INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN RESOURCE

DEPARTMENT OF HOTEL INDUSTRY

In hotel industry the job of HR manager can be compare with the job of conductor,
whose job is to instruct and direct all of the various musicians so that they can perform well
together. But before a conductor can direct a beautiful performance, all of the individual
musicians must be able to play their instruments well. What kind of performance could one
can expect if the violinists did not know how to play their instruments or the flutists could
not read music?
So it is in the hospitality industry, before a manager can direct and shape employees
individual contributions into an efficient whole, he or she must first turn employees into
competent workers who know how to do their jobs. Employees are the musicians of the
orchestra that the members of the audience-the-guests-have come to watch performance. If
employees are not skilled at their jobs, then the performance they give will get bad reviews.
Just as an orchestra can have a fine musical score from a great composer and still perform
poorly because of incompetent musicians, so a hotel can have a finest standard recipes,
service procedures and quality standards and still have dissatisfied guests because of poor
employee performance.
That is why properly managing human resources is so important. No other industry
provides so much contact between employees and customers and so many opportunities to
either reinforce a positive experience or create a negative one.
As in the five-star hotel and five-star deluxe hotel there are around lots of employee
involved in different jobs in different fields so there is dire need to look and control on them.
No doubt different departments heads are present to look their department employee, but
HRD is a place, which supervise and effectively communicate with these departments head
and communicate with the top management. Thus there function is very large and diverse
as compared with respect to different departments heads.

DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS IN HOTELS

The departments are classified on accounts of it function. They are as follows:Core Functioning Department

Food and Beverage (F&D) Department:-

F & B deals mainly with food and beverage service allied activities. Different divisions are
there in F & B like Restaurants, Specialty Restaurants, Coffee Shop (24 hrs.), Bar,
Banquets, Room service etc. Apart from that they have Utility services (Cleaning).

Front Office Department:-

The front office is the command post for processing reservations, registering guests,
settling guest accounts (cashiering), and checking out guests. Front desk agents also
handle the distribution of guestroom keys and mail, messages or other information for
guests. The most visible part of the front office area is of course the front desk. The front
desk can be a counter or, in some luxury hotels, an actual desk where a guest can sit
down and register.

Housekeeping Department:-

The housekeeping department is another important department in hospitality world.

Housekeeping is responsible for cleaning the hotels guestrooms and public areas. This
department has the largest staff, consisting of an assistant housekeeper, room

inspectors, room attendants, a house person crew, linen room attendants and personnel
in charge of employee uniforms. They may also have their own laundry and valet service.
Hotels with laundry and valet equipment may use it only for hotel linens and uniforms
and send guest clothing to an outside service where it can be handled with specialized
equipment.

Food Production Department:-

Food production deals with the preparation of food items. It is basically engaged in
preparing those dish, which are ordered by the guest and afterwards it is catered by the
F&B department. Cuisines like Indian, Continental, Thai, Italian, Konkani (Coastal Sea
Food), South Indian, Chinese, Mexican, etc. Different Chefs are appointed for the specialty
cuisine.
Support Department (Cost Centers)

Marketing & Selling Department:-

Sales and marketing has become one of the most vital functions of the hotel business
and an integral part of modern hotel management. It includes packaging for selling, sales
promotion, advertising and public relations. The marketing division is charged with the
responsibility of keeping the rooms in the hotel occupied at the right price and with the
right mix of guests.

Engineering and Maintenance Department:-

The energy crisis throughout the world has given a great importance to the engineering
department of a hotel. This department provides on the day-to-day basis the utility
services, electricity, hot water, steams, air-conditioning and other services and is
responsible for repair and maintenance of the equipment, furniture and fixtures in the
hotel. The engineering department has an important role in satisfying the guest- demand
and helping to maintain the profit level of the hotel. The cleaning, up-keep, repair,
replacement, installation and maintenance of property and its furnishing, machinery and
equipment

are

the

joint

responsibilities

of

Engineering/Maintenance

and

the

Housekeeping Department.

