How Can We Tackle High Employee Turnover and Slow Career Progression in Hotels?

Hi, I am an MBA student doing my summers in a 5-star hotel. My project is to suggest ways to reduce attrition. Some of the most common problems are related to compensation. Employees work for a maximum of one year and then go abroad for better compensation. There is no real dissatisfaction expressed by them. Is there a solution for this?

Another query, if someone could help me out... There are positions in this hotel where the job responsibilities are similar. Many employees have complained about the number of levels in the organization. They say they have to wait very long to reach a certain position. Will cutting out levels, i.e., flattening the org structure, do any good? Because if that is done, promotions will be a problem, and there are employees who have also mentioned that progress in the hotel is slow. Is there a solution for this?

Please help.

Hi Tania,

I went to attend a seminar on competency mapping. Professor Venkatsean gave a lecture on competency mapping. He is from Delhi and works in the hotel industry. I will check out his email address, and if I have it, maybe he can be helpful.

Okay, see you.
Bye

The first, and most important way of understanding retention is a comprehensive exit interview. Departing employees will tell you why they are leaving. Their comments may need interpretation, but they will always provide some keys to you.

Some ideas for you to look for:

1) Employees like to be recognized and appreciated. That doesn't always mean with money. Sometimes a simple "thank you" or "good job" can be enough to make somebody feel part of the company. Comp time can be a great reward, in lieu of money, if cash is a problem. An extra half day of personal time can yield days' worth of quality man-hours down the road. Also, it helps if those above them know their names.

2) Employees like to know exactly what is expected of them on any given day. Supervisors who are vague or who don't allow employees to finish a project before moving them on to another task can do more to harm an employee's affinity for the company than you know.

3) Employees want to feel as if they are growing and moving forward. Opportunities for training and education, lateral movement within the organization, and the ability to explore different tasks can take the place of some of the movement up those extra layers.

That's just a start, but you should also be aware that, on average, 20% of your employees generate 80% of your positive production and 10% are so bad that they are negative influences on the bottom line. The key is in maximizing ROI on the center 70% and doing EVERYTHING to keep the top 20% moving up the ladder.

Hope that helps!

Regards,

Jon

Northeast Athletic Concepts

Sport psychology-based consulting to improve HR performance

[Login to view]