The HRM at Hilton: The Ultimate Guide

Executive Summary 

Hilton World Wide Holding Inc. is a multinational hotel that currently operates in 115 countries across the globe. It has a portfolio of 16 brands that consist of approximately five thousand properties. In the contemporary setting, particularly in the hospitality industry, Hilton is one of the most reputable organizations to work for due to its favorable and sound human resource strategies and practices (Nickson, 2013). The company differentiated itself from other international hotels due to its unique human resource practices that center on employees. The most notable HR practices that define Hilton include attracting talents, scouting, hiring, and retaining employees. The practices make business sense because by treating the employees well, the company would benefit because the employees' treatment is often reflected in the service offered to the clients. Over the years, Hilton created a culture that propagates and maintains high engagement that ensured that the highly motivated and empowered employees went the extra mile to ensure client comfort and the company's high sales and subsequent profitability. The objective is to take care of the employees who, in turn, will service the clients better. Annually, Hilton recognizes teams and team members who did great work, and the company would treat such members better with the main aim being to retain them and to change and maintain the organization's culture for posterity. The company has a unique HR strategy and policy initiative known as "Spirit" that encompasses the important principles of employee recognition, respect, and reward. Such employees are always considered for leadership roles. Nevertheless, balancing the preservation of the organization's culture and stirring growth is a challenging task that requires huge investment. The paper delves into the practitioner perspectives to explain the factors that present major challenges to the HR practices at Hilton and the human resources strategies employed for business management. 

Introduction 

The hospitality industry where Hilton Inc. belongs is a labor-intensive industry that entails service-oriented. To remain competitive and profitable, hotels often hope to attract qualified employees, which form the foundation of success in the industry. Employees are vital assets that are important to the success, prosperity, and the subsequent growth of Hilton Inc. and other players in the industry. The main product of the hospitality industry is service that is dependent on experience and expertise and is fuelled by the interaction between the employees and the customers (Kim et al., 2019). Therefore, human resource plays a vital role in ensuring the quality of products and services, customer loyalty, organization performance, and client satisfaction. The role of human resources is to help the hotel to utilize the available human resources to achieve an efficient means effectively. The objective is to improve and maintain Hilton's performance since the industry has fierce competition that can easily throw an entity out of business. 

Human resource managers at Hilton, and the hotel industry, experience diverse challenges that include labor standards and free trade agreements, team development, and workplace stress. They are essential in attaining pre-set objectives and proper work performance. The mentioned challenges have a bearing on the performance of the hotel since they affect the staff turnover rates, the reluctance of qualified personnel to enter the industry, and shortage of qualifies staff to carry out the mandate and the objective of the hotel and the industry as a whole. Low employee turnover caused by the mentioned challenges has the biggest effects on hotel productivity. Hotels often replace experienced employees with inexpert ones, thereby disrupting the schedules of the existing employees who have to abandon their duties and responsibilities to train the amateur members of the team. It is worth noting that labor standards tend to vary with region or country. For instance, the developed worlds have high labor standards and highly trained personnel that demand high remuneration packages compared to the developing world. Hilton, being a multinational that operates in different countries across the globe, has to set acceptable standards regardless of the location. It is imperative to note that the level of service at Hilton is standard regardless of the location. Finally, workplace stress has a bearing on HR performance. The hotel industry is a labor-intense industry that is prone to stress, which hinders performance. Hilton should come up with a way to mitigate the identified HR issues that include labour standards and free trade agreements, team development, and workplace stress. 

Literature Review 

Labour standards and free trade agreements 

A growing number of trade agreements require countries and organizations to adhere to the provisions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the standards set therein. It is worth noting that it is difficult to measure compliance with ILO standards. Woon and Kahl (2015) note the various complexities of quantifying the labor standards that include various dimensions such as decrees, regulations, labor law, institutional capacity, legal decisions, and the penalty for non-compliance. The mentioned dimensions affect the hospitality industry since some competitors do not follow the rules and regulations set out by ILO there, putting Hilton Inc. at a disadvantage (Locke, 2013). Labor standards should take into consideration both the negative and positive effects of labor rights. Negative effects of labor laws entail examining the ways in which the employers or the state may interfere with the workers who try to excise their rights within the constitutional framework. On the other hand, positive application of labor standards includes the active passing of laws and regulations that provide extensive access to rights and privileges for workers in a given sector. 

