Compare HR to a Pizza?

Is that CRAZY?

Stephen W. Ayers, CEO STAY Ahead Hospitality.

Whole Pizzas usually come in eight slices. A healthy and well run Human Resources department has many more ‘slices’ that make up the whole ‘pie’.

The big difference is that you can go into a pizza parlor and buy just one slice, and not the whole pie.

You cannot just buy a ‘slice’ of HR if you want to succeed and thrive in your restaurant or hotel establishment.

The sad fact is that many hotels and large restaurants only have a slice, maybe two, of the whole HR ‘Pizza’. Sure, they want the whole Pizza and to eat it too, but are not willing to invest in the ‘dough’! (Pardon the pun!)

So what do they do? They invest in enough dough to make a slice or two and pretend that it is a whole pizza. It is not.

If you want your HR to be a whole pizza, eat it and still leave it whole, you need to invest in your staff and create a great culture.

It truly amazes me to know that many of the smaller and midsized hotels do not have a person dedicated to taking care of the staff full time. I can hear many disagree with me in my mind. But taking care of your staff by scheduling them, giving them uniforms, going by the law in safety and health, and paying them is only a small slice of the pie. If that is the extent of your Pizzeria, it will not do well!

So what is the recipe for a great HR Pizza?

Firstly you, as the owner or operator have to make the conscious decision to invest. Having done that there are decisions about the culture you want to engender in the property, and a careful strategy and timeline for implementation. You cannot wave a magic wand and ‘presto!’ you have an ideal and well functioning HR department and a great culture in the building.

The program must be well structured and committed to publicly with your whole staff contingent. The plan must be implemented according to the timeline decided upon, and staff trust will be built up over time. If you like, you can look at decisions and implementations as what is called ‘CBM’s’ in world diplomacy, or Confidence Building Measures. Every positive step you take will be noted and appreciated by your people.

While it is a ‘human’ plan, it is also a kind of science to implement it properly. The plan must be well regulated with timelines for events, survey of employee satisfaction to benchmark progress, policies for bonus systems, rewards for long time employees, career advancement, diversity recognition and even down to the staff dining room offerings. It must be adhered to strictly.

Decide and start implementing an encompassing HR plan and you will see the dough rising. You will begin to notice the stress fading among the staff and a new sense of pride in their work and the hotel. Confidence and respect for one another will increase. Your leadership in creating the new culture will not go unrewarded, and you will be amazed at the benefits coming your way.

Staff turnover will decrease substantially, with a statistical saving of $5000 on every new employee training and integration you do not have to undergo.

The guests will soon notice and will reward the hotel with repeat business, increasing the occupancy.

Productivity and efficiency will increase, saving thousands of dollars.

Social media will reflect the popularity of the hotel and you will be able to increase room rates.

When all this happens because you decided to invest in enough ‘dough’ to make a pizza, you will be able to sit back and enjoy ‘eating’ the pizza while it still remains whole. You are taking care of the needs and expectations of your most important asset, your staff.

But do not forget to keep the oven hot and the pizza warm and attended to. It takes time to make a great pizza but only a few moments to destroy it. The same can be said of a great staff culture. Once you have reached a good plateau you need to carry on maintaining and nurturing it, always adding great toppings to make it better!

Stephen Ayers is the co-creator of The Meaningful Seminars designed to assist hotels and restaurants achieve positive culture, meaningful branding and great guest engagement.