Human Resource Management
1. Introduction:
Human resource management is a department that has central importance in all organizations and contributes significantly in the victory of organizations, and when it comes to service organizations, then HRM becomes more crucial.
The objective of this report is to understand the human resource management, training and development, employment laws, employee relationships, and recruitment and selection in the service industry. In this report, mobile Marriott has been chosen in order to analyze and describe the practices of human resource management on hospitality/tourism service organization.
The role of HRM at Marriott, its human resource planning, demand and supply of people, employment relationships, and impact of employment laws on the management of human resource has been discussed.
2. Role and purpose of human resource management in Marriott hotel
Human resource management has a very crucial role in the success of Marriott all brands. The purpose of acquiring human resource practices is staffing (selection and recruitment), managing people, and increase the productivity of the organization through motivating employees, which include benefits and compensation. Marriott is a well-renowned brand, and in order to maintain its reputation, correct staffing is essential. Human resource management department is liable to select the appropriate persons for the hotel. The management's members interview potential candidates through face-to-face meeting. Different techniques are utilized that are dependent upon the nature of employment. Sequence interviews and panel interview, medical test and background investigation is a part of selection and recruitment process; through the selection of right people human resource management reduces the cost of labor. The second purpose is to train and develop people according to the job requirements that improve the productivity of the organization. Marriott has its training program that is recognized as “passport to success”, this training program has eight levels (SKNVibes, 2007). The third purpose of human resource department at Marriott is to manage people through the compensation and benefits. HRM department designs internal wages structure that is based on unbiased practices. Competitive benefits packages are designed and prepared that are based on the skills of employees, and employees are given incentives. At Marriott, when the compensation and benefits program is designed HRM department takes several factors into consideration. Some of the factors considered include competitor wages scales, labor productivity, security, health and safety of employees, living cost, and the requirement of government like minimum rates of wages.
Human resource department is liable to do human resource planning and contributes significantly in the success of all Marriott brands. HRM at Marriott does plan not for present demand and supply but future as well. Marriott’s HRM department is the best example of strategic plan implementation and adoption for market changes.
3. Analysis and justification of human resource plan requirements in the hospitality industry.
Management of people is an important task in every organization and plays an immense role in the success of the business. If organizations are in a surplus condition i.e. the organization has excess of human capital, then the organization will not be able to earn a significant profit due to extra labor expenses. On the other hand, if the organization has a shortage of human capital or the organization does not have people with right knowledge and skills, then the organization will not be able to achieve its goals. Plan of human resource requirements allows organizations to have the right amount of people in the organization. Hospitality and tourism organizations are familiar with the challenge of “employer of choice”, so as Marriott (Marriott Vacations Worldwide, 2014). The implementation of human resource strategies begins with the planning of human resource management. Human resource planning is a complete process through which human resource department recognizes the present and future needs of human resources for the organization in order to achieve the stated goals.
Human resource planning serves as a link between the organizational strategic plan and human resource management. A plan of human resource requirements includes the evaluation of human resource requirements in order to assure that the organization has the appropriate number of employees, with required skills, abilities, and knowledge. Human resource planning not only identifies the HR requirements, but takes steps to meet these requirements. Planning is crucial in the overall process of HRM and has an important role in the establishment of succeeding strategic choices (Lee-Ross, & Pryce, 2010). In short, human resource planning is a process through which human resource management ensures that organization has right the number and capable people in right places and at right time. Through human resource, planning organizations can avoid sudden shortage and surplus of talent (Sullivan, 2002). Human resource planning consists of two steps assessment of present human resources and meeting future human resource needs.
1. Current assessment:
Current assessment includes job analysis, job description, and job specification. Through job analysis HRM analyze that what skills and knowledge are required to perform specific duties. Job description is a written statement that includes the job description, its environment, content, and conditions of employment. Job specification is an elaboration of minimum qualification that is required to perform a particular task. All the three documents are essential for managers before starting the recruitment and selection.
2. Meeting up potential human resource needs:
These needs are determined by the organizational mission, vision, and goals. Demand of employees occurs in the result of demand of organizational services.
Once HRM has assessed the current capabilities and future needs, they can make an estimation that in which the organization will be over-staffed and under-staffed. After these assessments, they can take some steps to overcome from shortage or excess (Boudreau & Ramstad, 2005).
Human resource planning makes a difference in hiring process and human resource plan is an important part of the recruitment process (Kumar, 2010). At Marriott, human resource planning allows recruiters to select and hire right people; it starts from the entry level and goes through the higher-level positions. At Marriott, every division prepares its workforce expansion plan in the process and for next two years through which they decide the required number of managerial staff and entry level for future expansion. Human resource planning involves retention strategy, flexibility strategy, formation of employer brand, absence management strategy, recruitment and selection strategy, and talent management strategy. Therefore, it cannot be separated from human resource management process. Marriott developed compensation programs for employees.
