The rising rate of attrition in the industry makes business challenging. Experts explain how.
GURMEET SINGH
Senior Area Director – Human Resources (South Asia)
Marriott International
Acknowledging industry’s attributes
With a rampant upsurge in attrition industry-wide, we acknowledge that this is a high-pressure job with a comparatively lower benchmark in compensation. The challenge that we see is not remaining the first choice for young graduates, as a good number of millennials are choosing other service industries where they see attractive short-term growth opportunities. As the industry is expanding exponentially, the migration of talent to other companies or even industries is a reality. We are still acquiring the needed talent locally, however, there is a need for the industry to dig deeper and identify the real factors leading to such attrition. At Marriott, we recognise that while money can undoubtedly cause a movement, it may not necessarily motivate and retain associates. During hiring, we ensure that we select candidates with values that resonate with Marriott’s culture. We also make use of new-age platforms such as social media, mobile Apps, GRS (Global Recruitment System), and an internal intranet-based tool called ERT (External Ready Talent). Building a stronger core Our core values and business strategies drive our company and play a significant role in shaping our associates to attain personal and professional success. At Marriott, we create different platforms and empower our associates to participate in different decision-making processes. Our goal is to create a work environment in which people are empowered and we enable their career development and we trust them to do the right thing. Granting employees access to management has always been a cornerstone of the company’s core value which can be utilised to voice and resolve workplace concerns. As we focus on driving business, Marriott’s unique ‘spirit to serve’ culture is our competitive advantage. Engaging our associates in service is an excellent way to enhance morale and build teamwork, while helping to meet the escalating needs in our communities. Providing new associates with a solid foundation to enhance their learning and provide them with the right information to do their job well is a key to engaging and retaining our associates. ‘In the Beginning’ is Marriott’s new hire orientation programme for all fulltime associates. We are committed to ensuring that all associates have the skills needed to perform their jobs effectively. One of the important goals for an HR leader is to achieve a certain percentage of internal hires. This significantly helps us to manage the aspirations of our growing talent and make our business leaders invested in building an internal talent pipeline which is a critical part of our overall retention strategy. Also, every Marriott associate wanting to learn the trade of another discipline can do so by cross-training.
ARIF KHAN
Director of Human Resource
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
Skilled manpower, a scarcity
Today, attracting the right talent and retaining it is a big challenge for the hospitality sector. Historically
speaking, our industry didn’t have the best reputation due to working hours and the intensity of work
that required being in touch with customers pretty much all the time. While it may appear that there is a severe staffing crisis that has gripped the industry over the past few years, the biggest challenge is the shortage of skilled manpower. We implement a variety of practices to reach out and attract the right kind of candidates – from employment advertisements and recruitment videos on social media channels to our career site, which was designed to help potential candidates feel the incredible sense of Hyatt’s culture and camaraderie. Often in our industry, the first 90 days is when you see the highest attrition rate, when employers don’t handle the on-boarding carefully. Our ‘Welcome to Hyatt’ new hire orientation is specially developed to integrate new hires into our culture and introduce them to authentic hospitality that defines our brands. Through the feedback sessions, they are encouraged to provide feedback on their experiences and to share
suggestions on how the hotel can better support their progression. Ensuring a suitable workplace At Hyatt, we are trying to think big and create a workplace that is conducive to all generations currently in our workforce, as our purpose is to ‘care for our people so that they can be their best’. Keeping that in mind and anticipating the expectations of our future colleagues, we introduced our decisions to enhance the work culture of our colleagues. This includes a five-day work week for all colleagues, work rosters published a minimum of seven days in advance so that colleagues can plan their schedules and have a better work-life balance, adherence to working hours, and a global family assistance policy which includes, among many other benefits, a fairly unique paternity leave. Since its implementation in 2017, this has significantly
impacted the engagement level of our colleagues and has emerged as a key employee value proposition in attracting the right talent.
