The Three Pillars of Hospitality Human Resource Management
Albert BarraNovember 1, 2018 · 5 min read
When addressing Human Resources management, it is common to focus on aspects such as remuneration, recruitment or dismissal management. While these elements are important, they do not form the foundation of Human Resources, which must place significant emphasis on the employee’s “during” period—that is, the time during which the employee maintains a relationship with the company.
In this regard, three elements are fundamental as the guarantors of sound Human Resources management: training, freedom and responsibility. These elements are not separate compartments to be managed individually; rather, they are parts of an overall management approach and an equally holistic reality within the company. The development of each of these pillars affects the others, generating a state of continual evolution whose ultimate aim is guest satisfaction.
We start from the premise that the other elements of Human Resources management (recruitment, remuneration, etc.) are handled appropriately, allowing us to focus on managing, as mentioned, the relationship between the employee and the organisation.
Training.- Training is the first step in the Human Resources management process. Following an appropriate recruitment process, in which we have defined both the role and the ideal candidate profile and selected accordingly, the need arises to introduce the employee to the company’s way of operating. An initial training approach takes the form of somewhat informal training, consisting of communicating the company’s policies and culture, as well as the organisation’s basic processes. Using this type of strategy makes it possible to gradually introduce the employee to day-to-day operations and help them begin to develop a sense of belonging.
The organisation cannot overlook the fact that its main objective is guest satisfaction. In this respect, it is necessary to understand our guests’ characteristics, tastes and wishes, and consequently to design training plans that ensure better service and a greater understanding of guests among employees. Training plans must be tailored to each role, although there may be a number of common modules, particularly those relating to guest interaction. In any case, it is clear that front-office and back-office employees, bar and reception staff and, ultimately, frontline employees and middle managers cannot—and should not—receive the same training.
The ultimate objective must be guest satisfaction, and continuous improvement is essential to achieving it. In this respect, each employee’s individual initiative regarding their own training should be viewed very positively, encouraging employee-led efforts in this direction and facilitating attendance at training sessions even during working hours. It will always be worthwhile to advise employees who wish to undertake individual training initiatives aimed at improving the work they perform, especially when such training takes place during working hours.
Freedom.- All the training received must serve a purpose; in other words, it must be put into practice. The main purpose of training that is appropriate in both scope and quality is to give employees sufficient freedom to manage the moment of truth using the right tools. No one knows the guest better than the employee. No one can respond better to a guest’s wishes than the employee. In an environment where guests are above all seeking personalised service, employees’ freedom to tailor that service to guest preferences appears to be a crucial asset.
When we speak of freedom, we are referring, of course, to what Isaiah Berlin called “negative liberty”: the freedom to act without being prevented or hindered by others. In this case, we are referring to employees’ freedom to act without management imposing limits beyond the company’s policies and culture. This is not about giving employees unlimited freedom, but rather freedom grounded in the philosophy the company has instilled in them and supported by comprehensive, appropriate training.
Freedom entails not only freedom of action, but also freedom of information. Only if we are able to share information with all employees across the organisation will we be able to create a dynamic, agile company. Freedom of information has two immediate effects on the workforce. On the one hand, it gives employees essential elements for analysing their actions. On the other, it strengthens the employee’s sense of belonging to the organisation by conveying the message that they, too, matter.
Responsibility.- Responsibility appears to be the least obvious and perhaps the most diffuse of these three management pillars. Yet its importance is fundamental, as it brings together the previous two and drives new actions and improvements.
Responsibility can be understood as internal or external. Internal responsibility is self-imposed: it is the responsibility through which employees govern their own actions and decide on possible corrections. Thus, when an error occurs, employees themselves must analyse its causes and consequences and propose some form of change, whether at a structural level within the organisation or through training. Employees may even take the initiative to address potential training gaps by seeking out courses themselves. This responsibility presupposes sufficient levels of training and freedom to ensure that employees do not feel constrained within an organisation to the point that they see their actions not as their own responsibility, but merely as orders from higher levels.
