employees leave for a variety of personal reasons.
Businesses learn how to deal with this type of
turnover.
Turnover also occurs when employees are
unhappy with their jobs. Turnover also occurs
when a competing company offers much better
wages or benefits or working conditions. Part of
the function of HR is to make the workplace as
positive as possible. HR researches wages to
make sure the business offers a competitive
wage. HR also researches the benefits other
companies offer. HR works to develop wages,
benefits, and other programs that will
keep employees happy. HR often develops
quality of work life programs to help retain
employees. These programs are discussed in
the last section of the chapter.
HR Staff
The size of the HR staff depends on the size
of the business. In a small business, the general
manager or president of the company will han-
dle all HR tasks. A business of 60 or more
employees will often have one HR staff member.
This person will be called the director of HR. As
the number of employees increases, the number
of HR staff members will increase. A large HR
division will be divided into several depart-
ments: recruitment, training, labor relations, and
compensation and benefits. Large HR depart-
ments often have a number of assistants and
clerical staff.
Employees in HR need a variety of skills and
personal qualities, 17-15. HR staff that interview
candidates, do training, and handle labor rela-
tions must have excellent communications and
interpersonal skills. HR staff that deal with com-
pensation and benefits must have excellent math
skills and be very detail oriented. HR staff that
deal with regulatory compliance must also be
detail oriented. All HR staff must be able to keep
confidential information confidential.
HR Issues
The HR division or department deals with
many issues. Many of these issues concern indi-
vidual employees and their problems. Other
issues affect the hospitality industry more
broadly. Some of these issues include diversity
in the workforce, recruitment, family and
medical leave, and quality of life programs.
Diversity in the Workforce
The nature of the workforce in the United
States has changed over the past 50 years and
will continue to change. In the past, most of the
398
Part 4 The Business of Hospitality
17-14 Turnover occurs when an employee leaves the
company and another employee must be hired to
take his or her place.