The employment experience
A week ago I went to a conference about the development of Tourism in Central Asia. Some of the sessions were split into “working groups” which were supposed to look at specific issues and you had to opt for one of several options each time. For various reasons I chose the group entitled Human Resources and Tourism, although, to be honest, I think Destination Marketing is a far more important issue for the development of the industry … without tourists we are all wasting our time.
As it happens, I think I probably chose badly. The reason is simple: I made a mistake. I assumed the session would be about Human Resources Management – but it turned out that everyone else seemed to think it was about Training and Qualifications. They are, of course, related … but I think the emphasis was placed on just a small part of a much bigger issue.
Tourism is a service industry. We are selling experiences, and an important element of that is the interaction between our staff and the customers. It’s important to manage the staff properly in order to ensure that they understand this and give satisfaction.
As it happens, the presentations given in the session also implied this wider interpretation of the theme, because the first was about salary and the second by the General Manager of one of the city’s main hotels about they handle personnel management.
As she pointed out, just as the there are various stages in the relationships with a guest, (The Guest Experience, – Advertisement, Reservation, Arrival, Residing in the Hotel and Departing), so there are complimentary stages in the Employee Experience, (Advertisement, Appointment, Induction, Working and Departure).
Everything begins with the advertisement, when it is important that the details of the vacancy are clearly outlined. When applications are received, then each candidate is informed as to the status of their application, (it’s been received, it been unsuccessful or successfully passed on to the next stage of the process. Upon appointment, a member of staff is appointed to act as a “brother” or “sister” to help them settle in, answering any questions or concerns that they might have, and training is arranged. Whilst they are employed, then policies, guidelines and procedures are available and applied to ensure fair and equitable treatment. Further training is available to enable individuals to progress along a career path, possibly within the company through internal promotions. When someone decides to leave, then the relationship is not necessarily ended abruptly but contact is often maintained so that the staff feel part of a wider “family”.
In tourism, it seems to me, the success of our business is dependent on tour staff. Our Staff is our greatest asset – probably even more so than our other “assets”, the building and so forth. Our business relies on giving clients the sort of experiences that they will remember and value and although part of that is provided by the landscape, facilities and activities, it is also heavily dependent upon the relationship with the staff with whom they interact. It is not possible to have a satisfied and “happy” client if the staff are unhappy.
We have to look after our staff.
For many employees the key issue in their working life is the salary, but there is more than sufficient evidence to show that other issues are relevant, such as: respect, fairness, being recognized and valued, the intrinsic knowledge of “a job well done” … These issues can be met by other forms of remuneration, not just salary; awards; how discipline and grievances are handled; how we listen to them, their concerns and suggestions … and so on.
That’s why I think Human Resources Management is so important – especially in tourism.
It seems to me that there are problems with concentrating on initial training and qualifications. The first is that there is a tendency here to want to regulate everything. I fear the possibility that it will be insisted that someone cannot work as, say, a waiter without having passed a course and received a certificate … and won’t be able to be promoted to a more a more responsible position unless they have attended such a course – even if they shown themselves to be well suited and qualified in terms of practical experience. We saw the classic example of this in the draft laws which sought to amend the current law On Tourism, that have been proposed over the past twelve years . Fortunately none of them were passed, but under these proposals I would not be able to be employed as the General Director of a tour company as: I am not a Kyrgyz citizen, I do not have a degree in Tourism … although I would have the qualification of having worked in the industry for the requisite number of years.
Amongst the other problems that I see is the fact that most of the discussion about initial training and qualifications is dominated by Institutes of Higher Education, and so concentrate on long courses leasing to Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees; academic courses turning out graduates that expect to be employed as Managers.
Theory v Practice is an age old dilemma in education. I am a strong believer in both. Academic theory is important to give an overview and context, to raise issues that are not always obvious at the workplace … but Practical Experience is grounded in the real world. Situations and circumstances that people are likely to encounter are very rarely “textbook cases” … and it is important to have the knowledge, skills and experience to be able to assess the situation, determine the options for addressing the issues involved which are relevant and appropriate, realistic and practical, as well as likely to be successful in achieving the desired results.
I appreciate that many students and their parents have ambitions and want to study for degrees and strive for the best possible start in their working lives. On the other hand, a degree is not appropriate for everyone or every type of job and not having a degree does not actually make someone a “lesser person”. Indeed, Steve Jobs is just one, very notable, example of a very successful person who never graduated.
It is very rare for someone to step straight into a managerial role in tourism or, I suspect, any business. The old idea of having to “earn your spurs” seems to be missing. I have no problem with that … if someone wants to start their own business, like Steve Jobs, then they can be managers – it’s their business – but if they are going to work for someone else, then they first have show their mettle before taking on a senior or elevated position.
I was once asked in a conference if I looked for a diploma or certificate when I appointed an employee … and my answer was: Yes and No. There are some jobs where it is necessary to have such a qualification … but for many posts, although it is an advantage to show that the candidate has undergone an appropriate course, and I agree that it is important for someone to have base knowledge – both in general terms and specific to their profession, I am also concerned that the person I employ has the skills and experience to be adaptable and competently meet and handle the variety of situations which life will throw at them.
Bishkek