Chapter 4:

Human Resources
 H.R. Department Roles
Line managers H.R. specialists
Making final employee Helping line managers
selection decision with H.R. related duties
Providing departmental- H.R. is both - employee selection
specific orientation line & staff - orientation
- training
Initiating ongoing training function
- evaluation
Supervision activities - compensation
(e.g., performance appraisal)

G.M. must define authority boundaries

between line- & staff managers.
Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
 H.R. Department Roles (continued)
How H.R. personnel assist in hotels overall operation

Implementing policies to effectively recruit, select, motivate, and retain

the most qualified management and non-management staff

Developing and delivering orientation, safety, security, supervisory, and

some department-specific training programs

Developing and communicating H.R. policies that are equitable and fair
to all employees while protecting the rights of the hotel

Interpreting, implementing, and enforcing the ever-increasing body of

laws and regulations

Helping to maintain appropriate standards of work life quality and

ethical business policies and practices

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 Staffing the H.R. Department
Job descriptions
A list of tasks that an
employee in a specific
position must be able to
perform effectively
Statements about duties,
responsibilities, working Two
conditions & specific job staffing
activities tools
Example: H.R. Director
(recruitment, selection,
evaluation, promotion)
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Job specifications
A list of personal qualities
necessary for successful
performance of the tasks required
by the job description
Statements about knowledge,
skills, education, physical &
personal characteristics
Example: H.R. Director
(considerable knowledge of
principles & practices of
H.R. management)
 Legal Aspects of H.R.: Employee Selection
Bonified Occupational Qualifications (BOQs):
Qualifications to perform a job that are judged reasonably
necessary to safely or adequately perform all tasks within that job

Legitimate BOQs
Education or certification requirements
Language skills
Previous experience
Minimum age (for jobs such as waitress or bartender)
Physical attributes (amounts able to be lifted, carried etc.)
Licensing

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 Legal Aspects of H.R.: Employee Selection
(continued)
Tools to screen employee applicants

Only provide info directly relating to the job

Employment Demographic info, employment history, educational
applications background, criminal history, employment status, references,
drug testing

Race, religion and physical traits should not be asked

Interviews
Age may be asked only for the purpose of legal requirements

Follow strict state guidelines and requirements for pre-

Testing employment drug testing

Obtain applicants permission in writing for background and

Other reference checks

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 Legal Aspects of H.R.: Employee Selection
(continued)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:
Employers cannot discriminate against employees on the basis of race,
color, religion, sex or national origin.
Americans with Prohibits discrimination against job
Disabilities Act (1990) candidates with disabilities
Age Discrimination in
Protects individuals 40 yrs and older
Employment Act (1967)
Immigration Reform &
Prohibits hiring illegal immigrants
Control Act (1987)
Protects young workers from
Fair Labor Standards Act
employment interfering with education
(1938)
or that is detrimental to health
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Legal Aspects of H.R.: Employment Relationships

At-will employment Employment agreement

Employers can hire or Document specifying

terminate any employees the terms of the employer
with or without cause at employee work
any time relationship
Employees can elect to Indicates rights and
work for the employer obligations of both
or terminate the work parties
relationship anytime

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 Legal Aspects of H.R.: Workplace Laws
Sexual harassment
One cannot ask favors of a subordinate in exchange for employment
benefits; neither can one punish an employee if an offer is rejected.
A G.M. should follow strict zero tolerance policy & procedures
- issuing of appropriate policies
- conducting applicable workshops
- developing procedures to obtain relief
- developing written protocols for reporting
- investigating & resolving incidents & grievances

Family & Medical Leave (1993)

