Strategic Management

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Multi-Generational Workforce

Talent management in the hospitality industry isn’t just about one generation anymore. We are starting to see people from all ages as well as all education backgrounds entering into the hospitality industry. Globally we are starting to see the tourism and hospitality industry increase, which is causing talent management to have to change their hiring behavior. ("Why talent management in hospitality can drive wider community development » Youth Career Initiative (YCI)," 2014)

By bringing in different generation into the work place I think that the companies and organizations are making it more diverse. They are also helping to educate everyone while at the same time evolving them into being the ideal hospitality employee. Something to keep in mind through is that there are upwards of four different generations working together currently in the workforce: Generation Y, Generation X, Baby Boomers and Matures. (Barron, Leask, & Fyall, 2014).

Even though having a multi-generation work force sounds well and good in theory, it doesn’t always turn out to be a good idea. Many of the reasons why the workforce doesn’t work well together is because of their outlooks on certain topics, their differences in their priorities, and they don’t have the same expectations and behaviors as other generations. I have seen this in just about every job I’ve held in the industry; it takes a special kind of individual to work with all generations without offending anyone. Multi-generational workforces are just another issue and struggle that talent management teams have to face in order for their strategies to work in the industry.

Millennials and Females in the Hospitality Industry

The talent for the hospitality industry isn’t just limited to certain standards anymore; companies and organizations are roaming and expanding wider in search of the best talent. ("Taking in a (new) view: The travel, leisure, and hospitality industry should roam wider and explore deeper in its search for talent," 2012) Most companies have started to see the benefits of bringing in both millennials and females into the industry.

However some companies feel that bringing in females to the industry means that different needs will have to be met which is being referred to as the equal treatment trap. ("Female talent in the hospitality industry - Glion Blog | Glion Institute of Higher Education," 2014) Despite these feelings and thoughts a fair number of females advance into the higher levels of companies and organizations.

Where the Industry is Now with Talent Management

I think that the industry right now is at a kind of cross roads with talent management. As an employee already working in the industry for several companies, I see both the struggles of the companies and the struggle of the employees. Most companies in the hospitality industry today are having to face many tough decisions as far as the direction of hiring and when to hire goes. For example, in the theme park industry you don’t want to hire at the wrong time of year and not have enough team members to cover the park during busy seasons. This industry also has several issues and struggles with the federal government rules and regulations regarding insurance coverage. Part of the struggle with this issue is that they do not want hire someone right away into a part time or full time status without knowing his or her true potential. This is where some of the struggle lies for employees; they do not want to work for a company that is not willing to give them the hours and the pay they think they deserve. Employees also want the benefits to take care of both themselves and their loved ones, plus the employees want to have that work life balance that goes along with a traditional no-stressful job or career.

Other sectors of the hospitality industry such as the casino industry are also feeling the struggles of talent management issues as well. Many of these issues and struggles are forcing the hospitality industry to have to take a deeper look at their talent management teams as well as their recruitment practices, which is causing very turbulent times in the industry and it also causing additional issues for the work force. (“Press Releases & Casino Careers News," n.d.)

Solutions to Talent Management

The first step to a solution in talent management issues is employee engagement, companies and organizations need to contribute to talent management teams by contributing to the employee engagement. (Christensen Hughes & Rog, 2008, p. 749) Without engagement we won’t have any ideas as to what the problems or issues still are.

DISCUSSIONS (IMPLICATIONS) (1000-1500 words)

CONCLUSION (300-400 words)

LEARNINGS (About 200 words)

I found from all of my research that we still have quite a ways to go in the talent management area. We seem to be on the right track as far as we are handling some of the strategies of the industry. It was also interesting to see what all talent management involves. I have to admit that prior to the start of this paper I would have classified talent management as just the hiring of employees. I was kind of surprised that the hiring of females seems to still a huge problem in the industry even after all of the advance females have had in the past several decades. It’s time for the hospitality industry to realize that just because we are a different gender it doesn’t mean that we can’t do the job just as well, if not better. I also wasn’t expecting the millennials to have such an impact in the industry as much as they do.

Everything that I learned just added to my thoughts about what the talent management teams are doing wrong when it comes to hiring the right people for the job. That all being said I found the solutions for talent management to be rather simple and not as complex as I originally thought, I think it’s just a matter time before the industry gets a hold on everything so that the industry can excel even more in the future.

REFERENCES

A. http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/doi/full/10.1108/SD-07-2015-0107

Academic Article/Journal on Managing the talent: Work-life balance in the hospitality industry

B. http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/doi/full/10.1108/09596110810897583

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