External responsibility, on the other hand, is that which the company requires of the employee. As a member of an organisation, employees must understand that their actions will be expected to deliver certain results and that, if these are not achieved, a number of corrective measures will follow. The first corrective measure usually used, and sometimes the only one, is dismissal. However, while it should not be ruled out in specific and serious cases, it is not the only possible course of action. Meetings may be held with those concerned to consider possible measures such as training courses, new service approaches or a transfer to another department if it is better suited to the employee’s characteristics…
Ultimately, this responsibility generates energy and directs actions towards further training and better management of freedom, creating a self-reinforcing system that seeks continuous improvement and becomes increasingly aligned with guest wishes
We start from the premise that the other elements of Human Resources management (recruitment, remuneration, etc.) are handled appropriately, allowing us to focus on managing, as mentioned, the relationship between the employee and the organisation.
Training.- Training is the first step in the Human Resources management process. Following an appropriate recruitment process, in which we have defined both the role and the ideal candidate profile and selected accordingly, the need arises to introduce the employee to the company’s way of operating. An initial training approach takes the form of somewhat informal training, consisting of communicating the company’s policies and culture, as well as the organisation’s basic processes. Using this type of strategy makes it possible to gradually introduce the employee to day-to-day operations and help them begin to develop a sense of belonging.
The organisation cannot overlook the fact that its main objective is guest satisfaction. In this respect, it is necessary to understand our guests’ characteristics, tastes and wishes, and consequently to design training plans that ensure better service and a greater understanding of guests among employees. Training plans must be tailored to each role, although there may be a number of common modules, particularly those relating to guest interaction. In any case, it is clear that front-office and back-office employees, bar and reception staff and, ultimately, frontline employees and middle managers cannot—and should not—receive the same training.
The ultimate objective must be guest satisfaction, and continuous improvement is essential to achieving it. In this respect, each employee’s individual initiative regarding their own training should be viewed very positively, encouraging employee-led efforts in this direction and facilitating attendance at training sessions even during working hours. It will always be worthwhile to advise employees who wish to undertake individual training initiatives aimed at improving the work they perform, especially when such training takes place during working hours.
Freedom.- All the training received must serve a purpose; in other words, it must be put into practice. The main purpose of training that is appropriate in both scope and quality is to give employees sufficient freedom to manage the moment of truth using the right tools. No one knows the guest better than the employee. No one can respond better to a guest’s wishes than the employee. In an environment where guests are above all seeking personalised service, employees’ freedom to tailor that service to guest preferences appears to be a crucial asset.
When we speak of freedom, we are referring, of course, to what Isaiah Berlin called “negative liberty”: the freedom to act without being prevented or hindered by others. In this case, we are referring to employees’ freedom to act without management imposing limits beyond the company’s policies and culture. This is not about giving employees unlimited freedom, but rather freedom grounded in the philosophy the company has instilled in them and supported by comprehensive, appropriate training.
Freedom entails not only freedom of action, but also freedom of information. Only if we are able to share information with all employees across the organisation will we be able to create a dynamic, agile company. Freedom of information has two immediate effects on the workforce. On the one hand, it gives employees essential elements for analysing their actions. On the other, it strengthens the employee’s sense of belonging to the organisation by conveying the message that they, too, matter.
Responsibility.- Responsibility appears to be the least obvious and perhaps the most diffuse of these three management pillars. Yet its importance is fundamental, as it brings together the previous two and drives new actions and improvements.
Responsibility can be understood as internal or external. Internal responsibility is self-imposed: it is the responsibility through which employees govern their own actions and decide on possible corrections. Thus, when an error occurs, employees themselves must analyse its causes and consequences and propose some form of change, whether at a structural level within the organisation or through training. Employees may even take the initiative to address potential training gaps by seeking out courses themselves. This responsibility presupposes sufficient levels of training and freedom to ensure that employees do not feel constrained within an organisation to the point that they see their actions not as their own responsibility, but merely as orders from higher levels.
External responsibility, on the other hand, is that which the company requires of the employee. As a member of an organisation, employees must understand that their actions will be expected to deliver certain results and that, if these are not achieved, a number of corrective measures will follow. The first corrective measure usually used, and sometimes the only one, is dismissal. However, while it should not be ruled out in specific and serious cases, it is not the only possible course of action. Meetings may be held with those concerned to consider possible measures such as training courses, new service approaches or a transfer to another department if it is better suited to the employee’s characteristics…
Ultimately, this responsibility generates energy and directs actions towards further training and better management of freedom, creating a self-reinforcing system that seeks continuous improvement and becomes increasingly aligned with guest wishes