Dimension: Workforce Enhancement
Consider the vacation policy Dave has implemented at the Golden Rose.
1. How do you think the restaurant's policy affects each of the following HR functional areas:
Staffing the operation
Developing staff
Motivating staff
Maintaining staff
2. Why do you think paid vacations are so frequently used by many businesses in an effort to motivate employees?
3. The hospitality industry employs a large number of part-time workers. Most do not accrue paid vacation time. Why do you think the industry has been reluctant to grant paid vacations to this large segment of its workforce?
3a. (Research Required) In the news the past week, Facebook announced a new paid leave policy. Employees now receive 20 days of paid bereavement leave for an immediate family member (read the article here). More and more companies are implementing more comprehensive leave policies.
Research a hospitality company (or if you are a non-hospitality major research company that interests you) that offers a type of paid leave policy (leave could include maternity/paternity, vacation, bereavement, etc.). Summarize the policy. How do you feel paid leave policies can potentially impact the industry?
Dimension: Record Keeping and Documentation
Consider the recordkeeping system put in place by the former HR assistant.
Would you change the recordkeeping system that has been used?
What alternatives could Sara suggest to Dave that would help the restaurant save time and money in maintaining these records?
What role could advanced technology play in helping solve this problem? (Hint: Google "Vacation records software: employees" and record your findings.)
Dimension: Policy Development
Assume you were considering the development of vacation policies and procedures for an operation of your own.
Draft a two-paragraph statement explaining your policy for use in your employee handbook. (Each policy should address ease of recordkeeping, be easily explainable to employees, and represent fairness from your viewpoint).
Draft a two-paragraph statement explaining the policy and procedure employees would use when requesting the use of their paid vacation time, which would also be used in the handbook.
(The statement should address the amount of notice to be given, to who the notice should be given, whether the notice should be given in writing or orally, and how records of the time-off requests, as well as granting or denial of the request, are recorded).
Draft a procedures summary that details how your operation will document granting employee vacation time requests in a manner designed to minimize any charges of bias or unfairness by your employees.
(Procedures summaries should include, who will do the documentation, when the documentation will be completed, and where the documentation will be filed when it is completed).