COMPETENCIES REQUIRED BY HR PROFESSIONALS IN HOTEL INDUSTRY PRE & POST COVID-19

 Hospitality Industry in India

The hospitality industry in our country has always been considered as a sunrise industry, meaning it has a huge scope of growth and development in near future. Hospitality Industry is considered as one of the most profitable industries. This sector attracts a major chunk of foreign direct investment inflow along with the most important means of foreign exchange for the country. Tourism and Hospitality industry are as one of the largest service industries in India.

In India, hospitality industry can be categorized broadly into:

§  Lodging

§  Food and Beverages

§  Transportation

§  Theme parks and amusement parks

§  Other related fields

 Hotel Industry in India

Hotel Industry is the section of the service industry that deals with the guests’ accommodations or lodgings. The hotel industry refers not only to the hotels, but also to many other forms of overnight accommodation, including hostels, motels, inns and guest houses.  Due to nature of hotel services, it is closely associated with the travel and tourism industry.

PRE AND POST COVID-19 SCENARIO IN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

During 2019, foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India stood at 10.89 million, achieving a growth rate of 3.20 per cent y-o-y. During 2019. The presence of International hotel chains was increasing in the country, and it was expected that it would account for around 47 per cent share in the tourism and hospitality sector of India by 2020 and 50 per cent by 2022.

Covid 19- has hit every sector across the globe, and the hotel industry is among the hardest hit. The pandemic has confronted the hospitality industry with an unprecedented challenge. Strategies to flatten the COVID-19 curve such as community lockdowns, social distancing, stay-at-home orders, travel and mobility restrictions have resulted in temporary closure of many hospitality businesses and significantly decreased the demand for businesses that could continue to operate. A research conducted by McKinsey state that the recovery to pre COVID-19 levels could take until 2023-or later. Like so many industries hospitality will also see both subtle and substantial shifts in the post pandemic era. Travel will return, but the recovery will likely take longer than in other industries and will vary across segments. What is certain is that the next normal will be marked by structural shifts, especially around customer expectations for hygiene and flexibility.

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED BY HR PROFESSIONALS IN HOTEL INDUSTRY UNDER PRE AND POST COVID-19 SCENARIO

The growth and the changes faced by the Hotel industry post Covid-19 pandemic has in a way influenced the competencies of its personnel. There has been growing concern about competencies as to what requires by the industry. The study focuses on the competencies required by the HR Professionals from the viewpoint of Hotel Industry under Pre and Post Covid-19 pandemic situation.

Below are the competencies required by Top-Level HR Professionals in Hotel Industry under Pre and Post Covid-19 scenario:

TOP LEVEL HR PROFESSIONALS
Before Covid-19 Outbreak		Post Covid-19 Outbreak
Authenticity	·         A leader to be authentic, open and honest                  ·         Ability to gain the trust of others and consistently act with integrity is a critical success factor.	·         Building a culture of listening, communicating, learning and sharing view- points     ·         Must be open, honest and very straightforward about the organisation’s ability to effectively manage change.
Change Management	·         Ability to share best change management practices           ·         Ability to correspond, influence and communicate the value that effective change management can confer on an organisation’s competitive advantage.	·         Need to identify and drive organizational and cultural transformation in order to help companies and workforces adapt to changing market demands, technology and initiatives               ·           Encouraging, developing and supporting the ability of line managers to coach employees in their required role in a specific change initiative
Leading Innovation	·         Define the kind of innovation that drives growth and helps meet strategic objectives  ·         Add innovation to the formal agenda at regular leadership meetings                                                          ·          Set performance metrics and targets for innovation	·         Ability to conceive of breakthrough engagement and talent management strategies that differentiate the organization from its competition
Emotional Intelligence	·         Be more empathetic with the staff and the client                ·          Know how to manage feelings and emotions in a broader level  ·         Having the capacity to adapt to new realities, needs and standards	·         Must handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and em-pathetically  ·         Listening to the problems of the workforce and come up with solutions      ·         Having a sense of belonging towards the hotel, staff, and clients
Leadership Skills	·         Develop mission statement, goals, and objectives.       ·         Manage stakeholder relationships.                                 ·         Develop a strategic communications plan that supports the goals of the event and incorporates strategies for key stakeholders, employees, community members, and attendees ·          Risk management strategies and techniques   ·         Discuss and design workforce requirements, policies, and procedures	·         Demonstrate ability to implement emergency response plans and communication procedures  ·         Demonstrate ability to carry out contingency and business continuity plans as appropriate    ·         Describe strategies to create positive outcomes and mitigate negative impacts or events.          ·         Empowering employees to “gain their loyalty, reduce staff turnover and retain them in companies      ·         Reinforcing the prevention of occupational risks

Today HR Department plays a very important role in the recovery and growth of Hotel Industry post Covid-19 pandemic by developing decision-making processes and more agile policies to account for safety, especially around customer and employees’ expectations for hygiene and flexibility. HR at all the Three levels in the Hotel Industry need to develop certain competencies for handling its employees, addressing their need, staying engaged with them through the pandemic and keeping them safe. They need to demonstrate competencies to manage workforce expectations, recognize that these will continue to evolve, and prepare to act agilely to address health and safety concerns.