Question

The file on Mr. Verma's (Manager of Clairmont Hotel) desk containing customer complaints was bulging with letters received over the last few weeks. As he was short staffed, unsuitable recruits who could not be trained, were hired and asked to take on responsible jobs. The result - Hotel rooms were over-booked, cold food was being served by the waiters and cleanliness could not be maintained. The rate of labour turnover and absenteeism was also very high. Mr. Verma had suggested a year ago that a separate Human Resource Department had to be created. The owners, however, had tried to save additional costs and had not acted on his suggestion.

In the light of the above case:

1. Highlight the importance of training.
2. Outline the procedure to be followed for the selection of waiters for the hotel.
3. How would a professional Human Resource Manager have tackled the situation?

Answer 1

1. Importance of training:
   1. Increased productivity: Training improves both quantity and quality of work performance. Employees who have received proper training produce more and higher-quality products.
   2. Less supervision: Proper employee training eliminates the need for ongoing and severe supervision. A well-trained person is self-sufficient in their work as they understand their tasks and how to complete them.
   3. Better resource utilisation: Employee training improves job performance by introducing new methods. They use materials and machinery more efficiently and economically, leading to less resource waste and lower production costs.
   4. Better safety: Training helps people enhance their job knowledge and abilities. Proper handling by well-trained staff has significantly reduced the rate of accidents and damage to machinery and equipment.
   5. Higher morale: An effective training programme shapes employee attitudes towards work. He is knowledgeable and confident in his ability to perform his job duties. He may get results and gain rewards. This setting is psychologically motivated.
   6. Reduced turnover and absenteeism: Training employees leads to increased job satisfaction, reduced labour turnover, and absenteeism.
2. Procedure for selection of waiters:
   1. Application Blank: The candidates are required to give full information about their age, qualifications, experience, family background, aptitudes and interests, etc. in the application blank. The application blank provides a detailed written record about the candidate. The application form should be designed to obtain all relevant information about the candidate. All applications received from the candidates are carefully scrutinized. After the scrutiny more suitable among the applicants are short-listed for a written test and the others are rejected. The details given in the application form serve as a basis for interviewing the candidates.
   2. Selection Interview: It involves a face-to-face conversation between the employer and the candidate. The selectors ask job-related and general questions. The way in which a candidate responds to the questions is evaluated. The objectives of the interview are:
      1. To find out the candidate's personality and overall suitability for the job.
      2. The cross check the information obtained through application blank and tests, and
      3. To give an accurate picture of the job and the company to the candidate.
   3. Medical or Physical Examination: Candidates who are found suitable after interview are called for a physical examination. A medical check-up of such candidates is done by a panel of doctors to ensure that they are healthy and physically fit for the job. A proper medical examination and fitness test will also ensure that the candidates selected do not suffer from any serious disease which may create problem in future.
3. A professional Human Resource Manager would take the following steps to tackle the situation:
   1. Recruit and select more employees to remove the shortage of staff.
   2. Train the unsuitable recruits working in the hotel.
   3. Improve compensation and other benefits to minimise labour turnover and absenteeism.
   4. Appoint an officer to handle customer complaints expeditiously.