THC 3 :

Quality Service
Management in Tourism &
Chapter 5
Hospitality
Service Staffing in Tourism and Hospitality
Industry
Learning
• Understand the process of recruiting employees and be
Objectives:
familiar with the approaches and techniques of
interview and screening of job candidate;
• Understand the training and development techniques
used by the tourism and hospitality organizations;
• Know how tourism and hospitality employees are
trained to provide outstanding guest service;
Learning
• Know why hospitality organizations value their
Objectives:
employees through empowerment; and
• Understand the importance of managing and equipping
employees of the right mindset as being part of the
organization.
Every hospitality organization, whether it is a hotel, restaurant, resort,
lodging house, spa, amusement park, and the likes, would want to be
known as a business that provides the best quality of service and
Staffing for
Service “Hiring the right people for the right
position”

Tourism and hospitality-oriented

organizations look for other factors
aside from the usual credentials
required to land a job, such as:

1. Educational attainment
2. Physical features
3. Skills
Since the employees are often interacting with
guests, organizations seek employees with the
abilities that could provide the best guest
services.

Applicants should have the right attitude and

character such as friendliness, grace under
pressure, integrity, and going extra mile to be
considered by companies.
In the hospitality and tourism, it is a must that frontliners must
possess extraordinary traits that are not common among all
employees of the organization.

Traits you must possess

The different traits that should be possessed by the frontline

employees include:
 Service-oriented  Polite
 Empathic  Considerate
 Enthusiastic  Conscientious
 Responsible  Customer-focused
Internal Hiring
Many organizations favor internal hiring
because they see a lot of advantages
more than hiring outside of the
organization.

1. Information about the Applicant

Since internal applicants have been with the organization, the

previous evaluations about the employee’s performance, work
ethics, habits, strengths, and weaknesses are recorded and
observed.
2. Fairness of the Company

Hospitality organizations are rich in employees, these employees

would somehow feel unfair if the positions they applied for are
given to an outsider despite their efforts and hardwork to help the
organization succeed.

3. Knowledge and Experience within the

Organization
Organizations favor promoting employees who have started from
entry-level position moving them up the corporate ladder. Because
some believe that employees who have been with the organization
are already familiar with the organization’s function, values, &
culture.
4. Organizational Culture & Values

Internal applicants need less time adjusting to their new positions

since they are expected to know how to get things done and what
they are supposed to deliver.

5. Reduce Costs

Hiring employees entails a lot of costs in different areas.

When an organization hires from within, these costs could be
minimized. Cost in advertising would be eliminated and HR
Department could just disseminate a memo for a job internally.
External Hiring
Hiring employees from outside of the
organization is an option that every
organization can choose in order to
improve its operation.

1. Paradigm Shift and New Perspective

A fresh perspective may set the tone on how to improve the

processes of the organization, or in extreme case, it could
determine if there is a need for re-organization.
2. Education and
Experience
It would take time and higher costs for organizations to train and
develop employees from within as compared to hiring employees
that are already trained and proficient with the job required.

3. Diversity of Workforce

The diversity of employees equips the organization in

understanding the varied culture of guests, preparing for the
required services, and servicing the guests according to their
preferences.
Approaches to Hiring External Employees

Internet

Print Advertising

Professional Linkages or Groups

Internship or Work and Travel Program

Referrals or Peer Recommendations

Company’s Image/Brand

Walk-in Application

Headhunters

Talent Pooling
Approaches to Hiring External Employees

Internet Applications can be submitted online and job interviews

are available online as well.

Print Advertising Despite the popularity of the Internet in sourcing job

advertisement and placement engine, print media is still
a common and an effective method in advertising job
requirements of organization.

Professional Linkages or Groups Associations or Groups. Members of the organization

seek out needs for applications to job opening in their
company.
Approaches to Hiring External Employees

Internship or Work and Travel Program This approach targets recent graduates or students who
are about to take their on-the-job training (OJT).

Referrals or Peer Recommendations Good employees are also possible sources of new
employees who may be of same caliber as they are.

Company’s Image or Brand Being known to be the best organization and knows how
to take care of its employees would help in attracting
good applicants to join the organization.
Approaches to Hiring External Employees

Walk-in Applicants Applicants personally bring in their application forms to

the organization.

Headhunters Organizations seek out the services of professional

recruitment organizations when they are looking for
specific skills and particular talents that are vital in their
organizations.