Finance, Accounting and Control Department:-

A hotels accounting department is responsible for keeping track of the many business
transactions that occur in the hotel. The accounting department does more than simply
keep the books-financial management is perhaps a more appropriate description of what
the accounting department does. Whereas the control department is concern with cost
control guidelines by way of reducing in investment, reduction in operating cost, control
of food service costs, control of beverage costs, labour cost control, etc

Safety and Security Department:-

The security of guests, employees, personal property and the hotel itself is an overriding
concern for todays hoteliers. In the past, most security precautions concentrated on the
prevention of theft from guests and the hotel. However, today such violent crimes as
murder and rape have become a problem for some hotels. Unfortunately, crime rates in
most majors cities are rising. Hence today security department also concentrate on
these additional criminal activities too.

Administration Department:-

Top organizational members usually supervise the Administration Department in a hotel.

This department is responsible for all the work connected with administration, personnel,
manpower, employees welfare, medical, health and security.

Human Resource Development:-

This department has newly taken step in hotel industry and within a short span of time it
has become a very important part of the organization. It plays the role of facilitator
between the bargainable cadre and non-bargainable cadre.

Personnel Policies of HR
The personnel function in a hotel includes many activities such as:
Consideration of leadership style
Relationship

Responsibilities

Philosophy

Social orientation

Organizational structure

In most of the hotels the personnel policies are put in writing. These policies are distributed
to key and responsible executive to provide guidance and ensure consistent application.
Periodically the HRD review these policies.
For Example: In Ramada international the following policies are put on the notice board as
well as each employee bear a tag starting I am which generate a sense of motivation as
well as sense of personal feeling towards the organization.
Fig: Policies of Ramada International

I am proud
I am Excited
I am Empowered
I am Ramada Internationa

Arrears of personal policies

The personal policies are concern with each of the following areas:Employment

Recruitment

Interview

Psychological and Aptitude tests

Selection

Medical Examination

Administration and Transfers

Promotions and Termination

Responsibilities for adherence to indiscrimination laws

Education and Training

Orientation of new employees

Educational needs for employees

Training development programmes

Communications

Health and Safety

Occupational health

Emergency medical care

Safety programme

Preventive Medicine

Employees Services

Cafeteria

Vending Machine

Employees Lounge Lockers

Counseling Suggestion Scheme

Wages and Salary Administration

Salary structure

Performance standards and Job evaluation

Salary survey

Benefits

Group Insurance

Sick-pay plan

Hospitalization

Major medical coverage

Key man Insurance

Pension plan/scheme

Labour/Industrial relation

Presentation Elections

Collective Bargaining

Grievance Procedure

Administration

Personnel record

Security

Holidays and Vacations

Office Layout and Services

Work Rules

HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING

Human Resource Planning (HRP) is the first aspect of human resource process. It is
very commonly understood as the process of forecasting an organizations future
demand for, and of, the right type of people in the right number. It is only after this

that HRM department can initiate a recruitment and selection process. HRP is the subsystem in the total organizational planning.
HRP is important for:

The future personnel needs

To cope up with change

To create highly talented personnel

For the protection of weaker sections

For the international expansion strategy of the company

It is the foundation for personnel functions

The list is infact never ending. HRP actually has become an inevitable part of HRM
process.
HRP is influenced by several considerations. The more important of them
are:

Type and strategy of the organization

Organizational growth cycles and planning

Environmental uncertainties

Type and quality of forecasting information

Nature of jobs being filled

Off-loading the work

HRP PROCESS:

 Organizational Objectives & Policies

HR plans need to be based on organizational objectives. In practice, this implies that
the objectives of the HR plan must be derived from organizational objectives. Specific
requirements in terms of

number and characteristics of employees should be derived

from the organizational objectives.

HR Demand Forecast
Demand forecasting must consider several factors both external as well as internal.
Among the external factors are competition, economic climate, laws and regulatory
bodies, changes in

technology and social factors. Internal factors include budget

constraints, production levels, new products and services, organizational structure and
employee separations.

 HR Supply Forecast
The next logical step for the management is to determine whether it will be able to
procure the required number of personnel and the sources for such procurement. This
information is provided

by supply forecasting. Supply forecasting measures the

number of people likely to be available from within and outside an organization, after
making allowance for absenteeism, internal

movements and promotions, wastage

and changes in hours and other conditions of work.

