While the topic from the Forum has emphasized the role of human resources personnel in the management of change, it is also true that the position of human resources manager in large hospitality organizations will likely change. In fact, a common stereotype of the human resources generalist in large operations may have a shortlived future.
More extensive use of outsourcing, information technology advances, and continuing pressure to minimize costs are among the factors that will make change in on-site human resources management inevitable. Consider, for example, that external recruitment organizations can help hospitality operations locate potentially eligible candidates for position vacancies.
Information technology makes it easier and more effective to communicate with employees. Payroll and benefits administration are additional activities that will likely be outsourced even more in the future, because they are becoming more complex and require specialists to manage them cost effectively. Human resources managers in hospitality organizations will also need skills at developing strategies for and managing the outsourcing companies (service providers) that assist them.
In the future, many human resources professionals will work for outsourcers rather than for hospitality organizations. Those employed by the latter will likely become strategists to help ensure that their organization’s human resources add value to the operation. Increased globalization also means that staff members in different countries with entirely different laws that impact the management of an
international workforce will need to be coordinated.
As human resources managers realign their focus to more directly helping their companies to attain financial success, their influence in the organization is likely to increase. The goal of HR positions will be to help discover new and better ways to help the organization attain its business strategies.