You are the answer: a journey of awakening

In his foreword of his book, titled ‘You are the answer: A journey of awakening’, author Paul Norman Tuttle writes that “The exploration of outer space, as mankind is presently proceeding, will not be successful because three-dimensional means are being used as the exclusive means. Since there is no way to achieve the speed of light, there will be no way to explore the full extent of the universe within a reasonable amount of time, and extreme frustration will set in”.  Likewise, if the hospitality industry is to frustrate the frustration that is likely to set in, one has to recognise that a comprehensive multi-dimensional approach to future-proof businesses in our industry is needed.

Whilst presenting hospitality and tourism as an attractive place to work, more emphasis now needs to be placed on making sure that the staff we already have in the industry are given the training they need. Why do so many people leave the industry each year? One of many reasons is because the initial training that is provided to people entering the sector is not being maximised. To reduce turnover rates, an increased focus on delivering the right type of training needs to become a priority. Offering staff proper training improves both skills and retention rates. This is because staffs recognise that businesses that invest in their development value their work, which in turn increases loyalty and reduces turnover. Unfortunately, this is least understood by most hoteliers in Sri Lanka who employ people to fill a vacancy rather than advancing a career – resulting in many hotel employees stagnating in a ‘low-pay, low-prestige, low-dignity, low-benefit, no-future job’ in the service sector.

Every sector is different and we know that working in hospitality presents a very specific set of challenges and opportunities. Added to this is the huge diversity with regard to HRM policies and practices and it would be nice to think that these are rarely bad or merely obsolete. Experience equally tells us though that this is far from the truth.HRM in the majority of hotels constantly struggles in ensuring ‘internal fit’ with the other areas of the organisation whilst faring abysmally in fully integrating with the demands of the external environment to ensure ‘external fit’.

An ILO report over a decade ago, suggests that the industry is largely reliant on ‘marginal workers’. Furthermore, it registers with incredulity the awareness of low pay for example existing alongside the naïve view of employers of the hospitality as a ‘good’ employing sector. Thus, although in a number of locations labour shortages were clearly reflective of an unwillingness of employers to offer competitive pay and terms of conditions of employment, the report notes how ‘We were stuck by the extent to which employers described pay and working conditions as ‘reasonable’ or ‘good’ while at the same time reporting huge recruitment problems, skills gaps and high turnover'.

Clearly there is serious disjuncture in what employers are claiming!  Author Baum reflecting the diversity of employment  within the service sector has this to say “In some geographical and sub-sector areas, hospitality provides an attractive, high status working environment with competitive pay and conditions which is in high demand in the labour force and benefits from low staff turnover… the other side of the coin is one of poor conditions, low pay, high staff turnover, problems in recruiting skills in a number of key areas, a high level of labour drawn from socially disadvantaged  groups, poor status and a virtual absence of professionalism".So, which side of the coin depicts Sri Lanka’s story?

HSL

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