Assignment Task:
Balancing Human Capital Needs post COVID-19: The case of Quest Joondalup The hospitality and tourism industry has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the industry facing unprecedented challenges in terms of staffing, operations, and revenue. As a result, strategic human resource management has become more critical than ever for businesses in this sector. Effective HR strategies are necessary to adapt to the constantly changing circumstances and to ensure that the workforce remains engaged, productive, and resilient. As a result of COVID-19, many employees in the hospitality industry faced job losses, reduced hours, or furloughs. The impacts of this included financial stress and uncertainty about the future. Even those employees who were able to keep their jobs may have experienced increased workloads, as businesses adapted to new health and safety protocols or faced staffing shortages due to quarantine requirements. Many companies in Australia have resumed business after COVID with a vengeance. The hotel industry has returned with strong profits - some hotels being even busier than before the pandemic. However, majority of the hotel industry are seemingly ill equipped to deal with the higher occupancy/demand. There have been general reports of ongoing effects on employees' mental health and well-being, with many reporting increased stress, anxiety, and burnout. There is an apparent lack of trust towards employers and government alike. This high emotional and physical fatigue from employees can be seen worldwide with the popularity of trends like 'quiet quitting' with many citing lack of interest, motivation and effort in their employment. Overall, the post-COVID experiences of employees in the hospitality industry are likely to be complex and multifaceted, reflecting the challenges and opportunities of this unprecedented time. The fact that COVID-19 may have long-term implications for HR in the hospitality and tourism industry, including the potential for permanent changes in working practices and the need for increased resilience and flexibility cannot be overruled. Quest Joondalup has not escaped the above-mentioned consequences of the pandemic. The hotel is beating every monthly revenue budget and has strong projections for the future months. However, the business has been negatively affected by employee dissatisfaction. Some symptoms displayed of this dissatisfaction include:
- High percentage of employees quitting without warning and affecting day to day operations
- Understaffing causing current staff to be overworked
- Evidence of Fatigue/lack of effort
- Decreased customer satisfaction and weaker relations with corporate clients
How does Quest apartments effectively manage HR in this rapidly changing and uncertain environment so that they can continue to achieve their above-average returns? Assuming the role of a consultant:
1. Provide THREE (3) diverse strategic options for the issue presented by Quest Apartments Joondalup.
2. Argue the case for which recommendation would be most beneficial for implementation by the organisation.