ILO standards and regulations dictate that workers should have collective bargaining and the freedom of association (Locke, 2013). The measure for such a convention includes the right to organize unions, the right to strike, the right to engage in collective bargaining, and the general freedom of association. While the mentioned portend well for the workforce, particularly on matters of remuneration and the working conditions, they tend to put a business entity such as Hilton at a disadvantage. The hotel business is often seasonal, and the hiring of an additional workforce happens during the peak period. During off-peak period, the company may not afford to pay workers the desired salaries due to low sales and diminished profitability. Workers, being that they have the freedom of association and the right to strike, may abuse such freedoms rights and privileges without considering the hotel's or the industry's financial performance (Heintz, 2019). In retrospect, law and regulations should exist to protect the business from abrasive actions that stem from rogue workers and uninformed decisions. 

Child labor is another challenge that affects the hospitality industry. It is worth noting that domestic and international bodies and agencies have critical concerns about labor rights. In the developed world, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, labor laws explicitly prohibit child labor, and there are almost no cases of child labor in the mentioned countries. Nevertheless, in the developing world, where Hilton also operates, tend to experience serious cases of child labor, which goes against the conventions and the standards set out by the by ILO (Locke, 2013). The hospitality industry is the worst hit by cases of child labor that include practices such as forced labor in certain countries, child prostitution and pornography, the use of children for purposes of drug trafficking, and certain hazardous work. Child labor and forced labor, which are rampant in the industry, ruin the reputation of the industry, thereby diminishing its potential. 

Challenges to measuring the standards of labor individually or within the industry still exist. Even in the contemporary setting, there still does not exist comprehensive ways to measure the stipulated ILO standards and the conditions for decent work. Such a challenge makes it difficult for a multinational company like Hilton to determine the right working conditions that constitute a decent working condition. Noteworthy is the fact that labor standards vary based on the history and the conditions of a given country. It means that what constitutes decent work in China may not be the same as the one in the US or the UK. The lack of a standard measure of labor standards makes it difficult for a multinational like Hilton to determine or to gauge its labor practices and standards that are acceptable within a geographical region or a country. 

Team Development 

The workforce at Hilton Inc. is diverse since it is drawn from various parts and regions around the globe. Bringing a group of individuals together tends to pose serious challenges that include but not limited to relationship issues, communication, and cultural barriers. The complex and dynamic nature of the human resource department at Hilton requires decisive leadership that offers relentless guidance (Richards, 2012). It is imperative, therefore, for the HR managers to take time and evaluate the potential challenges that may arise. Based on the results from the evaluation, HR can use such to create a dynamic team that is capable of meeting the clients at the points of need and, thereby, boosting the performance of the company through reputable practices and culture. 

Poor communication is one of the challenges experienced by multinational companies such as Hilton. The workforce at Hilton is diverse and drawn from different parts of the globe, meaning that the employees speak different languages and may subscribe to different cultures. Communication is an essential component n all the phases of employment of execution of a particular project. Communication suffers when a team member treats his or her role as an independent one. If a team difficult to accomplish leaders fails to communicate with the other members of the team, then it is difficult, almost impossible to accomplish the objective of a project or the entire organization. The HR at Hilton should inquire from the employees about their challenges and successes to gage the level of communication. 

Lack of diverse skills is also a major factor that affects the performance of the team. As mentioned earlier, university graduates lack the desire for the hospitality industry, instead opting for other industries (Cascio & Boudreau, 2012). Such practices deny companies such as Hilton the opportunity to employ qualified personnel that can help in propelling and guiding the company's agenda. In situations when a team consists of people with low skill levels or similar sets of skills, it is difficult to achieve the purpose of the team. Nevertheless, HR at Hilton consists of experienced individuals that understand the duties and responsibilities of a potential employee, which they take into consideration before concluding the hiring process. The secret is to consider the project's scope or the position at hand before making any decision to hire an individual. 