HR Programming
Once an organizations personnel demand and supply are forecast, the two must be
reconciled or balanced in order that vacancies can be filled by the right employees at the
right time. HR

programming is the third step in the planning process, therefore,

assumes greater importance.

HR Plan Implementation
Implementation requires converting an HR plan into action. A series of action
programmes are initiated as a part of HR plan implementation. Some such programmes
are recruitment, selection and

placement; training and development; retraining and

redeployment; the retention plan; the redundancy plan; and the succession plan.
Control and Evaluation
Control and evaluation represents the fifth and the final phase in the HRP process. The HR
plan should include budgets, targets and standards. It should also clarify responsibilities
for implementation and control, and establish reporting procedures which will enable
achievements to be monitored against the plan. These may simply report on the numbers
employed against establishment and on the numbers recruited against the recruitment
targets. But they should also report employment costs against the budget, and trends in
wastage and employment ratios.
Consequences of Inadequate Planning
One example of inadequate planning is the case of an organization caught in a severe
budget crisis for which management sees only one solution to lay off large numbers of
employees. Careful

planning for such a crisis during better times might have resulted

in a series of alternatives, making layoffs unnecessary.

Many other problems can occur if human resources planning are haphazard or
neglected. For example, planning should take into account staff reductions in all parts of the
organization and should

be

tried

into

any

system

for

transferring

employees.

Top

management because of declining sales or increased automation, including the use of

computers and latest technology, might contemplate

staff reductions.

Job Specification
A statement of human qualifications
necessary to do the job. Usually contains
such items as

Education

Experience

Training

Judgement

Initiative

Physical efforts & Physical skills

Responsibilities

Communication skills

Emotional characteristics

Unusual sensory demands such as sight,

smell, hearing.

Job Description
A statement containing items
such as

Job title

Location

Job Summary

Duties

Machines, tools &

equipment

Materials & form used

Supervision given or
received

Working conditions

Hazards

Fig: Job Description and Job Specification in Job Analysis

Role of Human Resource Department

The human resource department plays a major role in helping plan the system and in
developing job description, job specification and performance standards. Specialists in that

department may be assigned to conduct job analysis and write job descriptions in
cooperation with managers, supervisors and employees. The human resource department is
not involved in the actual writing of performance standards but play a diagnostic, training
and monitoring role.

JOB DESIGN
Job design is a process of determining the specific tasks and responsibilities to be carried
out by each member of the organization. In simple words, the logical sequence to job
analysis is job design. Job analysis provides job-related data as well as the skills and
knowledge expected of the incumbent to discharge the job. Job analysis, then, involves
conscious efforts to organize tasks, duties and responsibilities into a unit of work to achieve
certain objectives.

F
ig: Factors Affecting Job Design

Factors Affecting Job Design

Job design is affected by organizational, environmental, behavioural factors. A properly

designed job will make it productive and satisfying. If a job fails on this count, the fault lies
with the job designers who, based on the feedback, must redesign the job. (See Fig)

Techniques of Job Design

Fig: Techniques of Job Design

Work Simplification: In this technique, the job simplified or specialized. A given

job is broken down into small sub-parts and each part is assigned to one
individual.

Job Rotation: Job rotation implies movement of employees from job to job. Jobs
remain unchanged, but incumbents shift. With job rotation, a given employee
performs different jobs, but more or less, jobs of the same nature.

Job Enlargement: Job enlargement involves expanding the number of tasks or

duties assigned to a given job. Job enlargement is naturally opposite to work

simplification. Adding more tasks or duties to a job does not mean that new skills
and abilities are needed to perform it.

Job Enrichment: Job enrichment seeks to improve both task efficiency and
human satisfaction by building into peoples jobs, quite specifically, greater
scope for personal achievement and recognition, more challenging and
responsible work, and more opportunity for individual advancement and growth.

Autonomous or Self-directed Teams: A self-directed work team is an intact

group of employees who are responsible for a whole work process or segment
that delivers a products or service o an internal or external customer.

High-Performance Work Design: It is a means of improving performance in

an environment where positive and demanding goals are set.

