workforce was white and male. Major changes
include the increase in women and minorities
in the workforce and the aging of the work-
force, 17-16.
This increase in diversity of the workforce
has created challenges and opportunities for the
hospitality industry. The opportunity is to serve
customers better, because the customers are
more diverse than they used to be. The chal-
lenge is to create a smoothly functioning team
from individuals from a variety of different
backgrounds. People are usually most comfort-
able with people who are just like them. A
diverse workforce puts people from different
backgrounds together. These people often need
to learn to work together and to understand
each other’s backgrounds. Issues that arise
include prejudice, discrimination, sexual harass-
ment, and communication problems.
HR helps the company deal with the issues
that arise from a diverse workforce. Some com-
panies have created a special job to deal with
diversity issues. For example, many hospitality
companies have a vice president of diversity.
HR develops training programs that help people
work with each other. In addition, if there are
language issues, HR will develop language
classes to help workers learn English. HR will
also develop training programs in employees’
native languages to help them with their jobs
while they are learning English.
Recruitment
Another major issue for the HR department
is recruitment. Hospitality companies often
have a difficult time finding enough qualified
employees to fill job openings. In addition,
Chapter 17 Human Resources
399
17-15 HR staff members need excellent communications and interpersonal skills. HR staff that deal with
compensation and benefits must have excellent math skills and be very detail oriented.