Do You Know The Common Problems of Human Resources in Hospitality

Many companies in the hospitality industry, both small and large have difficulty understanding their human resources and labor relations obligations of any country or countries in which they operate!

This is understandable given the number of laws and regulations governing (drowning) the work environment in which governments seem to revel in.

The hospitality industry is no exception and in many cases is more complex than the average firm.

In this publication Biz Momentum will outline important employment factors that help to reduce "stress" that may occur related directly to the hotel sector, which Biz Momentum is actively involved in a hands on capacity.

Did you know that;

It 'been a reliable estimate that 75% of businesses have no employees of the agreements and employment policies and procedures. In case of dispute, the law will decide for you and this almost always goes against you, the employer;

b Worldwide bullying and sexual harassment claims are increasing. The average cost of a claim is $ 36,500 - $ 250,000 in a country and recently an employee was awarded $ 1,000,000. This comes directly out of your profit bottom line;

rape and sodomy in the workplace c is increasing in the hotel and we saw the resulting trauma, ill will and bad publicity for your hotel, restaurant or workplace where this happened;

Workplace through the stalking of employees as a result, sending emails, voice messages and gifts is becoming increasingly common and results in increased absenteeism and resignations;

Theft of your inventory and as a quality wine, food and equipment is rampant!

Abuse fe illegal use of its facilities for personal gain is increasing;

g It 'been reliably demonstrated that some employees use up to 2 hours for each day of e-mail and Internet services for personal gain and to access illegal sites such as hate literature and pornography, not to mention the chat line.

Many hotel restaurants, he deliberately violated standards of health and safety which results in increased staff turnover, fines and costly pay-out to employees;

Many of the managers do not understand or have experience in know-how of how to manage and lead employees. People skills a re paramount to success.

j Not having an adequate description of the work and control of behavior management can be a cause of psychological injury resulting in hefty fines for not talking about the process of litigation that we have seen take up to 3 years to resolve

This is far from exhaustive, but includes a growing number of issues in which Biz Momentum has noticed in recent years affecting the hospitality industry.

The 'ingredients' for the management of risks related to employment:

There are some steps you can take to minimize your employment risks. Biz Momentum have provided some general advice on employment of labor in the management of risks, however, we need advice that every business has its own unique profile and therefore decisions must be taken to companies deserving individual.

1. Descriptions of work

A simple but effective written job description can not be overlooked when hiring an employee or manager.

Employees and management need to understand what they are responsible for as well as what are the basic skills they need to perform their duties safely.

Case 1 - The Restaurant paperwork that he thought it was a waste of time

Recently, a restaurant is being sued by an employee for $ 325,000 for psychological injury. The worker had worked in their position for two years and said that they were injured because they have not received a job description.

The matter is proceeding to court appointed attorneys on both sides.

The statement is completely false, yet the legal system is set up so that the employee will be compensated. The company did not have a job description. Employees are now more inclined to take up and engage lawyers to sue emergency fee (no win - no fee lawyer)

It's not just the cost of litigation but preparation, meetings, affidavits, interviews and stress on the entrepreneur.

2. Employment Agreements

A labor contract establishes the boundaries and expectations of employment and is a key document for the protection of your business.

Employment agreements must contain employee benefits and obligations. Failure to have a well written employment contract that leaves you open to courts and tribunals interpreting your obligations for you.

The hospitality industry with several different types of workers in-house. Every employee from the filter to the waitress in front of the house, apprentices and chefs, waiters, maintenance workers, clerks and all others must have a job description would otherwise face stiff penalties when things such as accidents and incidents all goes wrong.

Common clause include hours, leave, goodwill, business documents, constraints management, privacy, intellectual property, remuneration and benefits, requirements of the position, privacy, ethical constraints, use of corporate assets, guarantees, responsibilities and more yet.

There are many types of agreements that your company may choose, but each activity must be assessed on its own merits and circumstances.

CASE 2: The Partner Hotel that has changed my mind

The hotel business was severely affected when a fellow worker in a boutique hotel for 5 years left and the other partners had not bothered to organize an agreement or restrictive covenant clause as a partner after having made it clear that after a period of three years he would go abroad for some time.

However, the person who changed their minds when they began a personal relationship in the local town. Then the partner left the hotel and there he started his own business around the corner.

The original hotel and restaurant lost much of their previously loyal patronage. It is not uncommon for customers to quickly find you have lost a key person in your business and follow elsewhere.

This was a very costly mistake resulting in a lot of goodwill and profit leaving the company. This could easily be avoided by ensuring that all parties have signed a partnership agreement well written and contains restrictions on the employment, ownership of goodwill to name a few clauses.

Now might be a good time to make sure you have up to date agreements for employees of all levels including senior management employees. Senior Management is often overlooked and this is your own risk. The days of trust are disappearing where your best employee today can be your worst enemy tomorrow if things go wrong.

