Forty-three percent of International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) members surveyed see better compensation (i.e. higher salaries and performance-based pay) as a key to improving the industry’s employment outlook, followed by 30 percent touting career advancement as critical, according to the ISHC WorldView study. Benefits, flexibility, training, and recruitment were also noted as key factors.
In a written statement ISHC’s Aurora Dawn Reinke, founder of Astrapto LLC, said, “A spectrum of dignity and equality matters to future generations - from living wages and benefits for the lowest line staff to opportunity and ability to have a positive impact for managers and college grads.”
Many ISHC members feel a greater awareness of hospitality as a viable career path should be the focus, according to the report. “Education/exposure earlier on in the hospitality industry. No one ever heard a fifth grader say ‘I want to be a hotel manager.’ The hospitality industry is virtually unknown as an opportunity for employment,” said Ted Mandigo, ISHC, president of TR Mandigo & Company.
Cecilia Gordon, ISHC, director, Goulston & Storrs, said, “I have seen our industry truly offer real opportunities for advancement, which is increasingly unusual in the world, and I think the industry should emphasize that much more strongly.”
Several ISHC members felt the industry should evolve to attune to generational nuances. Leora Lanz, ISHC, owner of LHL Communications, said, “So much has to change in the recruitment process to keep Millennials and Gen Z's even interested in our industry. Today's generation looks at hotels from a real estate perspective or not at all; if it does not make them money, very few are interested in the service and hospitality aspects.”
Debby Cannon, ISHC, director of Georgia State University’s Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality, said, “Clearer career paths that are more realistic for millennial advancement expectations; Emphasizing the role of creativity in the workplace and how entrepreneurial talents are tapped even if working for a large corporation.”
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