Human Resources/ People & Culture
Hospitality businesses are large employers of people. The sustained growth of Australia’s hospitality and tourism industries makes this department critical, to ensure that hotel operators are able to attract and retain the people they need, to meet this growth.
Key functions include:
- Staff recruitment – advertise for and interview prospective team members and perform background and reference checks.
- Staff retention – develop a range of retention initiatives, including reward and recognition strategies that encourage staff to build a career in our industry.
- Benchmark wages and salaries – ensure staff are paid appropriately, relative to other positions in the industry.
- Develop employee policies and procedures – to detail expected standards of behaviour.
- Meet compliance obligations relating to relevant employment laws and practices, including equal opportunity and occupational health and safety standards and related reporting requirements.
Human Resources/People and Culture Hierarchy
Front of house – where experiences are created! Areas where customers interact directly with pub/hotel staff.
one
Recruitment Officer
Hotels need large numbers of staff to run at peak performance so recruitment officers need to be on their ‘A game’ to ensure all vacant positions are filled with the best person as quickly as possible. Even if you haven’t recruited before, this is a great role to learn just how important it is to get the right people employed in your hotel.
Human Resources (HR) Officer
This is the entry level for HR. You will be doing a variety of administration type tasks such as producing employment contracts (normally from a template), enrolling new employees in training programs and checking a potential employee’s visa status. You may even be involved in some employment relations activities such as meeting with staff and answering simple questions about the Hospitality Award.
two
Depending on the size of the hotel, the HR Coordinator role can be the backbone of the HR/People and Culture Department. You will answer queries about the Hospitality Award, leave entitlements and hours of work. You will be helping to resolve staff grievances, conflict between staff, and liaise with unions and Fair Work Australia on occasion. In a smaller hotel, you might be doing everything a recruitment and HR officer does too.
three
Hotels are a ‘people’ business so a strong HR/People and Culture Manager is really important. Making sure all departments have motivated and productive people in place is the key. In smaller hotels, you might be doing everything considered HR. In larger hotels, you will likely be managing a team of HR people or perhaps managing the HR function in a specific department.
four
This is the most senior HR role at large hotels. Typically, you would be managing the full HR function and will be one of the general manager’s key advisors, as a member of the hotel’s Executive Committee of management.
