Human Resources USA & Canada Opinion Articles

June 29, 2009

The Ultimate Cover Letter

It's been said that when you know someone who becomes unemployed, it's a recession. When you become unemployed, it's a depression. Unfortunately, in today's down cycle, too many people are unemployed. In addition, students graduating from schools also face a very difficult job market. finding a job can be challenging. It takes drive, perseverance, creativity and luck. What doesn't take luck is putting together a great cover letter and resume that grabs the attention of the reader and leads to an interview.

By Stephen Rushmore, Hotel Valuation Expert and Founder of HVS, Hotel Valuation Software

United States

Opinion Article

May 11, 2009

Championing Employee Engagement

In the movie, The Wizard of Oz, Professor Marvel gazed into a crystal ball and pretended to see a careworn Aunt Em sick with worry over a missing Dorothy. This little deception from a kind heart was all it took to send Dorothy and Toto scurrying back to their Kansas farm and – after a well-known adventure – a new appreciation of family and friends. Unfortunately, crystal balls are less obliging when trying to determine the ways in which employee engagement and development impact corporate culture. Nonetheless, some 21st Century observations are emerging from the mist and becoming very clear indeed:

By Gene Ference, President, Ference Leadership and Strategy

United States

Opinion Article

April 21, 2009

Changes make H-2B visa program more challenging for hotels

The H-2B visa program was never a cure-all for the hospitality industry’s staffing woes, but recent changes have made it practically unusable for a large section of the industry. Additional modifications some members of Congress are pushing for could increase the program’s cost and complexity even more. To make the employment issue even more dire, there is expected to be a shortage of workers for the foreseeable future, even with the high rate of unemployment in the United States. “The program is constantly changing and constantly becoming more onerous and hard to follow,” said Paul Monte, general manager and CEO of Gurney’s Inn Resort, Spa and Conference Center in Montauk, New York. “I’m sure the intent is to legislate the program out of existence.

HotelNewsNow

United States

Opinion Article

April 10, 2009

HR management troubles the global hotel industry

Persistent problems often are the source of worry and lost sleep for managers in the highly competitive lodging industry. In a recent survey of 243 managers, human resource management issues were identified as the most troubling for property-level general managers and corporate executives. The study, administered in cooperation with the Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University, identified a common set of shared problems that impede the ability of industry leaders to manage effectively. While economic, environmental, customer-need and operating cost issues surfaced from the open-ended questions in the survey, 64 percent of respondents from six different regions of the world reported human resource issues of attraction, retention, training and morale were their key areas of concern.

By Cathy Enz, Lewis G. Schaeneman, Jr. Professor of Innovation & Dynamic Management Strategy, Cornell

United States

Opinion Article

March 30, 2009

Key Learnings from the 3rd Annual “HR in Hospitality” Conference By Jim Houran

An earthquake is shaking the HR world, and for three days its epicenter was the 3rd Annual “National HR in Hospitality Conference and Expo” held at the Disney Contemporary Resort in Orlando (March 17-19). The conference has definitely grown and matured over the years. Attendance was obviously tempered by the turbulent economy, but the number of attendees was still sizable. This arguably shows that HR policies and procedures are not static and that organizations admit the need to maintain their pulse on the latest best practices to stay strong from operational and interpersonal perspectives. The conference organizers delivered on information that reflected the ever-changing roles and responsibilities of HR and Learning and Training Departments. The topics covered in the general and breakout sessions ranged from pressing legal issues to the basics like employee incentive and development programs. The quality of the presenters -- and hence the sessions -- varied, but overall the agenda was impressive and topical.

By Jim Houran, Managing Director, HVS

United States