Teams require proper leadership to function. Leadership offers direction and purpose. Often, the lack of efficient and effective leadership to guide the team and hold members accountable leads to failure. At Hilton, the norm is that younger talents often replace the old, retiring employees. The problem with such an arrangement is that old and experienced employees have vast knowledge about the company and the industry in general. When an experienced member retires, the company may suffer from knowledge and experience deficit. Nevertheless, the company has an impeccable transition method that experienced members pass down their knowledge to the upcoming generations before eventually handing over the mantle. Such is a great idea because it ensures continuity while simultaneously spurring creativity. 

Organizational conflict is another factor that may derail the flow of work at Hilton. The term conflict refers to a particular discord that is caused by perceived or actual opposition of interest, needs, and values between people who work together in a company of an organization. To attain its objective, Hilton, just like any other company, requires the input of the workforce. When people come together or form teams, conflict is bound to occur. It is, therefore, important for HR to have sound conflict resolution mechanisms that will help the company solve any arising differences and focus on the goal at hand. It is worth noting that conflict is inevitable clashes that will happen at any moment, and an organization, however perfect, will escape conflicts (Ferndale & Kelleher 2019). To minimize the effects of conflict in team performance, the company should sound conflict resolution mechanisms. 

Workplace Stress 

Work-related stress is a common problem in the hotel and the hospitality industry around the world. Workplace stress usually affects the well-being and the health of the workers. Furthermore, it affects the productivity of the employees and the organization in general. In most cases, workplace stress stems from a combination of factors that may include but limited to a person's limited capability to cope, job insecurity, lack of autonomy, tight deadlines, change of duties, monotonous jobs, and changes within the organization. In the current setting, the actual cause of stress within the hospitality industry is job insecurity. The world is under a pandemic attack. Covid-19 is now a serious factor that is responsible for losses of various jobs within the hospitality industry (Arasli & Baradarani, 2014). Certainly, most employees at Hilton are stressed because they are not sure of their fate within the company. 

The current situation (the COVID-19 pandemic) requires some of the workers to be laid off so that Hilton may reduce the wage burden. Laying off workers presents the problem of work overload. The remaining workers have to work longer hours to meet the company's targets. Longer working hours are another cause of stress that the workers that the company did not send home may face. Closely related to that is the apparent lack of autonomy not only at Hilton but in the hospitality industry. Multinational companies such as Hilton have an organizational culture and practices that employees have to follow (Braimah, 2016). Employees do not have the autonomy to handle or complete issues, as they may desire. The checks, balances, and stringent monitoring schemes make it difficult for employees to think and execute duties and responsibilities, as they would wish. The lack of autonomy, coupled with the existence of tight deadlines, cause workplace stress that may derail employee organizational performance. 

Summary of Key Findings 

Various complexities of quantifying the labor standards include multiple dimensions such as decrees, regulations, labor law, institutional capacity, legal decisions, and the penalty for non-compliance. Labor standards should take into consideration both the negative and positive effects of labor rights. The measure for such a convention includes the right to organize unions, the right to strike, the right to engage in collective bargaining, and the general freedom of association. Law and regulations should exist to protect businesses from abrasive actions that stem from rogue workers and uninformed decisions. Laws need to protect the interest of organizations such as Hilton as well as the employees. 

The workforce at Hilton Inc. is diverse since it is drawn from various parts and regions around the globe. The complex and dynamic nature of the human resource department at Hilton requires decisive leadership that offers relentless guidance. It is imperative, therefore, for the HR managers to take time and evaluate the potential challenges that may arise and then use such to create a dynamic team that is capable of meeting the demand of the client. Conflict is a major cause of non-performance within a team. Organizational conflict is another factor that may derail the flow of work at Hilton. The term conflict refers to a particular discord that is caused by perceived or actual opposition of interest, needs, and values between people who work together in a company of an organization. Furthermore, the lack of communication may derail team performance. Communication defines the way teams work and meet their obligations. 

Work-related stress is a common problem in the hotel and the hospitality industry around the world, and it interferes with the health and the well-being of the employees. Workplace stress stems from a combination of factors that may include but limited to a person’s limited capability to cope, job insecurity, lack of autonomy, tight deadlines, and change of duties, monotonous jobs, and changes within the organization. It is important to guard the employees against factors that cause workplace stress. That way, Hilton will boost the employee and organizational performance. The objective is to involve everyone. 

