Study on the human resource training system of Shangri—La Hotel

【Abstract】Shangri-la Hotels and Resorts is one of the leading and fastest growing luxury hotel groups based in Asia pacific region. This study will discuss Shangri-Las Human resource functions. Then， an analysis will be stated as well as its link with Shangri-Las goal， mission and vision.

【Key words】Shangri-la Hotels； Promotion； training system

【作者簡介】張鳳婷，四川外國語大學成都學院。

1. Recruitment

Shangri-La recruits employees starting with careful selections， which embraced the foundation of Shangri-La philosophies： staffs are “hired for attitude， trained for skills” （Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts， 2010）. Shangri-La hotels and resorts are located around the world， thus， Shangri-Las employees come from many different backgrounds and cultures. For to attract the best talent， Shangri-La offers job opportunities with great career path and development， which includes training and development， academy facilities， as well as staff facilities and welfare， promotion that help employees to achieve their personal career goals and so forth.

2. Training and Development

According to Goldstein and Ford （2002）， “Training” refers to a systematic approach to learning and development to improve individual， team， and organizational effectiveness. These include： “Shangri-La Care”， the training programme designed for new staff for developing Shangri-La style of service， delivering superior guest experience and building brand loyalty； “tiger programme” for talented young hospitality professionals in preparation for groups western expansion. Besides， for to retain its high calibre staff， Shangri-La provides a career path that employees can achieve their personal and career goals， for instance， “talent development Programme”， “Shangri-La Academy”， and executive development certificate courses（Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts， 2010）. Moreover， development program targets at different leadership development platforms， such as “hotel general manager successors”； “supervisory excellence” for supervisors and line managers； “excellence for senior and middle managers”， as well as a “360 degree evaluation” for senior management. These training and development programs help to improve employees job performance， effectiveness， enhance their skills and knowledge， as well as motivate and build the company loyalty， which helps Shangri-La to reduce the employees turnover and retain the talented staff.

3. Promotion and Reward

Price （1994） pointed out the hotel industry tended to rely on external labour market to fill those vacancies that caused by high labour turnover. However， the cost of high turnover， recruitment and training appears to be another big problem for hotels. Therefore， Shangri-La developed some retention strategies to keep the valuable staffs with satisfy their needs and keep promoting and rewarding the best. For instance， one of these retention strategies is “promotion from within”， which refers to fill the companys management vacancies through internal promotions and transfers with over 50 projects around the world. Shangri-La create the environment for its internal candidates and given preference over external candidates， 65% of its management vacancies were filled by internal promotions or transfers during the last two years （Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts， 2010）. The potential advantages for Shangri-La include build up morale of employees， reward good performance， cost effectiveness， builds up company loyalty and so forth （Nankervis， Compton & Baird， 2008）. Moreover， other promotions or rewards include service recognition， which refers to give service certificate to reward the outstanding employees； economic opportunities to employment； as well as career path and development program which help the employees achieve their personal and career goals.

4. Working Environment

The working culture of Shangri-La is diverse， warm and caring. It invested heavily on the staff facilities such as staff changing rooms， restaurant and rest areas， and it is committed to provide an international standard safe and healthy environment for its customers， employees， stakeholders， suppliers and the public. Emergency training on fire， life， safety and all security are provided for its staffs. And Shangri-La is based on OHSA 18001 Certification for Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems， which helps to control occupational health and safety risks （Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts， 2010）.

References：

[1]Goldstein，I.L.，&Ford;，J.K.（2002）.Training in Organizations 4th ed. CA：Wadsworth.