Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009 - (Page 33)

H&MM January 19, 2009 | HotelMotel.com “Every department head should be a human resources leader.” HORST SCHULZE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WEST PACES HOTEL GROUP Special Report ALIS PANEL PREVIEW 33 Card check, employee retention big issues for CEOs By Emily Hanna ASSOCIATE EDITOR he disconnect between line-level employees and C-level executives can be both an obvious and a dangerous thing. When CEOs remain disconnected from their employees, it can hurt company morale, employee retention and guest satisfaction, said speakers on “The human resource time bomb: What every CEO needs to know” panel, to be held at The Americas Lodging Investment Summit on Jan. 27 in San Diego. And while the title mentions human resources, its focus is for CEOs, not the HR department. “Too often, the CEOs are not fo- Greger cused on some GREGER/PETERSON T of these issues … but when you look at every list that comes out every year, people and talent are consistently listed in the top two or three problems,” said moderator Ken Greger, CEO and managing director of Greger/Peterson Associates. “And too often, the people who should be [in these panels] are missing—the people who can do something about it.” The panel is comprised of professionals with different views of the hospitality HR ﬁeld: Molly McKenzie-Swarts,EVP of human resources and diversity, Hilton Hotels Corp.; Horst Schulze, president and CEO, The West Paces Hotel Group; Arch Y. Stokes, president & CEO, Shea Stokes Roberts Schulze WEST PACES & Wagner; Travels constantly. Zopp is most concerned tels, that we don’t get the with attracting, training right employees. It has and retaining talented nothing to do with that employees, as well as beemployee. He or she may ing in tune with employhave been raised wrong, ees’ expectations. Schulmay have had bad parze agrees attracting and ents. He cannot help keeping employees is intethat; but you, the hotegral for a company, but he Zopp lier, were the dummy said retainment isn’t an is- AUBERGE RESORTS who hired him. That’s sue if management has reyour problem,” Schulze cruited the right people. said. “The issue is to have “You hear people say that the right process in hiring people, there’s a bad labor base for ho- and make your employees part of your company rather than just working for your company.” Schulze suggests a process where the hotelier matches the potential employee’s proﬁle—including likes and dislikes—with the INFOBASE ™ GIVES YOU THE MOST job description. Plus, hotels must hire employees to be a part of the ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MOST PEOPLE. company, not just seat ﬁllers. “The biggest problem is that companies hire employees to fulﬁll function,” Schulze explained. “Chairs ﬁll functions. Should I treat a human being like that? That’s just wrong.” But hiring enough employees, let alone the “right” ones, may become difﬁcult in the future. have a better chance to make meaningful Among employment strategies to be discussed by the panel, Zopp suggests recruiting at the high school level to develop relationships with younger people who will become the future workforce. Greger hopes the panel will educate CEOs on how to create an environment where people want to work. “What employers should focus on, whether there’s a shortage or not, is becoming an employer of choice. If they looked closely and objectively, they might ﬁnd out they’re not even close to that.” CIRCLE NO. 101 ehanna@questex.com and Ursula M. Zopp, VP of human resources, Auberge Resorts. The potential passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, or card check bill, is top of mind for panelists. “This is an absolutely pathetic gimmick,” Schulze said. “People who deserve a union get a union, and that’s the way it should stay. … It’s an insult to employees and an insult to freedom.” Stokes said the EFCA would cost hotels because they would have to spend more money to prevent unionization. Also, if hotels and the union don’t come to a negotiation within 120 days, an arbitrator must step in. “This would mean a third-party arbitrator could write the rules governing the operations and ﬁnances of the hotel. This will affect service and reduce the ability of hotels to ‘bob and weave’ with the vicissitudes of the marketplace,” Stokes said. In her position at luxury boutique chainlet Auberge Resorts, “The human resource time bomb: What every CEO needs to know” Tuesday, Jan. 27, 3:45-5 p.m. Moderator: Ken Greger, CEO & managing director, Greger/Peterson Associates Panelists: Molly McKenzie-Swarts, EVP, human resources and diversity, Hilton Hotels Corp.; Horst Schulze, president and CEO, The West Paces Hotel Group; Arch Y. Stokes, president & CEO, Shea Stokes Roberts & Wagner; Ursula M. Zopp, VP of human resources, Auberge Resorts http://www.HotelMotel.com http://www.acxiom.com/infobase-x http://www.acxiom.com/infobase-x

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009

Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009 Contents Select Inn First in Vista's Buying Plans Danzinger Chosen for Round 2 at Wyndham Perspective Energy Star Update Legally Speaking Consultant's Corner Sales Clinic Travel Trends Franchise Law Family Business Cornell Insights HotelWorld Update Transactions Careful Marketing is Key for Timeshare Debt Market Slow for Most Transactions Trends & Stats Proper Mix of Uses Leads to Profitable Partnerships Card Check, Employee Retention Big Issues for CEOs Locking Systems Televisions Fitness Centers/Spas Mattresses Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009

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