Role of Human Resource Department

The human resource departments role in job design is usually indirect, although job
design influences almost every aspect of human resource management. The department
diagnoses organizational problems that suggest job redesign, incorporate information on job
design, in training and management development programs and help plan job redesign
programs to ensure that sound human resource policies and practices are developed.
Further, the department is needed to prepare to modify job descriptions and job
specifications and to modify recruitment, selection, training, compensation and other
practices to be consistent with any job redesign program.

JOB ANALYSIS
In order to achieve effective HRP, the duties involved and the skills required for
performing all the jobs in an organization have to be taken care of. This knowledge is gained
through job analysis. In

simple words, job analysis may be understood as a process of

collecting information about the job. Specifically, job analysis involves the following steps:

Collecting and recording job information

Checking the job information for accuracy.

Writing job description based on the information.

Using the information to determine the skills, abilities and knowledge that are
required on the job and updating the information from time to time.

The Process of Job Analysis

The following fig. represents the process of job analysis. The fig. also points out the
uses of information about the jobs.

Strategic Choice
Employee Involvement: Job analysis involves collecting job-related information duties,
responsibilities, skills and knowledge required to perform the jobs. It may be stated that in
job analysis, information about a job is collected and not about the incumbent, however, the
jobholder is consulted. Employees are often asked to supply vital information about the
contents of job, given their familiarity with it.
The Levels of Details: The level of analysis may vary from detailed, as in time and motion
studies, to broad as in analyzing jobs based on general duties. The level of analysis affects
the nature of the data collected.

When and How Often: Another strategic choice relates to the timing and frequency of
conducting job analysis. Job analysis is generally conducted when i) an organization is newly
established and the job analysis is initiated for the first time; ii) a new job is created in an
established company; iii) a job is changed significantly due to change in technology,
methods, procedures or systems; iv) the organization is contemplating a new remuneration
plan; or v) the employees or managers feel that there exist certain inequities between job
demands and the remuneration it carries.
Past-Oriented versus Future Oriented: If an organization is changing rapidly due to fast
growth or technological change, a more future-oriented approach to job analysis may be
desired.
Source of Job Data: Although the most direct source of information about a job is a
jobholder, a number of other human and non-human sources are available.
Information Gathering
This step involves decision on three issues,
What type of data is to be collected?
What methods are to be employed for data collection
Who should collect the data?
For Example: In most of the hotels that I visited, the sources for collecting information are
by Observation, Interviews and Questionnaire.
Information Processing
Once the job information has been collected, it needs to be processed, so that it would be
useful in various personnel functions. Specifically, job-related data would be useful to
prepare job description and job specification.

RECRUITMENT
In simple terms, recruitment is understood as the process of searching for and obtaining
applicants for jobs, from among whom the right people can be selected. Recruitment is the
process of finding qualified people and encouraging them to apply for work with the firm.
Managerial Roles
Responsibility for the overall recruitment process is assigned to human resources managers.
They are responsible for designing and implementing a recruitment program that will meet
the hotel industrys personnel needs while complying with all legal requirements. This

responsibility includes finding sources of applicants; writing and placing advertisements;

contacting schools; agencies and labour unions; establishing procedures to guarantee equal
employment opportunity; and administering the funds the firm has budgeted for
recruitment.
For Example: In most of the hotels that I visited the recruitment is done by Advertisement,
Recruitment Agencies, on net ([Link]). And only in some hotels it is done by the way of
College Campus, Placement Service.
Types of Recruitment
In hotel industry, the types of recruitment are:
Internal Recruitment
Internal recruitment seeks applicants for positions from those who are currently
employed. Internal sources include present employees, employees referrals, former
employees, and former applicants.
External Recruitment
Finding qualified applicants from outside the organization is the most difficult part of
recruitment. The success of an expanding hotel industry or one with many positions
demanding specialized skills often depends on the effectiveness of the organizations
recruitment program. Specifically, sources external to an organization are professional or
trade associations, advertisements, employment exchanges, college/university/institute
placement services, consultants, displaced persons, radio and television, acquisitions and
mergers and competitors.
Recruitment Process
HR practices its function in each and every stages of recruitment. The process comprises five
interrelated stages, (i) Planning, (ii) Strategy development, (iii) Searching, (iv) Screening,
and (v) Evaluation and control.

