Retention
In a market where a number of hotels are competing for staff, retention has never been more important, with many hoteliers confirming that it is just as important as recruitment.

It is particularly crucial, not to mention financially savvy, to ensure that talent you have spent time and money recruiting and training doesn’t leave and take their new skills to your competitors.

But in a post recession climate, it is not always possible to offer monetary incentives to encourage staff to stay, despite the fact that this is often a driving factor in an employees’ decision to leave a company.

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Many hospitality staff questioned for the Hotelier Middle East Salary Survey 2011 reported that they were not satisfied with their salary: 16.9% of respondents earnt less than US $1500 a month, with 29.6% of participants claiming they would leave their current job for better pay.

And yet hotels are often unable, or unwilling, to pay more money for certain roles, which is why it is so important to concentrate on staff development programmes, as responsents in the Salary Survey also stipulated that being in a prestigious position was important — in fact more than 34% of people questioned said they would leave their current role for a better position — making it more of a driver than finance.

“At line staff level the motivation factor very often is salary because many employees send money to dependants in their respective home countries,” confirms Andreas Mueller, general manager, Taj Palace Hotel Dubai.

“We ensure fair and competitive salary and benefit scales. Good prospects for growth and a safe and stable work environment are what we call hygiene factors which have to be in place in any successful and modern company.

“Additionally we place great importance on employee welfare, particularly food, accommodation, and personal interaction at all levels from the GM to the steward. We have implemented a GM hotline concept where employees meet with the GM over a cup of coffee on a weekly basis to discuss general issues,” he adds.

Looking at staff development and the potential for employees to develop, as well as providing a positive working — and in many cases home — environment is currently a priority for most hotel companies, who are eager to retain the talent they have invested in.

InterContinental Hotels Group vice president human resources Middle East and Africa Jenny Atkinson says: “If we want our people to love our brands, we’ve got to love our people. At IHG we do this by creating the right environment that celebrates their talent, gives them room to grow and recognises them for their achievements. We also instill a sense of teamwork and trust, particularly in challenging locations and markets, which results in positive attitudes giving our guests reason to choose us time and time again.

“To ensure our colleagues are at their best we strive to create a rewarding, positive, nurturing work environment by offering a number of development programmes for all levels. Colleagues can join at a front line level and will be provided with opportunities to develop their skills in order to have access to senior positions,” she continues.

Providing a good working environment for existing staff not only boosts retention but, in an industry where it is common for staff to move from one company to another and share information, it can help with future recruitment as well.

“You have to make sure your existing staff are happy — they all know each other in our business,” says Strachan.

“So the best way to recruit someone is to be known as a good business. If you have someone working for you and he tells his friend you’re a good person to work for, that he is well taken care of, has good accommodation, he becomes an advocate and that is your first point of call.”

Over the coming years, recruitment and retention will increasingly come under the spotlight as companies compete with one another to attract quality staff to their properties; and with the rapid economical development of traditional source markets, combined with the region’s growing property pipeline, companies’ recruitment strategies will have to become more innovative if they are to escape the staffing crisis unscathed.