| An organization is as good as its people, and | | | | Discuss career paths |
| nobody can deny the fact that manpower is the | | | | Career development is on everybody’s mind. |
| greatest asset of a company. Moreover high | | | | Offer advice and help on your employees’ |
| attrition rates incur major costs to the company | | | | career development, highlighting how this job will |
| including recruiting expenses, training expenses, | | | | cater to that need. Let employees know that you |
| unemployment insurance and guest service of a | | | | are interested in investing time and money in |
| quality less than one has been striving for. | | | | them provided they stick to their job. This will |
| Lets get to the crux. Employee turnover figure in | | | | help you both achieve mutual goals. |
| the hospitality industry is a whopping 50%, enough | | | | Make yourself approachable |
| to make employers lose sleep over the tangible | | | | Making employees feel comfortable enough to |
| and intangible costs of employee turnover. | | | | share their problems with the management |
| Turnover has an immediate effect, particularly in | | | | always comes in handy. Managers, who take |
| customer service-dependent areas of the | | | | weekly rounds of departments finding out the |
| business. A vacant position means more work for | | | | way employees function and whether anybody |
| the remaining employees, without making a | | | | has a grievance, make them appear friendly and |
| compromise on the customer service front. Little | | | | approachable. |
| wonder then, that hospitality companies with low | | | | Analyze |
| turnover rates report higher customer satisfaction | | | | Find out the reasons for the turnover rates at |
| and higher profits. | | | | your hotel. This can be effectively done through |
| The ‘always on’ hospitality sector does | | | | exit interviews of the employees planning to |
| not afford these kinds of figures pertaining to the | | | | leave. Train your HR department in doing these |
| turnover of employees. Consider the following | | | | and derive an inference from the answers to |
| points when planning for employee retention. | | | | such questions. This will give you an insight into |
| Respect | | | | the needs of the employees and allow you to |
| Any relationship blooms under the swathe of | | | | sort out any problem areas. |
| respect. It is, therefore, important for the | | | | Conduct employee surveys |
| employers to honor cultures, languages, traditions, | | | | Give out questionnaires to be filled in by the |
| and age of their employees. | | | | working people to gauge what they think about |
| Transparent policies and procedures | | | | working with the hotel. They will bring up issues |
| After induction, employees need to be educated | | | | that need immediate attention. Be prepared to |
| about the policies and working procedures of the | | | | address them so that things don’t go out of |
| hotel. Keeping them transparent, fair and | | | | hand. |
| consistent will help employees see you in good | | | | Make working fun |
| light. | | | | Form social groups within the organization, wherein |
| Recognition of performance | | | | your staff can mingle. Arrange outings, or make a |
| More than a round of applause or a pat on the | | | | newsletter that carries information about and for |
| back, compensation in terms of bonuses, | | | | the employees that is important to them. Find out |
| rewards, peer recognition etc. is necessary as a | | | | if any of the staff members is volunteering for a |
| recognition strategy. Innovative performance | | | | socially responsible group. If yes, plan a donation |
| based perks such as an insurance cover and time | | | | for it, or at least make a recognition of his |
| off are good ones too. | | | | contribution to society by patting him on the back. |
| Training programs | | | | Conclusion |
| Make development initiatives and training | | | | Your employees are no less astute than your |
| programs a part of the job. Repeated training is a | | | | customers. Among all the above mentioned ways |
| good way to ingrain particular concepts into | | | | to retain your workforce, think of other ideas |
| employees’ minds. Such initiatives help | | | | such as child care during non standard time |
| employees hone their skills at the same time | | | | including evenings and weekends or synchronized |
| allowing you to use them as per your | | | | working patterns for employees, to some extent |
| requirement. Employees are also glad at the | | | | if not otherwise. Retaining employees using these |
| prospect of career development through | | | | tips based on common sense will seem to be |
| continuous training. | | | | peanuts. |