The function of HR is to make the selection procedure an ideal one. The ideal recruitment
programmed is the one that attracts a relatively larger number of qualified applicants who
will survive the screening process and accept positions with the organization, when offered.
A job advertisement should have the following characteristics: (a) exudes hotel branding; (b)
provides information regarding compensation and benefits, and addresses the most
important needs and concerns; and, (3) provides the most critical job requirement. The next
step is Initial Screening and Evaluation. Reviewing resumes and application forms can help
eliminate obviously unqualified applicants. This is based on the job description and/or
competency profile of the position. The four important areas in screening are: (i) Education

it is important that the education attained by the individual be aligned with the position
applied for. This allows the hotel to save on training costs; (ii) Work Experience A good
indicator of competency for the job opening is if the candidates previous work experience
are related to meet the positions requirements. This accelerates the adjustment of the
employee in his/her new work environment and saves the company valuable training cost;
(iii) Promotions progress and promotions in each job indicate the ability of a person to
thrive in a work environment and gauge the performance of the applicant in his/her work.
However, some hotels now focus on hiring people based on their attitudes, not skills, as they
believe that emotional intelligence should be given precedence over job skills. Attitude takes
years to be honed as compared to skills. In-depth Screening and Interviews are next. This
process may include internal and external candidates. Interviews should be objective and be
based on the requirements stated in the job profile. The HR Department should also focus on
searching for suitable candidates inside the organization. This allows individuals in the
company to grow. In the meantime, external candidates bring new blood and ideas into the
organization. In whatever way, the screening and interview process should be objective and
should focus on the prime goal, which is to hire the best candidate for the job.
(Source: UP North Business and Research Consultancy)

SELECTION
Selection is a process of picking individuals (out of the pool of job applicants) with requisite qualifications and
competence to fill jobs in the organization. Different hotels apply different methods and procedure for recruitment as
well as selection. It basically depends on the management policies and the size of operation.

General Selection Process

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

These activities are designed in order to impact specific skills, abilities and knowledge
to employees. Effective training is basic ingredient of success in the hotel industry.
The concept of training is endorsed by most managers in the hotel industry, yet
managers often give little thought to the training function in the context of their own
business or the responsibilities until something goes wrong. One of the main problems
in the hotel industry is the investment in training and development of employees is a
reactive process for many companies. Frequently, training and development arises as
the result of significant change in the operational environment or as a consequent
crisis such as staff turnover or major departmental problems. Training is then used to
cope up with the immediate difficulty. This process may be proved costly to hotel
whereas, development refers to learning opportunities designed to help employees
grow and evolve a vision about the future.
Here the job of a HR is to identify the training need and then accordingly to design the
suitable programme for that. Training within a hotel provides the best opportunity to
influence the attitude and performance of employees which will be beneficial for
individual, organizational, functional and societal objectives. The training programmes
include are introduction to the hotel, fire, food hygiene, control of substances
hazardous to health, manual handling first aid, technical skills, product knowledge and
customer service.

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT FOLLOWED IN

THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
There are mainly two methods of training which are used to train the employees in the
hotel industry. These are classified into two groups:
1. On-the-job training
On-the-job training is primarily learning by doing and, as such, is probably the most
used and not liked by the majority of people. Like other form of training, on the job
training requires planning, structure and supervision to be effective for training and
assessing trainees progress in jobs such as retail sales, food and beverage operatives
and check in and check out positions. Some of the on-the-job methods of training are
orientation planning, job instruction training, apprentice training, internships and
assistantships, job rotation, etc.
For example, at Dominos Pizza, approximately 85% of employee training is on-the-job
training, delivered by store managers using extensively by Ramada Inns, which has
developed an on-the-job training aid. It also provides trainees with a list of sequential
steps that should be followed to perform the task correctly, as well as the list of tools,
materials and equipment needed to the task. Finally, the training aid provides an
evaluation form for providing feedback to the trainees.

