out at the initial
stage itself. Sundrani believes that it is necessary to inquire from prospective candidates
about their long-term plans and ask how this job fits into their growth. Right candidate
would mean better retention with transparent policies and procedures.

It is also imperative to have a well-defined recruitment strategy along with the right pay
package. Sridhar Bele, HR manager, Ramada Plaza Palm Grove, Mumbai, says that the
essentials are job satisfaction, role clarity, sense of belonging and welfare measures.
"Career growth prospects also play a very important role in retaining employees. From an
organisation's point-of-view, employers look at the value which a prospective candidate
could add to the organisation through his/her experience and knowledge or even a fresh
open attitude towards learning. Employers today prefer candidates who they feel can be
retained for a longer period than a short stint, which is easier than done," asserts Bele.