More than 200 jobs were offered on the spot at a careers day held by Kempinski Hotels at Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi in December.
Retention attention
The struggle for staff in the emirates has also spurred operators to rethink retention tactics.
Having witnessed a number of staff leaving following the careers fairs of upcoming hotels, Citymax Bur Dubai GM Walter Knight has appointed dedicated trainers and consultants to upgrade the training offered in an attempt to encourage staff to develop within the company.
“Training, accommodation, recreation, team building exercises – that’s probably the secret,” he told Hotelier.
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While “stolen” staff remains a strain for hotels, the operators said there are no hard feelings: “I will not stop inviting my HR competitors for lunch because they stole my staff. It is poaching, it does happen but we’re proud of what we offer, of the training of our staff and if they happen to be taken I’m proud of them,” said Salibi.
Knight said: “I don’t blame anybody for poaching staff because everybody is poaching everybody else’s staff, it’s not something you’re going to change. The GM of the hotel or F&B director goes somewhere and has a meal, notices someone good and if they have a position available they’re obviously going to approach him.
“Hotels and particularly hotel owners in Dubai have to be a lot more active in retaining staff,” he added. However, Learnpurple UAE managing director Lynne Bellinger said she had heard numerous complaints from hotels regarding their neighbours’ careers days.
“Although it is a very effective recruitment method, it affects not only neighbour hotels, but all hotels within the emirate,” she said, adding that there are ways operators can avoid aggravating their peers.
Having organised careers days for five-star hotels in the region, she said two rules should be followed: “Candidates working locally in hotels must have completed at least two years with their current employer.
This demonstrates loyalty from the employees and that they can remain in a job for a decent length of time. It also shows respect to the other hotels by not taking their people, who they’ve invested time and money in, prematurely.
“Secondly, no more than three to five people should be hired from any one hotel, depending on its size. This is also a practice that hotels should follow while recruiting from overseas, ensuring that any one hotel is not greatly affected by this means of mass recruitment,” Bellinger concluded.
The story in short
A number of high-profile openings in the emirates, including the upcoming Conrad Dubai, Fairmont The Palm and the second phase of JW Marriott Marquis, has led to a rise in the already-high rate of staff movement in Dubai. Rather than fret over stolen staff, it seems existing hotels have got savvy to staff poaching and instead are investing in staff retention.
A number of operators have said they’re investing in training programmes and new approaches to recruitment to encourage development within the company. However, the chains agree that some candidates will be enticed to a new hotel for a few more dirhams, whatever the circumstances.
To find loyal staff and respect your neighbours, one HR expert suggests hiring staff who have worked for a minimum of two years at their current hotels, and limiting the number of employees poached from any one property.
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