Engaging students: Attracting new learners in vocational education
The answer to this question may surprise you, especially when it comes to vocational education and training programs.
Opinion Articles
The Impact of Employee Engagement on Service Industry Success
The service industry, characterized by its direct interaction with customers, is a prominent pillar in today's economy. From hospitality to retail, healthcare to finance, the quality of service makes or breaks a business. This isn't merely about job satisfaction; it's about how invested employees are in their company's mission and goals.
By Prince Sanders, Hospitality Managing Director, Prince A. Sanders
Why are facilitation skills so important when working with others?
Imagine a workplace where everyone's thoughts and ideas matter, where collaboration flows naturally. Facilitation skills are the key to making this happen. By developing these skills, you become the glue that holds teams together. You can resolve conflicts, guide decision-making, and make meetings more focused and productive. Whether you're a manager, a team leader, or a team member, it can help you build better working relationships and create a positive work environment. It's all about working together smoothly.
Could revenue management solve hospitality’s labor shortage?
After suffering the effects of COVID-19 for several long years, the tourism and hotel industries are now fully entering the recovery phase. According to a report from the UNWTO, international arrivals surged to 80% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2023. Approximately 235 million tourists embarked on international travel during the first three months of the year, marking a two-fold increase year-on-year. The current issue is no longer a lack of tourists but rather a shortage of personnel to cater to the throngs of visitors.
By Cindy Heo and Andrew Brenner
“Detoxification” of work environments: A pragmatic framework
In the first part of a mini series on toxicity in the workplace, we explore the linkages between toxic work environments and employee turnover. These relationships exist at multiple levels, including the destruction of positive work values, undermining of trust and individual confidence, limitations to the individual development of employees and, last but not least, high stress levels leading to employee burnout.
By Stefano Borzillo and Steffen Raub
AI and higher education: Thought partner or paid consultant?
In the lead up to the 6th annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), Dr Laura Zizka introduces the theme that will headline this dynamic pedagogical event: the ubiquitous role of AI in education. In this opinion piece, she airs her views on the pervasive Chat GPT technology and how to best harness it for the accompanying tool that it is.
By Laura Zizka, Assistant Professor, EHL
Why toxic workplaces struggle with employee turnover
In the first part of a mini series on toxicity in the workplace, we explore the relationship between toxic work environments – or “toxicity” in the workplace – and turnover. Employee turnover is an everlasting concern for the hospitality industry. Industry insiders complain about a “turnover culture”. Hospitality firms have difficulties in attracting and retaining talent. Last but not least, the COVID-19 pandemic and the following “great resignation” have made matters even worse. Needless to say that hospitality organizations are keen on minimizing factors that may contribute to even higher employee turnover.
By Stefano Borzillo and Steffen Raub
The power of praise – Give your staff more recognition!
Praise may well be one of the most underestimated managerial tools. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many people wish they would receive more positive feedback, praise, encouragement and recognition from their significant others. And many adults deplore not having received enough pats on the back and positive encouragement from their parents in childhood and adolescence. The consequences of this lack of recognition for relationships and psychological well-being in adult life can be very negative.
By Steffen Raub and Sébastien Fernandez
Meeting industry demands: Aligning curriculum with hospitality trends
The hospitality industry is always changing and schools need to keep up with the latest trends to provide students with the best education possible. In this blog post, we'll be talking about the significance of adaptive curricula and providing some helpful tips for schools to stay relevant and attract more students. We'll also be discussing some of the exciting new trends in the hospitality industry and education, and how schools can align their curricula with these trends to provide students with the skills they need to succeed in this fast-paced sector. So, let's dive in and explore how hospitality schools approach the challenge of preparing students for the hospitality jobs of the future!
By Ashley Musseau, Learning Content Designer, EHL
Labor shortage in the cruise industry - How to attract the millenials
In the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic, labor shortage and talent management challenges have been propelled to the top of the agenda in many industries. However, the cruise industry has been particularly hard hit. While more than 1.8 million people were employed in the cruise industry in 2019, by 2022 that number had dropped by almost 40%. When business picked up faster than expected, filling open positions became the number one priority. However, of the nearly 600,000 cruise line employees laid off in 2021, nearly 40 percent have not returned to work in the industry.