Hotels (employing 50 or more staff) should provide up to 12 weeks of
leave (unpaid) to an employee for a birth, adoption of a child or serious
illness of immediate family members.
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 Legal Aspects of H.R.:
Workplace Laws (continued)
Compensation
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes minimum wage, overtime work
rates, and equal pay regardless of gender.
Employee performance
Employee evaluation (assuring work performance [nothing else] forms the basis
for employee evaluations)
Discipline (effectively communicating and consistently enforcing workplace
rules and policies)
Termination (preventing unacceptable termination of employee/s)
Unemployment issues
Unemployment insurance (allowing temporary financial benefits to employees
who have lost jobs)
Unemployment claim (asserting the worker is eligible for unemployment
benefits)
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Legal Aspects of H.R.:
Workplace Laws (continued)
Employment records
Selected employee records should be maintained.
Examples of record keeping:
- Department of Labor records (e.g., employees name, address, gender, job
title, work schedule, hourly rate, regular and overtime earnings, wage
deductions and payday dates)
- any deductions from wages for meals, uniforms, or lodging
- amount of tips reported (for tipped employees)
- covered leave and amount of leave for eligible employees
(Family & Medical Leave Act)
- employment eligibility verification (Immigration Reform & Control Act)
- personnel matters & benefit plans (Age Discrimination & Employment Act)

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 H.R. Department at Work: Recruitment
Internal recruiting External recruiting

Focusing on internal Hiring from outside

applicants for vacant
positions
Promotion from within
Alerting friends and
relatives of current Recruitment
employees methods
Recruitment is not solely
the job of H.R. department
Current staff can impact
hotels turnover rate
sources
Newspaper and other
media advertisements /
job fairs / executive
search firms / recruiting
at schools / help
wanted signs
Attracting external
candidates

Hotel Operations Management, 1/e

 H.R. Department at Work: Selection
Selection:
Evaluating job applicants to determine those more qualified
(or potentially more qualified) for positions.

Selection devices
Preliminary screening (reviewing application)
Employment interviews
Employment tests
Reference checks
Drug tests

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 H.R. Department at Work: Orientation
Orientation:
Providing basic information about the hotel which must be known by all its
employees.

Goals Contents
Reducing anxiety Hotel overview
Improving morale (mission statement)
Guest service / relations training
Reducing turnover Emphasis on teamwork
Providing consistency Policies and procedures
Developing realistic including handbook
Compensation and benefits
expectations
Guest safety & security
Employee & union relations
Property tour
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 H.R. Department at Work: Training
Training is absolutely critical to the hotels success !
Improve knowledge or skills of staff

New employees and experienced staff need training

Ongoing professional development can motivate staff and
help employees advancement opportunities
Implement train the trainer program
Group training Individualized training
Effective when several (or more) One-to-one training method
staff must learn the same thing
Use of a role-play (e.g., upselling Mainly responsible for
training for front desk agents) individualized line departments
Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
 H.R. Department at Work:
Performance Evaluation

Determine where staff can improve performance

Assess eligibility for pay raises and promotions
Goals
Improve morale
Assure legal compliance

Develop policies & procedures for property-wide system

H.R.
Communicate these policies & procedures to all staff
Dept.
Roles Address and resolve employee concerns as they arise
File performance evaluation results in employee records

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 H.R. Department at Work:
Performance Evaluation (continued)
Steps of performance appraisal system

Performance standards are established for each position

Policies (e.g., frequency of rating) are established

Data is gathered about employee performance

Raters must evaluate performance

Discuss performance evaluation with employees

Evaluation information is filed

Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
 The H.R. Department at Work: Compensation
Compensation:
All financial & non-financial rewards given to managers & non-
management staff in return for their work.

Direct financial compensation Indirect financial

Salary / wages compensation
Benefits (health insurance, paid
vacations, etc.)
Effective compensation programs should be:
Legal / fair / balanced / cost effective / viewed as reasonable by staff

Establish pay for specific positions based on:

What other employers attempting to attract the same applicants pay.
What employees working on different jobs in the hotel are paid.
What other employees working on same jobs within the hotel are paid.
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 H.R. Department at Work:
Employee Safety & Health
Work-related accidents & illnesses

Work to be done Working conditions

e.g., cooks using knives e.g., greasy floors in kitchen

H.R. staff assistance for health related activities

Developing and selecting programs to help employees cope with stress

Developing procedures applicable to workplace violence

Communicating updated info about HIV in the workplace

Providing info about cumulative trauma disorders

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 H.R. Department at Work:
Workforce & Work Quality Improvement

T
Professional development E
C Improving
H
Cultural diversity N work
I quality
Q
Continuous quality U
improvement E
S

Hotel Operations Management, 1/e