Managing Regional Diversity in Indian Hotels
Before I write about diversity,I would like to share my experience about a diversity issue.
When I joined hotels in early 1990’s ,We were a batch of young fresh recruits from Hotel Management colleges and were posted in Goa as Management Trainees. Our batch had representation from most of the states in India. The biggest problem most of my North Indian colleagues faced was about local language and food in the hotel cafeteria. Typical lunch was fish curry ,rice with one or two vegetables. Goans loved their fish. My colleagues from North India always liked to have their rotis with along with the meals. Most of them did not enjoy having Rice and Fish for Lunch or Dinner. They approached the Human Resources Manager.He was very considerate. He ensured that North Indian employees or employees who desired to have rotis were made available from the main kitchen of the hotel. All my North Indian colleagues were happy and motivated. This was an example to manage diversity in the work place.
The greatest challenge for managers in hotels is to manage work force diversity .Lets look at India as a country which is a land of diversity.
India,a country with 28 states and 7 union territories has a complex regional culture .India has world’s second largest labour force is the second most culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse geographical entity after the African continent. If we travel for 50 kms in India in any direction, we see a change in the language spoken , food, clothing ,living, religious faith and attitudes.
The constitution also recognises in particular 21 other languages that are either abundantly spoken or have classical status. The number of dialects in India is as high as 1,652.
Indians love their food. Indian cuisine is characterized by a wide variety of regional styles and sophisticated use of herbs and spices. The staple foods in the region are rice (especially in the south and the east) and wheat (predominantly in the north).Spices originally native to the Indian subcontinent that are now consumed world wide include black pepper; in contrast, hot chilli peppers, popular across India, were introduced by the Portuguese.
Traditional Indian dress varies across the regions in its colours and styles and depends on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men; in addition, stitched clothes such as shalwar kameez for women and kurta-pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular. Many Indian festivals are religious in origin, although several are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. Some popular festivals are Diwali, Pongal, Holi, Onam, Vijayadashami, Bihu, Durga puja, Eid ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id, Christmas, Ugadi, Buddha Jayanti and Vaisakhi. India has three national holidays. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve, are officially observed in individual states. Religious practices are an integral part of everyday life and are a very public affair. Traditional Indian family values are highly respected.
With multiple diversity factors, it becomes extremely challenging for hotels to manage work force. Hotels across the world are 24/7 operations. Employees spend long hours in workplace. Each employee (men or women) have their own expectations from the organization. Be it the kind of food that is served in the cafeteria or leave during certain festivals. If these needs are not met, the employees are dissatisfied with the organization and results into low morale. For many employees , these needs are more important than the compensation .
Failure in Managing Multi Cultural Work Force results in:
• high employee turnover,
• low productivity,
• poor morale,
• bad company image
• costly operations.
• For the manager or executive, it can also result in additional stress.
Managing a Multicultural Workforce
Author and business consultant Paul Tulenko suggests the following steps in making the most out of a multicultural workforce:
1. First of all, identify the diversity - collect data about your workforce. Data can be related to employees gender, language, state, religious faith, age, marital status, education qualifications, financial status, family dependent status, food habits and so on.
1. First of all, identify the diversity - collect data about your workforce. Data can be related to employees gender, language, state, religious faith, age, marital status, education qualifications, financial status, family dependent status, food habits and so on.
2. Discover the norms. Get detailed information on your employees' cultures.
Get first hand information from your employees themselves.
3. Discover the differences. There will be plenty to understand the difference .These differences are not meant to separate us but to unite us. Celebrate the differences.
3. Discover the differences. There will be plenty to understand the difference .These differences are not meant to separate us but to unite us. Celebrate the differences.
4. Develop a plan.
The Human Resources Department has a vital role to play .Line Managers and Supervisors need to be sensitized regarding diversity in work place. Training Programmes on Work Place Diversity helps. Managers should be encouraged to foster diversity. Eg. Granting leave to employees during their important festivals or involving employees in planning menus in cafeteria through caferia committee. These are few examples. There are many other ways to engage employees .
It is extremely important for managers to be sensitive to cultures and have a understanding of the local environment and requirements. Empathy is an important quality that every manager should possess. Managing regional diversity is a complex task. But if managed well, it can be a differentiating factor for attracting ,retaining workforce and building brand for the organization.