By Steffen Raub, Full Professor Human Resources/Organisational Behaviour, EHL
How cognitive distortions affect employee performance
Our brains are a remarkable tool that we rely on for guidance and understanding. Trusting in our own cognitive abilities is essential, as it allows us to navigate through life's challenges, recognize potential threats, and seek meaningful connections. It is through our brain's intricate wiring that we can detect danger, attract potential partners, and solve the problems that come our way.
More Than Just Interns
Mention internship and the industry is likely to echo that they all know about it: namely, students on short stints to learn on-the-job for an allowance. What may be overlooked is the significance of fulfilling students' psychological needs during internships. This article reports a study that examined the current situation of how students' psychological needs are being met or otherwise. Recommendations are included to help hospitality organizations better manage internships towards improving the retention of future talents.
By Lee-Keng Ng, Associate Professor, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
Managing a Diverse Workforce in the Hospitality Industry: Strategies for Inclusive Leadership
The service industry, a broad sector ranging from hospitality and tourism to health and retail, is one of the most diverse sectors globally. In such a landscape, leading a multicultural, multi-generational, and multi-gendered workforce is both an opportunity and a challenge. Properly harnessed, diversity can foster innovation, enhance customer service, and drive business growth. However, achieving these benefits demands more than acknowledging diversity—it requires a dedicated approach to inclusive leadership.
By Prince Sanders, Hospitality Managing Director, Prince A. Sanders
How to Improve Hotel Productivity (Without Burning Out Staff)
The hotel, food services, and hospitality industry had the highest burnout rate globally in 2019. Roughly 80% of employees in this sector reported feeling overwhelmed by their workload. Now, combine this with the increased stress of the last three years, rising demand for services, and a lack of staff. Sounds like burnout in the making, right?
By Lauren Hall, Founder & CEO, iVvy
Transforming Vocational Education with AI and VR
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at a conference in Nanjing, China, where I delved into the revolutionary impact of the integration of Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) and Virtual Reality (VR) in education and training. This pioneering approach promises to redefine how we learn and prepare for various careers, especially in the vocational sector. In this blog, I share some reflections and hypotheses that could chart the course for the future of vocational education:
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Defined
The terms diversity, equity, and inclusion are intertwined. As workplaces, communities, and society work to build justice, fairness, and equality into their environments, these three words represent opportunities to embrace new ways of inviting people in, capitalizing on their unique perspectives, and encouraging productive collaboration.
By Gissell Moronta, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Atrium Hospitality
Successful employee training: Tips for employers and managers
The success of any organization or business depends on the quality of its workforce. Especially if its activity revolves around direct service to customers. Effective training strategies can make all the difference in the success of an organization. Good training allows an employee to develop their skills quickly and efficiently, providing them with the knowledge needed to perform their job to the highest standard. Employers need to create effective training plans that target the specific job skills and knowledge needs of their employees, while giving employees the opportunity to develop both personally and professionally.
By Anne-Céline Depierraz, Consultant, EHL
5 tips for hospitality leaders to do less and do it better
“Do more with less” has been the prevailing theme of the last three-ish years, driven first by the need to economize during the immediate business slowdown caused by the pandemic and then by staffing shortages as the hospitality industry began to recover. Unfortunately, the “less” we had was not adequate to cover the “more” we were expected to do. No matter how clever we tried to be, things slipped through the cracks, and burnout was real (and ongoing).
By Kelly McGuire, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), KASA, HSMAI (USA)
Career Fair: An efficient tool for recruiting new talent for hospitality industry
Hotelschool The Hague’s Career fair was successfully held on campus in The Hague. This was the perfect chance for students to source for top placement opportunities and/or their next professional opportunity! From hotels and hospitality companies like Marriott, Rosewood, Accor, Belmond and KLM to corporates such as ABN AMRO, Crisp, Rituals, and RAI Amsterdam, 50 Industry partners joined the big event.
By Nina de Graaf, Hotelschool The Hague content editor, Hotelschool The Hague
Top Education Trends to watch in 2024
As technology advances and the Fourth Industrial Revolution takes hold, society and the professional world are undergoing rapid transformations. These changes are significantly impacting the field of education, giving rise to a multitude of emerging trends that educators must closely monitor in 2024. To effectively engage their students, learning facilitators must stay up-to-date with the latest developments, innovative teaching techniques, and key factors that influence learning in the classroom. By understanding these trends, they can create more dynamic and impactful learning environments.
By Eric Debétaz