2. Off-the-job training
Off-the-job training allows for the development of broader and more conceptual skills
while providing a practice environment in which error need not be so costly. There are
three main forms of off-the-job training. In house, external and independent and inhouse, off-the-job training may take several formats including lectures and other
classroom techniques, discussions, demonstrations, case studies and role plays and
simulations. What distinguishes in-house off-the-job training from other type of offthe-job training is that in-house training is conducted away from the physical location
where the job is actually carried out, but still on company premises.
Like in-house off-the-job training, external off-the-job training can also take a variety
of forms. Such training may be tailored to the companys specific need or it may be
offered on a general basis; it may focus on special disciplines related to hospitality.
Independent off-the-job training refers to training methods that are controlled and
managed by the learner. A number of these training options which are becoming
increasingly important to employees in the hotel industry are:

Distance/open learning or training (may involve correspondence teaching, use

of television or radio, video-conferencing, etc.)
Computer-assisted learning
Interactive-video learning
A combination of the above method

THE TRAINING PROCESS

ASSESSING TRAINING NEEDS

PREPARING THE TRAINING PLAN

SPECIFYING TRAINING OBJECTIVES

DESIGNING THE TRAINING PROGRAMMES


SELECTING THE INSTRUCTIONAL
METHODS

COMPLETING THE TRAINING PLAN

CONDUCTING THE TRAINING

EVALUATING THE TRAINING

PLANNING FURTHER TRAINING

Marriott Trains
Bill Marriott is a firm believer in the value of training front-line people and in the
impact of front-line has on the bottom-line. There are over 1,40,000 employees in
the various Marriott hotel and food service enterprises, which he describe simply
as a people business. As Marriott says:
We are in the people business, from waiters to maids to truck drivers, our
employees must be able to get along pleasantly with others day long. He adds
that, by one estimate, company employees make 6 million customer contacts per
day, 6 million moments of truth.
In the Marriott Company that important customer interface isnt left to chance. In
1984 Marriott spend more than $20 million on training. To reinforce the effects of
training, every employee gets the regular performance review and participates in
a generous profit-sharing plan.

Extensive Coverage of Training Programme at TAJ

At Taj the employees are there assets. They believe that every employee has the
potential to make a successful, long-term career within the company, upholding the
true values that have been the foundation for the phenomenal growth of the Taj
Group. He or she is the very reason for there survival.

Taj Management Training Programme (Operations/Food

Production/Housekeeping):
The intensive management training programme prepares young people as thorough
professionals with the Taj Group of Hotels,
Taj Hospitality Training Programme
The Taj Hospitality Training (THT) program has been designed to train the trainees to
the level of Supervisor in any of their operational departments. Learning comes by
doing, based on this principle the on-the-job training is build in as very important
component of entire program. Recruitment for this programme commences in all key
hotels, schools and graduate colleges in the country in the months of
October/November. The THT program follows a systematic process including induction,
theory classes, on-the-job training, evaluation, appraisals and assessments.
Taj Management Training Programme
Each year, the Taj Group fortifies its operations functions with raw talent from the best
hotel and graduate schools in the country. The group offers the Taj Management
Training Programme (TMTP) management-training program comparable to an MBA in
hospitality that moulds young budding hotel professionals into future business
managers. A typical career path could include joining as a Taj Management Trainee
and attaining the position of a general manager of a hotel by lateral movements
through various functions such as Human Resource, Sales, Food and Beverage and
Front Office.
An 18-month intensive management training programme that prepares for profit
centre management in the Taj Group.
First 12 months, the management trainee focuses on practical (on-the-job training)
and theoretical exposure to the fundamentals in hoteliering.
Next 6 months, the management trainee receives inputs that combine elements of
management including Management Development, Architectural Appreciation,
Human Resources, Materials Management and Accommodation.
6 months training as a Shadow Manager/Shadow Chef (mentorship by a senior
manager/mentoring chef). The program provides educational exposure and development
commensurate with an MBA in hospitality. The management-training trainees are also
expected to complete live projects during their training period.
Food Production
The Taj Management Training Programme- Food Production is the premier hospitality
management-training programme for culinary education in the country. The TMPTFood Production Programme focuses on culinary skills and the managerial ability to
run kitchen operations. Recruitment for this programme commences in all key hotel
schools in the country in the months of October/ November.

