Sun Hotels and Resorts Maldives

Preliminary measures recommended ahead of the formulation of a long term Human Resource Development / Training Plan for Olhuveli and Vilu Reef Beach & Spa Resorts

By

Hassan Saeed

Page 1 of 6 Pre-training Recommendations

Overview
This report is a result of my direct observations and involvement in the HR process of this company for the past six months. I felt the need for this after the MDs instructions to me to facilitate training for the resorts. I understand that MDs decision has resulted from his personal experience of the service at the resorts, comments, complaints from guests, tour operators and travel agents and requests from the Heads of Departments / Executive managements of the resorts. From the above list, it can be seen that each party has a unique way of looking at the standard of service and without a proper need-analysis we may not be able to determine the objectives of our training which will in turn determine the type or mode of training required. At the senior management level, we need to ask ourselves one key question: Why do we need training? Do we need training to create some hype or excitement amongst the staff to help us with employee retention and take us closer to the HRD award from the government? Do we need training to enhance and improve the level of the service we provide to guests through our outlets? Do we need training to solve operational problems to ensure a glitch-free, smooth service? Each of the above objectives requires a unique program of training. However, it is my sincere feeling that we need to achieve all of the objectives from a long-term training program. Since my assumption of the recruiting responsibilities under Mr.Shakirs guidance, I have always recruited individuals with experience and this has been the wish of the managements. This is one reason I believe negates any urgent or pressing need for entry level training. If the members of staff, despite having the basic technical capabilities, are not able to deliver an acceptable standard of service, then the capacity and ability of their supervisors are in serious question. It is a sign of lack of organization and a sign of an ineffective supervisory or management mechanism. Also, most of the on the job training methods employed in the hospitality industry do not require outside assistance, neither consultants nor trainers. It is a routine process and the heads of department should be able to design, coordinate and / or deliver this type of training themselves. Olhuveli and Vilu have a number of HR complications that may hamper the successful implementation of a long-term training plan.

Page 2 of 6 Pre-training Recommendations

Olhuveli, operated by a Japanese company in the early nineties pose a multitude of challenges for the management. Part of the infrastructure on the island is run-down and requires extensive preventive and reactive maintenance. Facilities for staff are very much limited and will be difficult and expensive to enhance. Additionally, the islands location in Mal atoll makes it difficult for the staff to travel to and from the island. Staff traveling on guest transfer boats makes the availability of seats scarce and unpredictable. The difficulty of transportation acts as a deterrent and makes the resort less attractive to potential employees and is a major contributing factor to the high level of staff turnover. Vilu Reef fewer problems than Olhuveli in terms of infrastructure and staff facilities. For Vilu Reef, the main challenge is the distance from the capital, which makes it a difficult choice for employees from the far north and south of the Maldives. Training will not be effective and may not serve any purpose if there are other underlying problems and challenges that encourage and trigger staff turnover mostly through voluntary separation due to the ineffectiveness of the heads of department, flows in the management system and our general failure to give the employees a sense of security, equity in pay, benefits and facilities.

Page 3 of 6 Pre-training Recommendations

Pre-requisites for the initiation of across-the-board training at the resorts

Based on my experience as the Human Resource Manager of Sun Hotels and Resorts the past six months, I strongly feel that the following prerequisites are needed for the successful implementation of any HR Development or Training plan. 1. Determine our position in the current labour market This is a pre-requisite for conducting a pay survey that will help us introduce a basic pay structure. Before a comparative pay survey can be conducted, we need to determine who our competitors are in the view of potential employees. For this, we need to answer a number of critical questions at the corporate level. Do we pitch ourselves against resorts in Mal atoll or against resorts which are in south and the same area and same distance from the capital? Or do we compare ourselves who sell rooms at similar rates and who has the same type of clientele? 2. Streamlining of all HR activities and procedures I have suggested this from the initial days of my appointment and have drafted some policies and procedures which are geared towards attracting and retaining employees. Unfortunately, I have not had the support of the individual departments and managements and am still awaiting comments or improvements to the first set of policies. I may be able to do it unilaterally at the corporate level as the Directors have given me the go-ahead, however, I feel that the agreement and consensus of all those involved is important for the implementation of any such policy or procedure as it involves organizational change in one form or other and that it ultimately requires the acceptance of our employees. In addition, heads of department should be given proper orientation into modern HR practices. They should be made aware of the various HR procedures and the importance of following them. 3. Personal development and capacity building training for Heads of Department As it is the stated policy of the company to try and utilize the employees we currently have instead of looking for and replacing them with more effective ones, we seriously need to
Page 4 of 6 Pre-training Recommendations

look at the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals employed as heads of department and organize targeted training to improve, enhance and empower them to lead and manage. These individuals are required to fulfill a number of preliminary HR needs in conjunction with the HR department. They need to come up with job designs, job descriptions and person specifications and be able to conduct and coordinate proper and thorough orientation of new employees and the training of the existing employees. 4. Document current service standards and procedures to enable the managements to come up with effective standard operating procedures for the individual departments and the entire resort operation I understand that even if there are some complaints and some degree of dissatisfaction amongst the guests, the majority of our guests leave happy and satisfied. This is definitely because we are doing certain things right and we need to keep those efforts up and continue doing so. It is therefore essential to document our current operational procedure if we are to highlight and emphasize the good things and to determine processes that require streamlining, redesigning and improving. This requires the detailed documentation of all service delivery processes in F&B Service, Production, Housekeeping and Front Office. i. I have recommended this to the resort managements sometime back and was told that the Heads of Department will not be able to do this themselves. If the heads of department are in fact unable to do this (as this does NOT require them to design or create anything or any process) their ability should be seriously scrutinized. 5. Implementation of a complete orientation and/or re-orientation program Orientation is geared towards familiarizing newly employed members of staff with the resort and its facilities. We need to find out exactly to what extent our staff knows the resort and our product. We need to ask the receptionist if he /she can recollect and describe the interiors of al types of guest rooms and give guests accurate information on mealtimes, excursions and prices. We need to ask our waiters if they know the entertainment schedule, the gym and spa opening hours, the treatments, different services and the prices. If they do not know it, they have not been properly oriented and inducted.
Page 5 of 6 Pre-training Recommendations

If this is the case we do not need outside trainers or consultants to come in and remedy this problem. We should be able to do it ourselves. 6. Strengthening of the existing supervisory mechanism We need to look at the organizational setup of resorts and determine the degree of efficiency and effectiveness we are achieving with the current setup. We need to find out if the cooperation amongst the departments is achieving the maximum and if not, how it can be achieved. We need to come up with job descriptions and specifications for individual heads of departments and give them clear and well-defined mandates of responsibility. We need to facilitate an atmosphere of learning and knowledge transfer. We need to ensure accurate monitoring of the effectiveness of training.

Conclusion
It is my sincere opinion and conclusion that what is required at the resorts is streamlining and standardizing rather than trainers and consultants. We need to put our house in order before we can invite someone to come in and see it. There are a number of measures in this paper that the resort managements can implement straightaway, which will have a dramatic impact on the level of service. Also, at the corporate level, we need to sit down and answer some critical questions similar to the ones posed earlier in this paper. I would recommend that we convene a meeting of the executive managers of the resorts and the directors to determine our future direction and objectives in terms of Human Resource Development.

Page 6 of 6 Pre-training Recommendations