Talent Pooling Companies maintain a list of candidates for a single

position. In this way, there would be candidates readily
available to consider in cases another slot opens with
similar requirements.
Tools for Gathering Information
About Applicants

Application Form

Hiring
Tools
Background
Interview
/ Reference

Psychological
Test
Tools for Gathering Information
About Applicants

Hiring
Tool

This form contains: personal background,

educational attainment, employment history,

Application Form
lincenses and certifications, personal
achievements, and affiliations.
Tools for Gathering Information
About Applicants

Hiring
Tool

The interview is the process to confirm the

information contained in the application form and
Interview
to seek further data that would help the
companies decide which applicant to select.
Tools for Gathering Information
About Applicants

Hiring
Tool

This test evaluates mental soundness,

intellectual capacities, intelligence, logical
Psychological reasoning, memory, and other cognitive
Test
functions of an individual.
Tools for Gathering Information
About Applicants

Hiring
Tool

Former employers are called through phones to

verify or validate information and to ask if they
Background are recommending the applicant for
/ Reference
employment.
Employee
Turnover
It is the movement of employees across an organization's boundary.
It has been a concern of companies - Tourism & Hospitality Industry,
where it is known to have a high turnover rate that many employee
change companies as fast as seasons would change.
It comes in two ways: the Voluntary and the Involuntary

1. Voluntary
Connotes the free will of the employees to leave the organization.
Voluntary separation of employees from the service may be caused
by difficulties experienced ; working on holidays, shifting work
schedule, difficult working condition in the kitchen, or low wages or
compensation
Employee
Turnover

2. Involuntary
It is when the choice of separation of employment is made by the
organization.
Training and Developing Employees
to Serve
A misstep or an unattended request may result in a disappointed guest
who may no longer intend to return to the establishment, or worst, it
can aggravate to deluge of negative comments on social media.

1. External Training

It is conducted by training organizations and training consultants

who have the expertise and resources to handle coaching skills,
needs, or any topics required by organizations.
Training and Developing Employees
to Serve
1. Internal Training

Also known as in-house trainings, are often done by the

department within the organization involved with the training and
development of human resources or talents.
Here are some common methods of training applied by
tourism and hospitality organizations

1. Personal Training

It usually refers to a teacher and a student type training or

sometimes one-on-one training, between trainer and a trainee.
a) Mentoring – the one who educates or gives advice is usually the
more experienced or senior member of the team.
b) Coaching – this type of personal training is a function between
an expert focused on how to build the skills & competencies of
a prodigy.
c) Apprenticeship – it is a training involving an experienced
master guiding an apprentice to learn new craft through
observation and hands-on experience through the set of period.
Here are some common methods of training applied by
tourism and hospitality organizations

2. On-the-Job-Training

Also known as on-site training.

It is a form of training where individual learns the job through
actual experiences.

3. Classroom Lecture

Often referred to as the traditional teach and learn approach where

trainees listen to the trainer about knowledge and skills that an
employee has to know.
Here are some common methods of training applied by
tourism and hospitality organizations

4. Simulation

A form of training where trainees are made to practice their tasks

in a controlled environment that mirrors an actual scenario in a
workplace.

5. Audiovisual Presentation

Audiovisual materials are often used to aid in training sessions.

Here are some common methods of training applied by
tourism and hospitality organizations

6. Computer-aided Training

Trainers who cannot be physically present can conduct training

through the internet even at a remote location.

7. Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Training

It refers to a training through modules coupled with self-paced

training method.
Motivating Employees to Provide Exceptional Service

(Economic needs), Financial incentives and

Compensation rewards can be a good motivator for employees
to stay.

Sense of (Social needs), Employees choose to stay because

Belongingness they work well with co-employees.

Shared (Achievement needs), Employees sees an

Expertise opportunity to contribute to organization’s
objective.
Value & (Recognition needs), Employees choose to stay
Appreciation
because they feel appreciated and valued.
Here are some common methods of training applied by
tourism and hospitality organizations

Empowerment

Empowerment goes beyond allowing the employees to make

decisions, organizations should make sure that employees have
the proper tools to effectively execute their decision-making
choices.
Culture

A culture in the organization is often referred to as the values, way

of life, or philosophies embodied by each member of the
organization.
Culture should be properly communicated among the
members of the organization to affirm and reinforce the
shared beliefs, values, and norms.

Tourism and hospitality organizations communicate culture

through a number of ways:

1. Company policies and rules

2. Role models or model employees
3. Ceremonial activities or rites
4. Symbols
5. Linguistics