4. Supply and demand of people at Marriott:
In any service organization, management of talent is very crucial. The main reason is that to serve customers with the best services and to maintain the brand reputation organizations require employees and in the hospitality industry. For this purpose, having the right number of staff is essential. Marriott is an international organization and a well-renowned and established brand. It has multiple branches in United States and up to 13 million people are working under the brand. Marriott does not believe on employing people with not skills and knowledge. Organization always seeks for employees that are trained and can effectively manage the organizational activities. It has been exposed that supply and demand of people solely depends upon the demand and supply of services or on a corporate plan. When events such as Christmas, New Year, and holidays are there hotel requires more staff as compared to casual; because in these days people love to visit different places. In these days, labors are in demand and in order to fill out this demand Marriott hire part-time staff at higher wages. The target workforce of Marriott is between the age of 18 to 32, and the purpose is to provide the quick services to customers. Currently, Marriott does not have any problem in supply and demand of people both are in a balanced equation. Marriott always takes one-step forward to make the planning of workforce. Therefore, Marriott does not have to face from excesses or shortage issue of talent.
Marriott workforce is based on students; Marriott takes care of their timings that provide them motivation and serves hotel with good and engaged talent. However, a great expansion of Marriott units has been encountered, and this explores the greater demand of employees in the organization (Marriott News Center, 2014). The aim of Marriott is to satisfy their clients with the best services and facilities. To achieve this target management has to take care of workforce requirements. Therefore, every division of Marriott makes its strategic plan for the next years to avoid a shortage of talent so that the shortage of employees do not become a hurdle in achieving the organizational goals.
5. Employment relations at Marriott:
Marriott believes on building good relations with employees because they believe that good relations engage employees in organizational activities. It has been encountered that Marriott has good relations with employees, supportive and positive style of management, a strong sense of family in workforce. Employees at Marriott have a strong sense of teamwork that is the evidence of good relations at Marriott. Marriot is the organization where employees are valued, and Marriott utilized the most important drivers of employee satisfaction that result in good employment relations (California Southern University, 2013). Even this organization (Marriott) differentiates itself by excellent member of staff relations multiple times.
6. Employment Laws and Management of HR at Marriott:
Every organization has a significant impact of employment laws at management of human resource. Marriott has a significant impact of civil right act on the development, training, and appraisal of human resource. The equal pay act has great affects on salary, rewards, and incentives. Marriott ensures the legal compliance while managing human resource (Marriott Vacations Worldwide, 2014). Marriott follows the employment laws and always tries to follow the guidelines in its corporate practices. Marriott is committed to following all employment laws in order to prove the loyalty towards employees.
Conclusion:
During the research, it has been encountered that human resource management practices are more important in the service sector as compared to manufacturing sector. The main reason is that employees are the immediate face of the organization in the service industry, and their mistakes cannot be handled on the spot. Therefore, human resource management is more critical at service sector in order to satisfy customers’ expectations. If organizations do not have human resource management then, they cannot deliver their best. Marriott is an international brand with multiple branches and the best example of human resource management. Secondly, it has been encountered that human resource planning is an essential part of human resource management and cannot be separated from HRM. It has been encountered that at Marriott human resource planning is done by every unit or division in advance for a couple of years for the purpose of expansion. Human resource planning aims to manage the correct talent in the correct amount at the right place on the right time, which is crucial for service organizations. In manufacturing organizations over time can be done to meet the needs but in service organizations it is not possible, therefore, shortage of the right talent can make a loss of billions. However, if the workforce is in excess then it will create a problem as well.
It has been encountered that demand and supply of labor in services organizations is solely dependent on the demand of services. For example, during vacations and special events, Marriott has to manage big crowd and to serve the increased demand of services, organization require additional staff. So, for this purpose organization targets young people and attracts them by offering higher wages and provides the flexibility of time. Marriott is considered as an example of employee relations ensures the legal compliance while managing human resource.
References
Boudreu, J. W., & Ramstad, P. M. (2005). Where's your pivotal talent?. Available from http://hbr.org/2005/04/wheres-your-pivotal-talent/ar/1 [Accessed 29th October, 2014]
California Southern University. (2013). The Marriott Way: Empowering Employees and Enhancing Customer Service to Drive the Bottom Line. Available from http://www.calsouthern.edu/content/events/the-marriott-way-empowering-employees-and-enhancing-customer-service-to-drive-the-bottom-line/ [Accessed 29th October, 2014]
Kumar, P. (2010). Mktg Of Hospitality & Tourism Serv. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education
Lee-Ross, D., & Pryce, J. (2010). Human Resources and Tourism. Channel View Publications.
Marriott News Center. (2014). 282 posts categorized "Marriott. Available from http://news.marriott.com/marriott/ [Accessed 29th October, 2014]
Marriott Vacations Worldwide. (2014). Marriott Vacations Worldwide Recognized by the 2014 Aon Hewitt Best Employers Program. Available from http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/AMDA-IZDDS/3582388774x0x789170/5d9175f3-2a47-4c21-a321-d2a8aab85bae/VAC_News_2014_10_28_General_Releases.pdf [Accessed 29th October, 2014]
SKNVibe. (2007). 380 St Kitts Marriott Associates Graduate the Passport 2 Success Program. Available from http://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/3013 [Accessed 29th October, 2014]
Sullivan, J. (2002). Workforce planning: Why to start now. Workforce, vol. 81, no. 11, pp. 46-50.
