Answer the discussion board questions and cite outside sources in the paper.
Several factors in the hospitality industry make labor relations difficult for HR professionals working within the industry. Because the hospitality and tourism industry is rather seasonal – meaning it fluctuates based on peak travel times (e.g. May-Aug. is the peak season for the Gulf Coast beaches) – this presents a unique staffing challenge. What are some issues that may arise from having to hire additional employees during peak tourism season demands? How can industry-related businesses overcome employee shortage issues (think creatively)?
As you are thinking about the above questions, consider employee age. Can you hire teenagers to work in hospitality-related businesses? If so, are there any limitations to when they can work or what they are allowed to do? What positions they are able to hold? How many hours a week they are permitted to work? Are there any other potential pools of candidates that may be a good option to pull from to satisfy the lack of employees in our industry? Explain yourself.
Something that we must consider and understand is that the hospitality industry is propelled by a diverse workforce comprised of people from different cultures and ethnicities. An issue that we must consider is that our employees must be legal citizens to work in our establishments. Is there an issue within the hospitality industry in utilizing undocumented employees?
In the past, many hotels in particular relied heavily on H-2B and J-1 Visa programs to remedy the employee shortage during peak tourism seasons. However, these programs are limited to only granting 66,000 visas to temporary hospitality industry employees. AHLA is currently lobbyingLinks to an external site. to increase this number due to the lack of employees within our industry. Do you believe this is a viable option to solve the problems we are seeing? Explain yourself with resources to support your opinions.