Imagine the consequences for your business if this happened to you.

4. Policies and procedures

A human resources policy and procedures manual is an essential tool for protecting your business only if the manual is implemented and used appropriately.

Failure to implement effective policies and procedures and comply with them will result in the courts interpret the obligations for you in what will be a costly exercise.

Moreover, not having the correct policies and procedures capable of binding to take some action that could be taken if you have clearly stated policies and procedures.

Drug and alcohol testing is an area that many in the hospitality industry have fallen from the foul to take rash decisions and firing the employee only to find themselves being subjected to litigation.

Common policies and procedures Biz Momentum recommend for the hospitality industry include appointment policy, children in the workplace, customer / employee relationships, code of conduct, the policy of the user's computer, preventing anti-discrimination, drugs and alcohol, employee dress and grooming, portable computers and equipment, leave, the use of mobile phones, cars, privacy and freedom of information, prevention of sexual harassment, stress prevention, cessation employment and discipline of employees, harassment in the workplace and health and safety at work.

These policies must be tailored to each section of your business, restaurant, for example, maintenance et al.

Case 3 - unfair dismissal and sexual harassment

In another unsatisfactory situation an employee was fired for poor performance constant. Later, his lawyer suggested that sue the employer for unfair dismissal and sexual harassment.

Clearly this is extremely stressful for the entrepreneur.

The situation could have easily been avoided by a policy of discipline and termination and the procedure and criteria for the prevention of sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment and bullying are rapidly immersing as one of the scourges of all businesses and in our experience is particularly prevalent in some sectors of the hospitality.

Biz Momentum has helped the hospitality industry in counseling in situations of rape and sodomy in the workplace in terms of employment. Of course all these episodes should be addressed to the authorities for investigation.

However you are required to have a rehabilitation program in the workplace on-site service if the person is willing to return to work or not and this is just the beginning of what should be done.

5. Induction Process

The induction of employees in your 'business' should be structured process! Your employees are taken through your trade policies, procedures and manual work in a formal way.

If the staff or line management must complete the process with a sign off procedure to say they understood the need to respect the criteria and procedures.

The importance of this process can not be overstated. We recently attended a business that was sued for $ 300,000 for an employee stating that he had not been introduced and the employee lost because the business could produce and demonstrate that the induction had taken place.

Biz Momentum can takes you through an induction process that is streamlined and takes less than 1 to 4 hours for a new employee, depending on the size and complexity of your business. Biz Momentum often conducts inductions on behalf of the business, as we are considered experts in this field.

Case 4 - The thief, wine, online videos

In another case, apparently open and closed a well-known hotel captured the head chef of his restaurant to steal a bottle of wine quality through video footage, which was operating at this hotel.

Angry with the theft, the owner of the hotel has tried to dismiss the employee immediately and decided to follow the advice at the last moment with Biz Momentum.

This was a good decision on his part. Even if the owner has had the video evidence of theft of employee the owner was still required to enable a person caught stealing the 'opportunity to show cause' or tell him why he should not have to be rejected. This is commonly referred to as natural justice: allowing the person to put their side of the question to you.

Secondly the hotel did not induct its employees who were subject to surveillance which proved to be a problem for the hotel.

The hotel owner subsequently decided to issue a written warning to the head chef and the chef later resigned. This was a good result for the hotel, a good lesson to its employees other than to protect the owner from potential litigation.

The moral of this study is that we must be wise and take advice and consider all the facts (theft and surveillance were not the only issues) before dismissing an employee.

6. Communication

Communication is the oil to make a business work effectively and efficiently. Most of the screws and gossip thrive in a vacuum of communication.

Be ready to correct your concerns on a day to day with employees and avoid the cost of procrastination in which time and emotion linkage now and the question is does it all blown out of proportion.

We can show you how!

7. Reward and recognition

We all appreciate a 'thank you' and 'well done' from our clients and other people who are important to us. Employees are not positive feedback, and adjust various, sometimes reinforced by a tangible reward goes a long way towards creating a culture of trust and high morale.

We all know that costs are increasing, however, develop a generous spirit with employees and ensure that they are paid fairly and well.

The reward for you will be billed and a diminished reputation. Studies have shown many of your employees will remain with you, because the work environment and morale even when they are headhunted with a better offer. The money is not always the dominant key factor in retaining valuable employees.

Many managers try the carrot and stick approach to the management and employees has been estimated that up to 60% of managers are ill-equipped to manage people and are seriously lacking common skills such as courtesy, understanding, tack and listening skills.

It 's really like letting a run rampant bull through a china shop. The disaster becomes evident and is often too late to repair.

Biz Momentum has many years of experience in advising companies on employment issues. We regularly conduct seminars to educate employers on their obligations and have assisted many businesses in the hospitality industry, with practical solutions, training and mentoring on the job and have done work internationally where required and resources are available ....