Cross Training In The Hotel Industry

Generation Y or the millennial generation will form the bulk of new hires within the hotel industry over coming years however current industry practices and styles are not suited to the needs of this generation (Chacko et al. 2012). The hotel industry needs to adapt its training and management style from meeting the needs of the baby boomers and generation X towards a more modern approach in order to meet the needs of generation Y employees, this can be done through nurturing and embracing the qualities that generation Y individuals typically possess to create motivation within the workplace. There are a number of enablers and initiatives that can be put in place in order to make the hotel industry more attractive for generation Y, cross training

With this in mind, some hotels have implemented cross training for employees in multiple departments, which results in a win win situation for both the organisation and employees, this does not mean that an employee will be hired with the intention of working across several departments constantly however it provides the chance to gain skills and experience in other areas. A future leader with experience across multiple departments is more valuable than an employee that has minimal experience and a university degree, it is important a general manager can understand the basics of each department within a hotel, therefore cross training can be extremely beneficial for future leaders (Reference). For the employee it provides constant challenges and skill building opportunities, cross training also exposes employees to departments they may not have considered as a permanent role within a hotel. For the organisation this provides them with valuable employees with the ability to work across many departments. The Marriott

The hotel industry needs to adapt its training and management style from meeting the needs of the baby boomers and generation X towards a more modern approach in order to meet the needs of generation Y employees, this can be done through nurturing and embracing the qualities that generation Y individuals typically possess to create motivation and empowerment within the workplace. Areas of focus for changes include the managerial hierarchy, embracing technology to attract and engage employees within an organisation, cross training employees in order to improve skills and reducing boredom within a role as well as implementing reward and recognition for employees to improve job empowerment. Through implementing different iniatives and altering parts of an organisational structure, hotel businesses should be able to attract and retain generation Y employees who will inevitably become the future leaders of this