Recommendations 

To improve the labor standards within the organization, the HR at Hilton should improve the employee selection and the subsequent retention processes. The scouting and selection process should reflect on the ideals and the culture of the organization in which the qualified are hired. Notably, the company should strive to employ people from college and the universities who have an idea, however vague, on how to handle customers and how to thrive in the service industry (Nankervis, 2019). As has been the norm, the company should not employ children, engage in forced labor, allow the employees to belong to unions that advocate for their rights, and reward employees in accordance with the levels of performance. The stipulated measures are consistent with the provisions and the conventions put forward by the International Labour Organization. Furthermore, the company may improve its labor standards by training employees to ensure continuity and for posterity. 

To improve the level of teamwork, the company should hold more workshops and training sessions aimed at sensitizing the employees in the best practices within the industry. The industry is dynamic and keeps on changing, meaning that more training is required for better adaptability. Teamwork leadership, meaning that Hilton should invest more in the training of employees to not only perform their duties but to be leaders in the future. Finally, conflict resolution fosters teamwork. Conflict will arise within the ranks of the company, meaning that the best way to keep the company going is to have a solid mechanism for conflict resolution. A collaborative approach to conflict resolution is empathetic and effective in the Hilton case. 

In handling stress, the company should provide the employees with the essential resources to perfume their duties and responsibilities. Lack of essential, proper resources makes it difficult for employees to accomplish their duties and responsibilities. Additionally, job rotation is a good way to break the monotony in the workplace. Being a multinational, Hilton may rotate its employees to various locations around the world to break the monotony. The current pandemic has rendered many people jobless, and the ones that have jobs feel insecure. The company needs to assure the employees of their job security as a way of eradicating work-related stress (Braimah, 2016). Job security has the propensity to reduce stress levels. Finally, training employees also reduces their stress levels since it accords them the skills to carry out duties and responsibilities without straining. 

Conclusion 

Hilton is one of the most reputable organizations to work for due to its favorable and sound human resource strategies and practices. The company differentiated itself from other international hotels due to its unique human resource practices that center on employees. The most notable HR practices that define Hilton include attracting talents, scouting, hiring, and retaining employees. Human resource managers at Hilton, and the hotel industry, face various challenges that include but not limited to labor standards and free trade agreements, team development, and workplace stress, which are essential in attaining pre-set objectives and proper work performance. The complex and dynamic nature of the human resource department at Hilton requires decisive leadership that offers relentless guidance. It is imperative, therefore, for the HR managers to take time and evaluate the potential challenges that may arise. Different complexities of quantifying the labor standards include various dimensions such as decrees, regulations, labor law, institutional capacity, legal decisions, and the penalty for non-compliance. The HR managers must take time and evaluate the potential challenges that may arise and then use such to create a dynamic team that is capable of meeting the demand of the client. Multinational companies such as Hilton have an organizational culture and practices that employees have to follow. Giving the employees the autonomy to carry out their duties will certainly help the company. 

References  

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Braimah, M. (2016). Internal marketing and employee commitment in the hospitality industry.  African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure ,  5 (2), 1-22. 

Cascio, W. F., & Boudreau, J. W. (2012).  Short introduction to strategic human resource management . Cambridge University Press. 

Farndale, E., & Kelliher, C. (2013). Implementing performance appraisal: Exploring the employee experience.  Human Resource Management ,  52 (6), 879-897. 

Heintz, J. (2019). Global labor standards: Their impact and implementation. In  The Handbook of Globalization, Third Edition . Edward Elgar Publishing. 

Kim, Y. J., Kim, W. G., Choi, H. M., & Phetvaroon, K. (2019). The effect of green human resource management on hotel employees’ eco-friendly behavior and environmental performance.  International Journal of Hospitality Management ,  76 , 83-93. 

Locke, R. M. (2013).  The promise and limits of private power: Promoting labor standards in a global economy . Cambridge University Press. 

Nankervis, A., Baird, M., Coffey, J., & Shields, J. (2019).  Human resource management . Cengage AU. 

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Richards, J., Chillas, S., & Marks, A. (2012). “Every man for himself": Teamwork and customer service in the hospitality industry.  Employee Relations ,  34 (3), 235-254. 

Woon, L., & Kahl, C. (2015). Employment empowerment through human resource department in enriching employee satisfaction: the Hilton way in Malaysia.  TEAM Journal of Hospitality and Tourism ,  12 (1), 21-37.