It includes:

An 18-month intensive management training programme, which prepares trainee

for Profit Centre Management in the Taj Group.
6 months training as a shadow manager/shadow chef (mentorship by a senior
manager/mentoring chef)

In order to sustain their position of strength in Food and Beverage, participants

undergo specialization in cuisines of the world. There is a special emphasis on
creating chefs with internationally acclaimed skills.
Housekeeping Executive Development Programme (HEDP)
HEDP is one year extensive housekeeping training programme, which prepares
trainee for a career in housekeeping and accommodation in the Taj Group.
Recruitment for this programme commences in all key hotel schools in the country in
the month of October/November.
During the first 6 months of this programme, the management trainees undergo
technical training in classroom accompanied by on-the-job exposure. Inputs include
interiors, finance, human resources, architectural design, fabric and styling. The next
6 month include on-the-job training in a Taj hotel as an understudy to a mentoring
executive housekeeper.
This is an exclusive Earn while you learn opportunity, offering attractive stipends
to programme participants.

Stipend + benefits
Subsidized accommodation during the training period.

PERFORMANCE APPRIASAL
Performance Appraisal refers to the assessment of an employees actual performance,
behavior on jobs and on his or her potential for future performance. It is done
generally for the purpose of assessing training needs to employee, to effect his
promotions and to give him pay increase, retention or termination. Though there are
different methods of performance appraisal; only one method that is commonly used
in this industry is Rating Scale Method.
For example: In most of the hotels that I visited, the performance appraisal is done on
yearly basis but in Hotel Imperial Palace it is done on day to day basis i.e. the briefing
of an employee is done, In Orchid Hotel, the rating scales method is used by the way
of Questionnaire.

Purpose of Performance Appraisal

Training and development

Identification of potential
Promotion decisions
Compensation administration
Work force planning
Validation of selection procedure

Challenges of Performance Appraisal

Create a culture of excellence that inspires every employee to improve or lend himself
or herself to assessed.

Clear growth paths for talented individuals.

Embed teamwork in all operational processed.
Align organizational objectives to individual aspirations.
Performance Appraisal Process

TECHNIQUES/ METHODS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS

RATING SCALES:
Rating scales consists of several numerical scales representing job related
performance criterions such as dependability, initiative, output, attendance, attitude
etc. Each scales ranges from excellent to poor. The total numerical scores are
computed and final conclusions are derived. Advantages Adaptability, easy to use,
low cost, every type of job can be evaluated, large number of employees covered, no
formal training required. Disadvantages Raters biases
CHECKLIST
Under this method, checklist of statements of traits of employee in the form of Yes or
No based questions is prepared. Here the rater only does the reporting or checking and HR
department does the actual evaluation. Advantages economy, ease of
administration, limited training required, standardization. Disadvantages Raters biases, use
of improper weighs by
HR, does not
allow rater to give relative ratings.

360 DEGREE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

360 degree appraisals are a powerful developmental method and quite different to
traditional manager-subordinate appraisals. As such a 360 degree process does not
replace the traditional one-to-one process - it augments it, and can be used as a
stand-alone development method.
360 degree appraisals involve the appraisee receiving feedback from people (named
or anonymous) whose views are considered helpful and relevant.
360 feedback is a proven method of helping individuals reviews their performance
through the eyes of their working colleagues.
The feedback is typically provided on a form showing job
skills/abilities/attitudinal/behavioral criteria and some sort of scoring or value
judgment system. The appraisee should also assess themselves using the same
feedback instrument or form.

BENCHMARKING
Benchmarking is the process of determining who is the very best, who sets the
standard, and what that standard is. In baseball, you could argue that seven
consecutive

World

Series

Championships

made

the

New

York

Yankees

the

benchmark. It is done to motivate people to improve toward that goal.

Benchmarking is usually part of a larger effort, usually a Process Re-engineering or
Quality Improvement initiative. Benchmarking is a management tool that is being
applied almost anywhere. Once we decide what to benchmark, and how to measure it,
the object is to figure out how the winner got to be the best and determine what we
have to do to get there.
EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION TRACKING SYSTEM (ESTS)
Conducting surveys to elicit response from the employees and the records collected
are used to rate the overall satisfaction level of the employees. Targeted to achieve
100% satisfaction in the course of its operation. It regularly looks into the employee
concerns and strives to address them. They are the forums for the employees to voice
their recommendation or compliment their colleagues. It is mandatory for the review
committee to reply to the employee suggestions within 2 days or he shall be allotted
default points.
SPECIAL THANKS AND RECOGNITION SYSTEM (STARS)
Customers of an organization can be satisfied only when its employees are satisfied.
Its a recognizing and rewarding for the employees who showcase excellent

performance at their work. It is promoted successively to various levels. Employees

were not just assessed on their performance but also on parameters like honesty,
trustworthiness, concern for the environment, team spirit, cooperation, etc.
Appreciation from the customers also fetches points.

MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES (MBO)

It means management by objectives and the performance is rated against the
achievement of objectives stated by the management. MBO process goes as under,
Establish goals and desired outcomes for each subordinate
Setting performance standards
Comparison of actual goals with goals attained by the employee
Establish new goals and new strategies for goals not achieved in previous year.
Advantage It is more useful for managerial positions.
Disadvantages Not applicable to all jobs, allocation of merit pay may result in setting
short-term goals rather than important and long-term goals etc.
PSYCHOLOGICAL APPRAISALS
These appraisals are more directed to assess employees potential for future
performance rather than the past one. It is done in the form of in-depth interviews,
psychological tests, and discussion with supervisors and review of other evaluations. It is
more focused on employees emotional, intellectual, and motivational and other personal
characteristics affecting his
performance. This approach is slow and costly and may be
useful for bright young members who may have considerable potential. However, quality of
these appraisals largely depend upon the
skills of psychologists who perform the
evaluation.

JOB EVALUATION
Job Evaluation refers to the process of determining the relative worth of each job for
purpose of establishing wage and salary differentials. Jobs are evaluated on the basis
of their content and are placed in order of their importance. In a job evaluation
programme, the jobs are ranked and not the job holders.
Methods of Job Evaluation

Though there are different types of methods available but the most common method
practiced in this industry is analytical method and in analytical method, point ranking
methods is the most appropriate one.
Process of Job Evaluation

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
As the name suggest it is all about maintaining relationship with the employee. It
includes all terms that are concerned with the employee like employee remuneration,
incentives payments,

employee benefits and services, employee welfare, safety and

health issue, trade unions etc. Here its where the HR manager communicates with
employee about their problems, suggestion and

so on. All these steps are followed in

order to retain best employee.

Employee Remuneration
In most of the hotels, the human resource department plays a crucial role in
determining the remuneration policy of employees. For this they take into

consideration all external as well as the internal factors. By this they have to deal with
external factors like labour market, going rate, cost of living, labour unions, labour
laws, society and the economy as well as internal factors like companys ability to pay,
job evaluation and performance appraisal and the worker himself or herself. In hotel
industry both financial as well as non-financial methods of remuneration are followed.
Incentives Payments
It is seen that HRD are highly involved in deciding the incentives programmes. As this
department is involved in deciding the remuneration programmme, they are serving
as the foundations for most incentive plans. The management of these plans is
collaborative. These incentives schemes are for direct workers who work in batches,
as well as for indirect workers.
Employee Benefits and Services
The HRD has a major role in the development and management of benefits programs.
These benefits are designed by HRD in order to suit the requirement of employee. And
further, they are sent to the top management for approval. Thereafter they are
implemented. These benefits, which are given to the employee, are both financial as
well as non-financial.
Some of the benefits and services, which are practiced in the hotel industry are as
follows:
Legally required payments

Old age, survivors, disability and health insurance

Workers compensation

Unemployment compensation

Contingent and deferred benefits

Pension plans
Group life insurance

Sick leave

Maternity leave

Payments for time not worked

Vacations

Holidays

Employee Welfare

Labour welfare refers to taking care of the well being of workers by employers, trade
unions, and government and non-government agencies. Recognizing the unique place
of the worker in the society and doing good for him/her retaining and motivating
employees, minimizing social evils, and building up the local reputation of the hotel
are the arguments in favour of employee welfare. Hence this area has generated one
more area for practicing of HR roles.
Safety and Health Issue
Since the hotel industry, is the service industry, hence the safety and health aspects
of employee is concern for the organization, as employee are assets of service
industry. The whole and soul responsibility of employee health and safety measures lie
on the shoulder of HR department. Hence such types of measures reduce the chances
of accidents.