Managing People in Practice

Introduction1

Discussion2

HRM in Travel and Tourism Industry2

Recruitment and Selection3

The Effective Strategy4

Training and Development5

Types of Training Programs6

Contribution of Training & Development7

Conclusion7

References9

Managing People in Practice

Introduction

In the global scenario, the changes in the world are made rapidly. In order to remain competitive in the market, it has become essential to utilize the human asset is the best way. The importance of abilities of persons has gained tremendous significance. Thus, the role of Human resource management has also become prominent. The strategies that HR needs to implement should be carefully and closely studied. Travel and tourism industry are the one of the most significant industries of the world. The importance can be verified from the statistics presented by the World Travel and Tourism Council in 2001 (Nickson 2006). According to report, the tourism and travel industry creates 1 in 10 jobs in the world. The sector also generates 10% of global economic output (Koberg et.al 2003, pp. 37). According to the People 1st, the travel and tourism industry can be divided into further areas. These are:

Events

Hotels

Membership Clubs

Restaurants

Tourist Services

Pubs and Bars

Tourist attractions

Catering and accommodation

Hostels

Hospitality services (People 1st 2006)

In this report, the role of human resource management in travel and tourism industry is discussed in detail. The report also explores the key functions of HR departments that are

Recruiting and selection

Training and development

These functions can impact the performance of organization if strategies are planned and implemented in the most effective and beneficial way.

Discussion

HRM in Travel and Tourism Industry

Human resource management should include the following areas into consideration when implementing strategies. These are implications of globalization, technology changes, workforce diversity, labour shortages, changing skill requirements, the contingent workforce, decentralized work sites, and employee involvement (Boxall and Purcell 2000, pp. 190). The general perception of human resource management in the travel and tourism industry is extremely pessimistic. Negative perceptions exist about the employment practices and conditions. Few problems that were identified by Keep and Mayhew in 1999 that exist in this industry are:

Informal methods of recruitment and over reliance on these methods

Lower wages to the employees that are only addressed in skill shortage crises

Practices of seasonal employment in the sector and poorly designed career structures

Inflexibility in choosing working hours and shifts that result usually in unbalanced family lives No existence of trade unions

Persistent problems in hiring and retaining the employees

High employees' turnover rates

Absence of good HRM practices

Misrepresentation of genders in the jobs. Females are preferred for low level jobs in operations and males are preferred for highly skilled jobs only.

Unbalanced wages and employment status between genders (People 1st 2006)

Different types of employment sectors are considered in the travel and tourism industry. The major persons of this industry considered in this report are hotel staff and the tour guides that are attached to the hotel services in providing tour services to the visitors staying at the hotel.

Recruitment and Selection

It is critical for travel and Tourism Company to assess their approaches towards the recruitment and selection processes. This increases the likelihood to successfully appoint an employee and also produces ...